Every day brings the world several famous people who have closely linked their lives with football.
Oleg BlokhinOleg Blokhin (1952) — a legendary Ukrainian footballer who played as a forward and holds numerous Soviet football records. He played for Dynamo Kyiv, with which he achieved the greatest success in his illustrious career, Austria’s Forward, and Cyprus Aris. Winner of the 1975 Ballon d’Or. Seven-time champion and five-time winner of the USSR Cup. Two-time winner of the Cup Winners' Cup. Winner of the 1975 UEFA Super Cup. Played 112 matches for the USSR national team, scoring 42 goals.
After his playing career ended, Blokhin took up coaching. Oleg Vladimirovich achieved the greatest success as the head coach of the Ukrainian national team, reaching the 1/4 finals of the 2006 World Cup. Most recently, he led Dynamo Kyiv.
Anatoliy Suchkov (1934−2021) — a former footballer who played as a defender. Best known for his games for Dynamo Kyiv, with which he became the USSR champion in 1961. Worked as the head coach of Kharkiv’s Metalist and Chernivtsi’s Bukovyna. Later became a scout at Dynamo. Among the players whose talents were first noticed by Suchkov are: Volodymyr Bezsonov, Oleksandr Berezhnoy, Serhiy Baltacha, Anatoliy Demyanenko, Vadym Yevtushenko, Vasyl Rats, Andriy Bal, Oleksandr Khatskevych.
Oleh Shelayev (1976) — a former Ukrainian midfielder who finished his career. Shelayev’s last club was Kharkiv’s Metalist. Before joining the yellow-blue camp, Oleh defended the colors of Luhansk’s Zorya, Donetsk’s Shakhtar and Metalurh, Dnipropetrovsk’s Dnipro, and Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih. Quarterfinalist of the 2006 World Cup. Played 36 matches for the Ukrainian national team, scoring 1 goal.
Jean-Pierre Papin (1963) — an outstanding French footballer who played as a forward. Defended the colors of many clubs, including Marseille, Milan, and Bayern Munich. Winner of the 1991 Ballon d’Or. Played 54 matches for the French national team, scoring 30 goals. After finishing his playing career, he took up coaching.
Uwe Seeler (1936−2022) — a former German footballer who played as a forward. Seeler defended the colors of his home club Hamburg for most of his glorious career. Once a captain of the West German national team. Champion and winner of the West German Cup. With the West German national team, Seeler became a silver and bronze medalist of the World Cup. One of two footballers, alongside Pelé, who scored goals in four World Cups: 1958−1970. Played 72 matches for the West German national team, scoring 43 goals. After retiring, Seeler went into business.
