Snap shot: The players who won the inaugural EURO
Friday, June 7, 2019
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Ahead of the inaugural UEFA Nations League final we remember the first players to savour EURO glory.
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An impromptu picture on the steps of the Soviet Union's team hotel before their semi-final against Czechoslovakia in Marseille – the first game of the inaugural UEFA European Championship. The Soviets would return to their base victorious, though those celebrations paled into insignificance compared with what followed their final triumph against Yugoslavia four days later.
1 Lev Yashin
The only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d'Or. That came in 1963 after Yashin landed a sixth Soviet First League title with his one and only club, Dinamo Moskva. Always dressed in black, he was agile and imposing. The 1960 EURO contributed to his legend and he was brilliant against Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. Yashin was greatly mourned, both inside and outside Russia, when he died in 1990.
2 Igor Netto
Netto led his nation to glory at both the 1956 Olympics and the inaugural EURO. An inspirational leader and exceptional footballer, he is perhaps best remembered for an act of sportsmanship at the 1962 World Cup when he told the referee to disallow a goal against Uruguay because the ball had entered the net from the wrong side. The versatile midfielder's devotion to Spartak Moskva brought him five USSR championships and three Soviet Cups. He died in 1999.
3 Valentin Ivanov
A loyal servant to Torpedo Moskva, winger Ivanov twice lifted the Soviet title but was more famous for his international exploits. He scored 26 goals in 59 appearances for the USSR, including four at the 1962 World Cup. He netted twice in the 3-0 semi-final defeat of Czechoslovakia in 1960, and would be involved again four years later when the USSR reached another final. He coached Torpedo four times and passed away in 2011.
4 Viktor Ponedelnik
The first player called up by the Soviet Union while playing in the second division, Ponedelnik justified the selection with a debut hat-trick in a 7-1 success over Poland. A few weeks later he was the toast of the Soviet Union after he headed in the extra-time final winner against Yugoslavia. Ponedelnik amassed 20 goals in 29 internationals before being forced into retirement at 29. He became a respected journalist.
5 Slava Metreveli
A pacy right-winger, Metreveli made his mark on the 1960 EURO – and Soviet football history – by registering the equaliser, for 1-1, in the Paris final. It was the fourth goal of a national-team career that would last another decade, earning trips to the 1962, 1966 and 1970 World Cups. The Georgian represented Torpedo Moskva from 1956 to 1962, securing two championships and one USSR Cup, before going home to join Dinamo Tbilisi. He died in 1998.
6 Mikheil Meskhi
Nicknamed the 'Georgian Garrincha' for his dazzling wing play, Meskhi was a creative force on the left. It was his pinpoint cross that provided the assist for Ponedelnik's clinching – and he also enthralled the crowds in Chile two years later. Meskhi collected 25 caps, scoring four goals. He also proved a draw on the domestic front over a 15-year period for Dinamo Tbilisi, compiling 50 goals in 286 league matches. He died in 1991.
7 Gavriil Kachalin
The most successful coach in the annals of Soviet soccer and the first trainer to win the UEFA European Championship, four years earlier he had guided the country to Olympic gold in Melbourne. He had three stints in charge and steered the USSR to World Cups in all three incumbencies (1958, 1962, 1970). At club level his most notable achievement was directing Dinamo Tbilisi to the 1964 Soviet title. He passed away in 1995.
8 Anatoli Krutikov
Capped nine times, Krutikov was described by Helenio Herrera as a "world-class defender" after starring in the pre-finals victory against Poland. An attacking full-back with pace, he chose football over athletics and was renowned for his calm head and fair play. He played for CSKA Moskva before switching to Spartak Moskva, where he won the Soviet First League in 1962 and was later coach.
9 Valentin Bubukin
A popular member of the USSR squad at the 1958 World Cup and 1960 EURO, Bubukin was known as 'Iron Foot' in tribute to his formidable shot. He was capped 11 times. A Soviet Cup winner with Lokomotiv Moskva in 1957, he also turned out for CSKA Moskva and went into coaching once his playing career finished, working for a number of clubs including Lokomotiv and, as an assistant, CSKA. He died in 2008.
10 Anatoli Maslenkin
A versatile defender who could also operate in midfield, Maslenkin's main strength was snuffing opposition danger men out of the game with his attentive marking. His considerable hearing difficulties were no barrier. An Olympic gold medallist in 1956, he played all four of the Soviet Union's EURO matches four years later, including the first-round tie against Hungary. The Spartak Moskva stalwart passed away in 1988.
11 Givi Chokheli
A tall, powerful defender, Chokheli specialised in man-marking and was particularly strong in the air. He was the youngest team member at EURO '60 aged 23, but two years later was an established member of the side that got to the World Cup quarter-finals. Chokheli spent much of his career with Dinamo Tbilisi and, forced to retire at 28, remained with the club on the coaching staff. He died in 1994.
12 Vladimir Maslachenko – reserve goalkeeper
13 German Apukhtin – reserve forward
14 Zaur Kaloev – reserve forward
15 Valentin Granatkin – FIFA vice-president
16 Nikolai Gulyaev – assistant coach
17 Andrei Starostin – national team director