Valentin Nikolaev: biography of footballer and coach

Valentin Nikolaev is a famous Soviet football player and coach. He spoke for the capital's team TsDKA and the USSR national team. The whole career was held in the position of right-wing insider.

The native of Vladimir

Valentin Nikolayev was born in the Vladimir region on August 16, 1921, in a small village of Erosovo, which has not survived to our days. His father worked on the railway. Soon the family moved to Moscow, there were more opportunities for parents and young Valentine.

In football he began to play for the team "Kazanka", which was based in the railway depot where his father worked. The depot was located near the Kazan station. Later this team was transformed into a football club "Locomotive".

In the camp of "army men"

After graduating from school, Nikolaev Valentin went to serve in the army. Soon his sporting successes were noticed by the army authorities, he was attracted to the performance for the CDKA team. It was the main club in Nikolaev's life, he spent 12 years in it.

юный форвард закрепился в основном составе команды. In the first season, the young striker was entrenched in the main team. In the first championship after the end of the Great Patriotic War, he demonstrated a brilliant game, becoming one of the best scorers of the season. In 1946 he won the USSR championship, TsDKA for 4 points in that season bypassed the Moscow and Tbilisi "Dynamo".

In 1947, this success was repeated in the dramatic ending of the championship. Before the last round, CDKA and the capital "Dynamo" had fifty points. They were to take turns to play at a party with the Volgograd "Tractor", which was in the middle of the standings. The first to play "blue and white", won 2: 0 and took the first place.

For the "army team" "Tractor" was a difficult opponent, the game of the first round ended in a draw 2: 2. However, when the gold medals of the championship were at stake, TsDKA confidently won 5-0.

Nikolaev Valentin was one of the most striking attackers of the post-war Soviet championships, he is known as a member of the famous attacking five of the Central Circus, which also included Bobrov, Fedotov, Grinin and Demin.

Disbanding the CDMA

A key role in Nikolaev's career was played by the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki. Soviet leaders decided for the first time to send a football team to this tournament. Its backbone was composed of CDKA players led by coach Boris Arkadiev, joined the team and Nikolaev Valentin Alexandrovich.

Already in the 16th round of the USSR team had problems. The weak Bulgarian team was beaten with great difficulty - 2: 1. In the next round, the Yugoslavs got their rivals. The match was given great importance, including political. The leader of Yugoslavia Tito led the country out of the socialist camp, so relations with the USSR were tense. Valentin Nikolayev came in the starting lineup, but did not score goals. And for a break, Soviet footballers and did concede 0: 3.

By the end of the hour, one ball was played by Vsevolod Bobrov, but the Yugoslavs scored twice - 1: 5. At the end of the meeting, the USSR national team performed a sport feat, reducing the game to a draw. Bobrov made a hat-trick, Trofimov and Petrov scored on the goal. According to the rules, a replay was assigned. This time the game for Soviet football players developed more successfully. Bobrov opened the account already in the 6th minute. However, then the Yugoslavs seized the initiative and won 3: 1.

After that the leadership decided to disband the team. Valentin Nikolayev spent 187 matches for the CDC, where he scored 79 goals. He has not played since that time and for the Olympic team of the USSR. Two games with the Yugoslavs were the only ones in his career.

Life after a team of lieutenants

After disbanding his native club decided to try himself in other teams Nikolaev Valentin. Footballer played for the team of the city of Kalinin, played several matches in the team of the Moscow Military District. However, soon after the CDCA all military commands ceased to exist. Nikolaev decided to end his career. In 32 years.

He began to serve as an officer. Until 1963, he commanded various army units in Germany and Belarus. After that he became a football coach. He started with work in Khabarovsk SKA, then returned to CSKA, with whom he won the USSR championship. In 1974, he headed the youth team, which he won in two European championships.

At the head of the first team

In 1970, Valentina Nikolaeva was appointed head coach of the USSR national football team. The first meeting, ironically, was a friendly game with the Yugoslavs. Thanks to the goals of Shevchenko, Fedotov, Kolotov and Nodia, the team confidently won - 4: 0.

Nikolaev worked on this post until May 1971, demonstrating a unique result. The team with him never lost.

The team played 13 matches, 9 of which won. With a difference of the scored-conceded balls 31-7.

True, in the main these were friendly encounters. There were only two official games. Qualifying meetings at the European Championships with Cyprus (victory - 3: 1) and the final match for Nikolayev in the status of the head coach of the national team - at home with Spain. The victory is 2: 1.

Valentin Nikolayev died in Moscow in 2009, at the age of 88 years.