As pioneers in football go, few rank higher than Valeriy Lobanovskyi. Influencing the game’s greatest managers long after he began his 30-year odyssey on the touchline, his success with Dynamo Kyiv –…
Tag: soviet union
There’s something to be said about being joyous at a time of immense sadness, about finding something to celebrate when we should otherwise be mourning or consoling. It’s why we tell jokes at…
Illustration by Federico Manasse How do you measure greatness? Statistics, trophies and personal accolades are often touted as the benchmarks, but for Lev Yashin, the best indication is through the reputation he…
Reaching the final of Euro 88 and re-forming again in 1992 after the Union’s collapse, the Soviet national team enjoyed fleeting highs in their final days
IT’S NO SECRET THAT BIG TOURNAMENTS CREATE BIG PLAYERS. To this day football fans all over the world still talk about how a 17-year-old Pelé dazzled spectators during the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. While…
“Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” Winston Churchill’s famous words in October 1939 at the breakout of World War Two ring out as loudly today as they did…
This feature is part of A Tale of One City “Daddy needs vodka, or he can’t ensure victory.” When Oleg Romanstev sent his five-year-old son into the VIP box at Anfield during a…