Honored Master of Sports, outstanding goalkeeper of Kyiv’s Dynamo Yevgeny Rudakov (born January 2, 1942, in Moscow) — one of the most decorated footballers of the famous Kyiv club.
He is a six-time champion of our former common country, had five sets of silver medals, and won the Cup of the USSR three times with his Dynamo teammates.
Notably, Yevgeny Vasilevich was named the best football player in the country in 1971 (an atypical case for players of his position), and he was three times awarded the title of best goalkeeper in the USSR Championship (1969, 1971, 1972). He is the holder of the Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Super Cup (1975).
He played for Kyiv Dynamo from 1963 to 1977. Founder of the eponymous goalkeeper club, he appeared in 208 matches without conceding a goal. He was included in the “33 best” list six times.
The notable trace of the Dynamo goalkeeper is also present in the national team. He played 48 matches for it, conceding 35 goals. He made his debut on March 7, 1968, in a match against Mexico (1:1) and played his last game on May 22, 1976, against Czechoslovakia (2:2).
One of the most remarkable matches involving Yevgeny Rudakov took place on October 27, 1971, in Seville, Spain, at the "Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan" stadium, where the national teams of Spain and the USSR met in a qualifying match for the 1972 European Championship.
The Spanish national team only needed a victory by any score, and they spent two halves in continuous attacks on the Soviet Union's goal, but Yevgeny Rudakov, demonstrating incredible reaction and class of play, did not allow the ball to cross the goal line after shots from Spanish players, ensuring a scoreless draw and the USSR team’s advancement to the final part of the championship.
The saddened stadium justly appreciated the grand game of our goalkeeper, chanting his name in a chorus. This was the highest award for a footballer.
Rudakov is the vice-champion of Europe (1972) and a bronze medalist of the 1972 Olympics (Munich).
Honored Master of Sports Leonid Buryak spoke about his partner in Dynamo and the national team.
— Rudakov was one of the first in the team to embrace the new training methodology of Lobanovsky and Bazilevich, recognizing its necessity. Few know how selflessly Yevgeny trained. I remember how after each training session, our goalkeeper pleaded: "Well, someone stay and shoot on goal. I understand you won't score, which is why you’re afraid. Well, it’s okay, I’ll let a couple in so it’ll be more interesting for you."
Yevgeny’s persistence was astonishing. He believed that the team’s performance largely depended on the psychological state of its goalkeeper.
Yevgeny Rudakov always treated journalists with respect. He never refused to give interviews. Here are some of his responses to numerous questions from the media.
— In 1963, Rudakov, the goalkeeper of Mykolaiv’s "Sudostroitel," was invited to Kyiv’s "Dynamo"...
— Before Mykolaiv, I was the second goalkeeper for Moscow’s "Torpedo". I was very happy to be invited to "Dynamo", a team that was a five-time champion at that time.
The outstanding Oleg Makarov was ending his brilliant career as a goalkeeper. He was replaced by the famous master Viktor Bannikov. But I understood that I was invited to "Dynamo" not just to warm the bench. I worked a lot on my shortcomings with the Dynamo legend Anton Leonardovich Idzkovsky.
I played in the reserve team for three years. But the time came for me to become the first-choice goalkeeper of the Dynamo club. I won my first gold medal in the 1966 season.
— Which year of your brilliant career do you consider the most memorable?
— Each one is memorable and valuable. In "Dynamo", over 15 years, I won many trophies. The memorable year was 1975. In May, we were in Basel, Switzerland, defeating Hungarian "Ferencvaros" from Budapest 3:0, winning the first European trophy for Kyiv’s "Dynamo" — the Cup Winners' Cup. In the fall, in the rivalry with German "Bayern", we won the UEFA Super Cup. In Munich, we overcame a formidable rival 1:0, and in Kyiv 2:0. I am glad that I did not concede a single goal in those three iconic matches. Although our goal was attacked by famous Hungarians — Niloš, Madyar, Germans — Müller, Schuster, Rummenigge, Kapelman, Beckenbauer.
All the unsuccessful seasons in "Dynamo", the "silver" of the European Championship-72, the "bronze" of the 72 Olympics, matches in the national team are also remembered.
The memorable year of 1971, when I was named the best player in the country.
— The level of a goalkeeper's skill is determined by his performance throughout the entire match…
— The forward should have a nose for goals, and the goalkeeper — for the ball. When going out to a match, all your problems must be left in the locker room. As soon as you get nervous at the last line, it starts to affect the entire team. Conversely, if you manage to save a few dangerous shots in crucial situations, your partners grow wings. Although this is rarely practiced now, I was always thanked by teammates even during games after I cleared dangerous situations. After such positive reactions, it became easier and more confident to play.
— Once you gain control of the ball, you often try to send it right to the midfield with your hand...
— I admit, I often began my team’s attacks this way. While many opponents were still near our penalty area and had not yet had time to return. A precise delivery of the ball to the feet of my forwards could bring success.
— In the summer of 1966, the phone rang in Yevgeny Rudakov's apartment. Who was at the door?
— Several people came to visit — representatives of the football club “Torpedo” from Moscow. They even took my dad with them. They said to me then: “Zhenya, you are a Muscovite. Your parents, brother, and sisters work at the Likachev factory. Come back to "Torpedo," the team where you started your journey into big football at 16. We’ll provide an apartment, and you’ll receive a good salary. What are your conditions?”
I went out for a couple of minutes to consult my wife in another room. She said: “Decide for yourself.”
My wife laid out a splendid "spread," and I had a good drink with the guests. I saw them off to the train. But before that, I gave a firm answer: “My heart is in Kyiv!”
Yevgeny Vasilevich Rudakov passed away on December 21, 2011 (at the age of 69). He was buried at Baikove Cemetery in the capital of Ukraine.
Alexander LIPENKO for Dynamo.kiev.ua