In the home archive of any athlete, there are always items that are the most valuable and memorable. The legendary Ukrainian forward Valeriy Porkuyan, who brilliantly played for Odesa’s Chornomorets, Kyiv’s Dynamo, and Dnipro’s Dnipro during the 60s and 70s, not only won awards and prizes with these teams but also gained recognition as one of the heroes of the 1966 World Cup. He achieved this as a member of the USSR national team, becoming the top scorer for the bronze-winning team at that Mundial in England.
Valeriy Porkuyan (photo: ua-football.com)Porkuyan had a rare item from the World Championship — the jersey he wore during its matches. However, an unpleasant incident happened with it.
— The jersey with the inscription “USSR” had been kept at my home in Kirovohrad for many decades, but one day I noticed it was missing. Someone stole it, — the renowned veteran sadly confirms.
However, recently an incident occurred that allowed Valeriy Porkuyan to feel anew his connection to the events of the 1966 World Cup and to immerse himself in pleasant memories of his participation in it. The matter is about a completely different jersey — an English one. This became possible after a visit to the Football Museum in Odesa, which was established in the past decade by passionate fan of the most popular game, Emanuel Hanyev. Not long before Porkuyan's visit to the repository of football history, it was visited by football enthusiast Yuriy Zozulya from Kryvyi Rih. He was so impressed by the scale of the Museum, the diversity of its unique exhibits, and the enthusiasm of the founder that he decided to gift him his rarities. Among them was the England national team jersey from the same 1966 World Cup. Somewhat faded after almost six decades, the element of the champion's outfit of the progenitors of football pleasantly surprised and somewhat touched Valeriy Porkuyan. The red jersey with three lions — the emblem of the Football Association of England — immediately laid a nostalgic bridge between the present and the events of long-ago years. And it reminded its participant of the goals scored and victories at English stadiums.
At Emanuel Hanyev's request, the hero of the 1966 World Cup left his autograph on the England national team jersey, and then willingly responded to the proposal of a UA-Football correspondent to take a picture with the valuable exhibit of the Museum. Years will pass, and this memorable item will always remind future generations of football stars and their bright past.
