He may be overshadowed by other innovators but Viktor Maslov is as important as anyone: the creator of both the 4-4-2 and the press
Tag: ussr
The only Ukrainian footballer to ever win the Ballon d’Or, Oleg Blokhin’s records stand him out as perhaps the greatest Eastern European footballer of all
This feature is a part of RETEUROSPECTIVE The final of the European Championship not only produced a winning team that had come so close to international success so many times over the…
This feature is a part of RETEUROSPECTIVE At the height of the Cold War, one would have been forgiven for thinking that if anybody was going to cause an international incident through…
This feature is a part of RETEUROSPECTIVE Football fans know the even years provide an international tournament to fill the gap between domestic seasons. But the game was no longer a pleasant…
These Football Times’ podcast team go visual and take a look at the Euro 88 final, featuring the talents of Gullit, Van Basten, Belanov and Protasov
Making headway in regional leagues, with a new stadium on the horizon, the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl also destroyed local club FC Stroitel Pripyat
In 1946, at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, the former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gave a speech entitled ‘The Sinews of Peace’. In it he made reference to an “Iron Curtain”…
Russia’s epic World Cup victory against Spain in the round of 16 unleashed celebrations throughout Moscow that stretched across this massive country of nearly 145 million people and 11 time zones. The…
Many European countries have enjoyed success in World Cup football. The tournament has been won by England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, while the Czechoslovakia, Holland and Hungary have played in a…
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…
THINK OF THE RUSSIAN NATIONAL TEAM and you’re unlikely to think of anything particularly positive. One brief flutter towards success came in reaching the Euro 2008 semi-finals in fine style – led by…
For most people the name Spartacus remind them of the Roman gladiator who led a slave uprising against the Roman Empire more than 2,000 years ago. Later, he became a symbol of…
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
In late 1949, three men sat at an oak desk flanked by a pair of hammer and sickle gerbs discussed the recent success of the Red Army sports teams, a conversation which…
Once standing on the cusp of professional status, Ukrainian side Stroitel even had a brand new stadium waiting for them. Then the Chernobyl disaster struck
This feature is part of The Tsars of Football Nowadays the term ‘fair play’ has degenerated into kicking the ball out of the pitch when a player is faking an injury while…