He was closely acquainted with Valery Vasilyevich Lobanovsky and constantly contacted him over many years. He gave him interviews, wrote about him. He often visited Vasilyich as a guest. And all those meetings were a big event for me.
Valery LobanovskyAt one time, I watched with great pleasure his game on the left flank of the attack for Kyiv’s “Dynamo”. Like many, I was thrilled when Lobanovsky virtuously executed the “dry leaf” from a corner kick. And, of course, he upset the opponent’s goalkeepers. He often scored fantastic goals himself, and many times after his crosses, his partner and like-minded person Oleg Bazilovich scored with an impressive header.
Both he and Bazilovich became champions of the former USSR for the first time on October 17, 1961, together with their teammates. At that time, Kyiv broke the 25-year championship hegemony of Moscow clubs.
Unfortunately, on May 13, 2002, the brilliant coach passed away at the age of 63 years, 4 months, and 7 days. He left for eternity, like a true warrior, in active service, after a match of the Ukrainian championship in Zaporizhzhia, where his “Dynamo” played against the local “Metallurg”. An ambulance took Lobanovsky from the stadium to the hospital...
Dreamed of being a driver, but became an outstanding coach
Our hero was born on January 6, 1939, in Kyiv. In his childhood, Valerik wanted to become a driver, as he loved toy cars very much. His parents believed that after finishing school, their son would choose a technical profession and become an engineer. Everything pointed in that direction; he graduated from high school with a silver medal.
However, it should be noted that at the age of 13, Lobanovsky got interested in football and started training at the sports school. He then continued his training at the youth football school. Moreover, he firmly decided to get a higher education. Ultimately, the talented young man managed to combine football with studies at a serious institution — the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.
The attention of the coaches of Kyiv’s “Dynamo” was drawn to the extraordinary forward. In 1957, he became a player in the reserve squad of the famous club. He immediately won the favor of the fans, who saw his debut in the first team on May 29, 1959, in a match against CSKA.
Lobanovsky played 144 matches for “Dynamo” and scored 42 goals. In 1960, he became a silver medalist of the championship. We have already mentioned the “golden” triumph of 1961.
He played two seasons (1965−1966) at Odesa’s “Chornomorets” and represented Donetsk’s “Shakhtar” during two championships (1967−1968).
In Coaching
Having ended his playing career early (at the age of 29), Lobanovsky transitioned to coaching. His new activity turned out to be triumphant.
He initially headed “Dnipro” (1968−1972). Within a year, he created a team aimed at leadership and led it to the top league.
Then, the young coach returned to Kyiv and took over his native “Dynamo”. He led his charges to eight championships of the former USSR. Under his leadership, the Kyiv team won the Cup six times.
In the Ukrainian championships, Valery Vasilyevich’s charges became five-time gold medalists and triumphed three times in cup tournaments.
Three Dynamo players, who trained with Lobanovsky at different times, became the best footballers in Europe — holders of the “Golden Ball” from the Paris publication France Football: Oleg Blokhin (1975), Igor Belanov (1986), and Andriy Shevchenko (2004).
“Dynamo” (Kyiv) achieved significant success on the European stage as well. Twice in 1975 and 1986, the team became the holder of the Cup Winners' Cup. The UEFA Super Cup was won by Kyiv in 1975.
Valeriy Lobanovsky left a significant mark while working with the USSR national team (1975−1976, 1982−1983, 1986−1990). The team became the vice-champion of Europe in 1988. In that squad, there were 11 Dynamo Kyiv players.
Ten of Lobanovsky’s charges, who headed the Olympic team of the union, were awarded bronze medals at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal (Canada).
As the head coach of the national team, Valery Vasilyevich conducted 77 matches (42 wins, 19 draws, 16 losses).
Our famous compatriot also coached the national teams of the United Arab Emirates (1990−1993) and Kuwait (1994−1996).
With the Kuwaiti players, he won bronze at the 1994 Asian Games and the Persian Gulf Cup in 1996.
From January 1998 to December 2001, Lobanovsky led the national team of Ukraine.
The Master on Coaching
“Being a coach is significantly more difficult than being a player. On the field, the player's main focus is only the ball. From the coaching bench, you lead the team.”
“A coach must learn throughout life. If you stop this process — it means you have ceased to be a coach.”
“Coaches must undoubtedly have an exceptional understanding of football. But that is one side of the coin. The other is that a coach must have a good understanding of the players' souls.”
“From the very first days of working, I firmly understood for myself — a coach must always remember, never forget for a moment that he works with people who make him a coach.”
Here are some more famous quotes from the outstanding mentor, some of which many know by heart.
Trying to copy some kind of ideal is a useless undertaking. Ahead of time — that is the only meaning of work.
The game is forgotten, but the result will remain forever in history. The essence of football is the result.
Football, first of all, is a creative process. And the fact that it is related to money was clear to everyone except the Soviet system, which wanted to get high results without investing anything. It doesn’t work that way.
Any tactic is good if it leads to the desired goal.
Among the Best Coaches in the World
In 1986, according to a survey by “World Soccer”, Valery Lobanovsky was named the second-best coach in the world. He received the FIFA Order of Merit (2003). He is a holder of the UEFA Ruby Order for merits.
In January 2017, UEFA published a list of the 10 most outstanding coaches in Europe, including Lobanovsky.
Recently, the popular publication “FourFourTwo” presented its version of the 100 best coaches in the history of world football. Valery Lobanovsky ranked high at 10th place in this prestigious ranking.
Persistence, strength of spirit, consistency of views, a desire for improvement, outer reticence, and an open soul to the world — all this describes him, an extraordinary player, a god-given coach, a favorite among fans — Valery Vasilyevich Lobanovsky.
For many years, he faithfully served football. And for a long time, we will measure our football by Lobanovsky — the Hero of Ukraine!
Alexander LIPENKO for Dynamo.kiev.ua
