Igor Belanov

Igor Ivanovich Belanov (Russian: И́горь Ива́нович Бела́нов) or Ihor Ivanovych Bielanov (Ukrainian: Ігор Іванович Бєланов; born 25 September 1960) is a Soviet-Ukrainian former professional footballer who played as a striker.

Igor Belanov
Belanov in 2012
Personal information
Full name Igor Ivanovich Belanov
Date of birth (1960-09-25) 25 September 1960
Place of birth Odesa, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1973–1978 Chornomorets Odesa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1979–1981 SKA Odesa 68 (16)
1981–1985 Chornomorets Odesa 116 (26)
1985–1989 Dynamo Kyiv 121 (40)
1989–1991 Borussia Mönchengladbach 24 (4)
1991–1995 Eintracht Braunschweig 64 (21)
1995–1996 Chornomorets Odesa 3 (1)
1996–1997 Metalurh Mariupol 5 (4)
Total 401 (112)
International career
1985–1990 Soviet Union 33 (8)
Medal record
Representing  Soviet Union
UEFA European Championship
Runner-up1988 West Germany
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He made a name for himself at Dynamo Kyiv, winning five major titles and being named European Footballer of the Year in 1986. He then spent six years in Germany with Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga and Eintracht Braunschweig in the 2. Bundesliga, with little success.

Belanov represented the Soviet Union at one World Cup and one European Championship.He was included in the list of the top 100 World Cup footballers of all time by The Guardian in 2014.[1] In 2011, he, Oleh Blokhin and Vitaliy Starukhin were named as the "legends of Ukrainian football" at the Victory of Football awards.[2]

Club career

Beginnings and Dynamo Kyiv

Belanov was born in Odesa, Ukraine, Soviet Union. He started playing professionally in his hometown, with SKA Odesa and FC Chornomorets Odesa, joining country giants FC Dynamo Kyiv in 1985, and scoring ten goals in his first season, which ended with league and cup conquest.

Along with teammates Oleh Blokhin and Oleksandr Zavarov, Belanov led the scoring charts at the 1985–86 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (five apiece) as Dynamo won the competition for the second time.[3] He played the full 90 minutes in the final against Atlético Madrid (3–0).

Germany

Midway through 1989, 29-year-old Belanov got the long-awaited clearance to join a Western European side, making a move to Germany to join Borussia Mönchengladbach. His debut in the Bundesliga came on 4 November 1989 in a 4–0 away defeat against VfB Stuttgart, but he failed to impress overall, scoring only four goals in his one-and-a-half-season stint.[4]

Belanov's reputation at the club diminished further in January 1990, when he and his wife were among five Soviet citizens arrested for shoplifting clothes worth 2,000 Deutsche Mark; they were both convicted.[5][6][7] He had faced financial problems due to his demand to be paid in U.S. dollars, which he trusted more than the mark, but which had suddenly declined in value.[5][8]

Belanov moved to 2. Bundesliga's Eintracht Braunschweig in January 1991. He made his debut for his new club on 23 February, and went on to net just 13 times in the competition in three seasons combined, also suffering relegation in 1992–93 without making a single appearance.

Retirement

In 1995 Belanov returned home to Chernomorets for one season, retiring at almost 37 after a spell with FC Illychivets Mariupol, appearing in only five games in two seasons combined.

International career

Belanov played 33 matches for the Soviet Union, scoring eight goals. His best performance came at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, where he netted four and assisted for six others as the team (which comprised 13 Dynamo Kyiv players) reached the round-of-16; he scored a hat-trick in the game against Belgium, in a losing extra time effort (4–3).[9]

This performance at the World Cup, along with Dynamo's Cup Winners' Cup success, helped Belanov win the European Footballer of the Year award. He was also part of the squad that reached the final of UEFA Euro 1988, where the national side faced the Netherlands. With the score at 2–0 for the Netherlands, USSR were awarded a penalty: he took it, but saw goalkeeper Hans van Breukelen save his effort as the score remained 2–0 until full time, giving the Netherlands the European title.[10][11] He won 33 caps between 1985 and 1990.[12]

Style of play

Belanov was noted for his athleticism, in particular for his running speed and powerful goal strikes. He was one of the fastest sprinters among Soviet footballers of all times, together with Oleh Blokhin. However, while Blokhin was trained by his parents, who were both competitive sprinters, Belanov never received a formal sprint training; yet he ran the 50 metres in a hand-timed 5.7 seconds, corresponding to a mere 0.3 seconds slower than the world record at the time.[13]

Post-retirement

Belanov turned to business after finishing his playing career. He returned to prominence when he became the majority shareholder at Switzerland's FC Wil, in August 2003. His predecessor, banker Andreas Hafen, had been given a five-year prison sentence after embezzling 51 million Swiss francs ($40 million) from the UBS Bank.

Belanov's first move at Wil was replacing first-team manager Martin Andermatt with his former Dynamo Kyiv teammate Oleksandr Zavarov, not taking note of the fact that he lacked the necessary UEFA licence to manage a European top-division outfit. That circumstance forced Belanov to sign former FC Karl-Marx-Stadt manager Joachim Müller. Due to the appointment of Müller, Zavarov's job was officially described as director of football; Müller did not last long as coach however, as Belanov sacked him just after three months, replacing him with Tomáš Matějček.

