On this day, in 1986, the legendary Dynamo Kyiv forward Igor Belanov was recognized as the best football player in Europe by France Football and was awarded the Golden Ball prize.
Igor BelanovA successful and bright game at the World Cup in Mexico, as well as brilliant performances in the "white-blue", which won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, became the basis for Belanov's recognition in football Europe.
The Golden Ball was awarded to Belanov on March 18, 1987 in Kyiv before the start of the quarterfinal match for the Champions Cup against Besiktas Istanbul. As the victor himself later admitted, excessive excitement from a joyful event prevented him from distinguishing himself in that match. So, punching a penalty in the 86th minute, he hit the crossbar. This was the first time that Belanov did not score a penalty.
TOP 5 players of 1986 according to European journalists
- Igor Belanov (forward, Dynamo Kyiv, USSR national team) - 84 points
- Gary Lineker (forward, Barcelona, England) - 62 points
- Emilio Butragueno (forward, Real Madrid, Spain national team) - 59 points
- Manuel Amoro (defender, Monaco, French national team) - 22 points
- Preben Elkjaer-Larsen (forward, Verona, Danish national team) - 22 points
Igor Belanov was ranked first in the survey by publications representing the GDR, the FRG, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Czechoslovakia and the USSR.
Another representative of Dynamo Alexander Zavarov scored 20 points and shared 6th place with Liverpool forward Ian Rush. Dynamo maestro received first places from Bulgaria and France.
