Igor Belanov

Igor Belanov
Ihor Belanov.jpeg
Personal information
Full nameIgor Ivanovich Belanov
Date of birth(1960-09-25) 25 September 1960 (age 53)
Place of birthOdessa, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Height1.74 m (5 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Playing positionAttacking Midfielder
Youth career
1973–1978Chornomorets Odessa
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1979–1980SKA Odessa68(16)
1981–1984Chornomorets Odessa116(26)
1985–1989Dynamo Kyiv121(39)
1989–1990Borussia M'gladbach24(4)
1991–1995Eintracht Braunschweig67(21)
1995–1996Chornomorets Odessa3(1)
1996–1997Metalurh Mariupol5(4)
Total404(111)
National team
1985–1990Soviet Union33(8)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Igor Ivanovich (or Ihor Ivanovych) Belanov (Ukrainian: Ігор Іванович Беланов; born 25 September 1960) is a retired Soviet and Ukrainian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.

He made a name for himself at Dynamo Kyiv, winning five major titles and being named European Footballer of the Year in 1986. He then spent six years in Germany with two teams, with little success.

Belanov represented the Soviet Union at one World Cup and one European Championship.

In 2011, Igor Belanov together with Oleg Blohin and Vitaliy Starukhin was named as the "legends of Ukrainian football" at the Victory of Football awards.[1]

Club career

Beginnings / Dynamo Kyiv

Belanov was born in Odessa, Ukraine, Soviet Union. He started playing professionally in his hometown, with SKA Odessa and FC Chornomorets Odessa, joining country giants FC Dynamo Kyiv in 1985, and scoring ten goals in his first season, which ended with league and cup conquest.

Alongside with teammates Oleg Blokhin and Oleksandr Zavarov, Belanov led the scoring charts at the 1985–86 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (five apiece) as Dynamo won the competition for the second time.[2] He played the full 90 minutes in the final against Atlético Madrid (3–0).

Germany

Mid-way through 1989, 29-year old Belanov got the long-awaited clearance to join a Western European side, making a move to Germany to join Borussia Mönchengladbach. His debut in the Bundesliga came on 4 November 1989 in a 0–4 away defeat against VfB Stuttgart, but he failed to impress overall, scoring only four goals in his one-and-a-half-season stint.

Belanov moved to second level's Eintracht Braunschweig in January 1991, after his wife had been involved in a shoplifting affair. He made his debut for his new club on 23 February, and went on to net just 13 times in the competition in three seasons combined, also suffering relegation in 1992–93 without making a single appearance.

Retirement

In 1995 Belanov returned home to Chernomorets for one season, retiring at almost 37 after a spell with FC Illychivets Mariupol, appearing in only five games in two seasons combined.

International career

Belanov played 33 matches for the Soviet Union, scoring eight goals. His best performance came at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, where he netted four and assisted for six others as the team (which comprised 13 Dynamo Kyiv players) reached the round-of-16; he scored a hat-trick in the game against Belgium, in a losing extra time effort (3–4).[3]

This performance at the World Cup, along with Dynamo's Cup Winners' Cup success, helped Belanov win the European Footballer of the Year award. He was also part of the squad that reached the final of UEFA Euro 1988, where the national side faced Holland. With the score at 0–2, USSR were awarded a penalty: he took it, but saw goalkeeper Hans van Breukelen stop the shot as the score remained unaltered.[4][5]

International goals

Scores and results list Soviet Union's goal tally first.
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.2 June 1986Estadio Sergio León Chávez, Irapuato, MexicoHungary3–06–01986 FIFA World Cup
2.15 June 1986Estadio Nou Camp, León, MexicoBelgium1–03–41986 FIFA World Cup
3.15 June 1986Estadio Nou Camp, León, MexicoBelgium2–13–41986 FIFA World Cup
4.15 June 1986Estadio Nou Camp, León, MexicoBelgium3–43–41986 FIFA World Cup
5.11 October 1986Parc des Princes, Paris, FranceFrance1–02–0Euro 1988 qualifying
6.29 October 1986Lokomotiv Stadium, Simferopol, Soviet UnionNorway2–04–0Euro 1988 qualifying
7.29 April 1987Republican Stadium, Kiev, Soviet UnionEast Germany2–02–0Euro 1988 qualifying
8.28 October 1987Lokomotiv Stadium, Simferopol, Soviet UnionIceland1–02–0Euro 1988 qualifying