Matejcek's strict training regiment caused a quick revolt amongst Wil players. This forced Belanov to make amends for his decisions and to re-appoint Müller as manager, and hand the assistant-manager role to former Swiss international goalkeeper Stephan Lehmann. Those turned out to be Belanov's last series of actions as Wil's major shareholder as, in a quick sequence, he pulled out of his chairman and shareholder role of the club.[14]

Additionally, Belanov also owned a football school in Odesa, Ukraine, which carried his name.

In 2018 joined the board of strategic development Ukrainian Association of Football.[15]

Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine 2022, Belanov joined the Territorial Defence Battalion (of the Ukrainian Armed Forces) of his hometown Odesa.[16]

Career statistics

Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Europe Other[lower-alpha 1] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
SKA Odesa 1979 325–––325
1980 3611–––3611
Total 68160000006816
Chornomorets Odesa 1981 Soviet Top League 27620––296
1982 Soviet Top League 29241––333
1983 Soviet Top League 27710––287
1984 Soviet Top League 331153––3814
Total 11626124000012830
Dynamo Kyiv 1985 Soviet Top League 31104241–3913
1986 Soviet Top League 22101084103214
1987 Soviet Top League 2386361213713
1988 Soviet Top League 27941––3110
1989 Soviet Top League 18341––224
Total 121401971863116154
Borussia
Mönchengladbach		 1989–90 Bundesliga 14410––154
1990–91 Bundesliga 10021––121
Total 244310000275
Eintracht Braunschweig 1990–91 2. Bundesliga 93–––93
1991–92 2. Bundesliga 291011––3011
1992–93 2. Bundesliga –––––
1993–94 26810–40318
Total 64212100407022
Chornomorets 1995–96 Ukrainian Premier League 31–––31
Metalurh
Mariupol		 1995–96 Ukrainian Second League 10–––10
1996–97 Ukrainian First League 44–––44
Total 5400000054
Career total 401112361318671462132
  1. Appearances in USSR Super Cup, USSR Federation Cup, 2. Bundesliga play-off

International
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Soviet Union 198530
198686
198772
1988130
198910
199010
Total338
Scores and results list Soviet Union's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Belanov goal.
List of international goals scored by Igor Belanov
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
12 June 1986Estadio Sergio León Chávez, Irapuato, Mexico Hungary3–06–01986 FIFA World Cup
215 June 1986Estadio Nou Camp, León, Mexico Belgium1–03–41986 FIFA World Cup
32–1
43–4
511 October 1986Parc des Princes, Paris, France France1–02–0Euro 1988 qualifying
629 October 1986Lokomotiv Stadium, Simferopol, Soviet Union Norway2–04–0Euro 1988 qualifying
729 April 1987Republican Stadium, Kyiv, Soviet Union East Germany2–02–0Euro 1988 qualifying
828 October 1987Lokomotiv Stadium, Simferopol, Soviet Union Iceland1–02–0Euro 1988 qualifying

Honours

Dynamo Kyiv

Chornomorets Odesa

Soviet Union

Individual

References
  1. The World Cup's top 100 footballers of all time – interactive. The Guardian. 27 May 2014
  2. Лучшими футболистами Украины признаны Анатолий Тимощук, Андрей Шевченко и Александр Шовковский (in Russian). bulvar.com.ua. 20 December 2011. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  3. "Cup Winners Cup Top Scorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 22 September 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
  4. Arnhold, Matthias (24 June 2020). "Ihor Ivanovych Belanov – Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". RSSSF.com. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  5. "1989: Igor Belanow - Absturz nach Diebstahl" [1989: Igor Belanow - Collapse after theft]. Rheinische Post (in German). 9 August 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  6. Farrell, Ian (February 2004). "The strange case of Igor Belanov – the least remembered Ballon d'Or winner". When Saturday Comes. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  7. Wilson, Jonathan (9 April 2012). Behind the Curtain: Football in Eastern Europe. Orion. ISBN 978-1-4091-0904-4. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  8. Raack, Alex (27 September 2009). "Fünfzehn Kilo Fleisch" [Fifteen kilos of meat]. 11 Freunde (in German). Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  9. "Belanov's three not enough to beat brave Belgium". FIFA. Archived from the original on 19 June 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  10. "Tournament History: Euro 1988 (West Germany)". Goal.com. 4 June 2008. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  11. "USSR 0–2 Netherlands". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  12. Arnhold, Matthias (24 June 2020). "Igor Ivanovich Belanov – International Appearances". RSSSF.com. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  13. Блохин и Беланов – главные спринтеры в истории футбола. Пиковый Блохин считался опаснее Кройффа и стоил как Марадона. sports.ru. 27 April 2008
  14. "Wie sich Igor Belanow seinen Ruf versaute" [How Igor Belanov ruined his reputation] (in German). 11 Freunde. 27 September 2009. Archived from the original on 1 June 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  15. Беланов получит должность в ФФУ. sport.ua. 29 December 2018
  16. Früherer Bundesligaspieler kämpft gegen Russen [Former Bundesliga player fights Russians] (in German), faz.net, dated April 7, 2022; retrieved April 7, 2022
  17. Moore, Rob; Stokkermans, Karel. "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or")". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  18. Owsianski, Jarek; Rota, Davide (18 December 2013). "Cup Winners Cup Topscorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  19. Лучшие ассистенты ЕВРО. Статистика и рекорды. UEFA. 17 June 2020
  20. FIFA XI's Matches – Full Info Archived 17 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  21. "Legends". Golden Foot. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
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