Lev Yashin

Lev Ivanovich Yashin (Russian: Лев Ива́нович Я́шин) (October 22, 1929 – March 20, 1990) was a Soviet soccer goalkeeper, arguably the best ever in the sport.

Life
He was born in Moscow in a family of industrial workers. Still twelve years old in summer of 1942, during the World War II, he started to work as the helper at metal workshops.

Yashin played his entire career for Dinamo Moscow sports club, from 1949 to 1971, winning the football (soccer) championship of the USSR five times and the Soviet Cup three times. He also won a USSR ice-hockey championship (1953) as a goalkeeper for his club after three disastrous trial-up attempts to get his place in the starting line-up of the main soccer team. Yashin’s club team-mate, rival and mentor was ‘Tiger’ Khomich, the keeper of the Soviet national team, who had become famous for his role in Dinamo Moscow’s British tour.

In 1954, Yashin was finally called up to the national team (78 caps for his country), with which he would win the titles at the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 1960 European Championships. As a member of the USSR team he played in three World Cup finals (1958, 1962 and 1966). Always ready to give a piece of advice to his comrades, he even made his fourth trip to the World Cup finals in 1970 as the third-choice back-up and an aide. Yashin is credited for four clean sheets out of 13 games played in WC finals. In 1971 in Moscow he played his last match for Dinamo Moscow against European stars.