Honours

Club

  • UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1985–86
  • Soviet League: 1985, 1986
  • Soviet Cup: 1985, 1987
  • Ukrainian Second League: 1995–96
  • UEFA Super Cup: Runner-up 1986

Country

Individual

  • European Footballer of the Year: 1986
  • UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: Top scorer 1985–86

Career statistics

Club

ClubSeasonLeagueCupEuropeOtherTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
SK Odesa1979325------325
19803611------3611
Chornomorets198127620----296
198229241----333
198327710----287
1984331153----3814
Dynamo198531104241--3913
198622101084103214
19872386361213713
198827841----319
198918341----224
Borussia
Mönchengladbach		1989–9014410----154
1990–9110021----121
Braunschweig1990–9193------93
1991–92291011----3011
1992–93-
1993–9429810--40348
Chornomorets1995–9631------31
Metalurh
Mariupol		1995–9610------10
1996–9744------44
Career total404111361318671465131
  • Other - USSR Super Cup, USSR Federation Cup & Bundesliga Play-Off

International

Soviet Union
YearAppsGoals
198530
198686
198772
1988130
198910
199010
Total338

Post-retirement

Belanov turned to business after finishing his playing career. He returned to prominence when he became the majority shareholder at Switzerland's FC Wil, in August 2003. His predecessor, banker Andreas Hafen, had been given a five-years imprisonment sentence after embezzling 51 million Swiss francs ($40 million) from the UBS Bank.

Belanov's first move at Wil was replacing first-team manager Martin Andermatt with his former Dynamo Kyiv teammate Zavarov, not taking note of the fact that he lacked the necessary UEFA licence to manage a European top-division outfit. That circumstance forced Belanov to sign former FC Karl-Marx-Stadt manager Joachim Müller. Due to the appointment of Müller, Zavarov's job was officially described as director of football; Müller did not last long as coach however, as Belanov sacked him just after three months, replacing him with Tomas Matejcek.

Matejcek's strict training regiment caused a quick revolt amongst Wil players. This forced Belanov to make amend for his decisions and to re-appoint Müller as manager, and hand the assistant-manager role to former Swiss international goalkeeper Stephan Lehmann. Those turned out to be Belanov's last series of actions as Wil's major shareholder as, in a quick sequence, he pulled out of his chairman and shareholder role of the club.[6]

Additionally, Belanov also owned a football school in Odessa, which carried his name.

References

  1. Jump up ^ "Лучшими футболистами Украины признаны Анатолий Тимощук, Андрей Шевченко и Александр Шовковский" (in Ukrainian). bulvar.com.ua. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2013. 
  2. Jump up ^ "Cup Winners Cup Top Scorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 15 September 2008. 
  3. Jump up ^ "Belanov’s three not enough to beat brave Belgium". FIFA.com. Retrieved 11 November 2011. 
  4. Jump up ^ "Tournament History: Euro 1988 (West Germany)". Goal.com. 4 June 2008. Retrieved 11 November 2011. 
  5. Jump up ^ "Holland 2 USSR 0". Goal.com. Retrieved 27 June 2013. 
  6. Jump up ^ "Wie sich Igor Belanow seinen Ruf versaute" [How Igor Belanov ruined his reputation] (in German). 11 Freunde. 27 September 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2011. 

External links

Soviet Union squad – 1986 FIFA World Cup
Soviet Union squad – UEFA Euro 1988 Runners-up
Ballon d'Or
Pallone d'oro.svg
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup top scorers

Source :
sepakbola.biz
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