Igor Belanov

Igor Belanov is one of the forgotten Ballon d'Or winners of history. Surprise Ballon d'Or winner in 1986, he was much more than a one-season player.

Trophies

139

Goals

517

Games

1978/80 SKA Odessa (former USSR) 68 matches, 16 goals

1981/84 Chernomorets Odessa (former USSR) 128 matches, 30 goals

(USSR Championship: 116 matches, 26 goals)

(USSR Cup: 12 matches, 4 goals)

1985/89 Dynamo Kiev (former USSR) 180 matches, 53 goals

(USSR Championship: 121 matches, 39 goals)

(USSR Cup: 19 matches, 7 goals)

(USSR Super Cup: 2 matches, 1 goal)

(European Champion Clubs' Cup: 14 matches, 5 goals)

(UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 4 matches, 1 goal)

(UEFA Super Cup: 1 match)

1989/91 Borussia Mönchengladbach (GER) 27 matches, 5 goals

(German Championship: 24 matches, 4 goals)

(German Cup: 3 matches, 1 goal)

1991/95 Eintracht Braunschweig (GER) 73 matches, 22 goals

(German Championship D2: 38 matches, 13 goals)

(German Championship D3: 29 matches, 8 goals)

(German Championship play-off: 4 matches)

(German Cup: 2 matches, 1 goal)

1995/96 Chornomorets Odessa (UKR) 3 matches, 1 goal

1996/97 Metalurh Mariupol (UKR) 5 matches, 4 goals

With the National Team :

33 caps, 8 goals

(Friendly matches: 17 caps)

(World Cup qualifiers: 2 caps)

(World Cup: 4 caps, 4 goals)

(Euro qualifiers: 6 caps, 4 goals)

(Euro: 4 caps)

1st cap: 2 May 1985 against Switzerland (4-0)

Last cap: 25 April 1990 against Ireland (0-1)

Olympic: 2 caps

Igor Ivanovich Belanov

Born September 25, 1960 in Odessa (UKR)

Soviet/Ukrainian, Striker, Right-Winger, Second Striker, 1m74

Nicknames: Thunderball, Skippy

The beginning of his career

Igor Belanov was born on September 25, 1960 in Odessa in the USSR, now Ukraine. A fast, quick and technical striker, he was a warrior on the pitch. Coming down very deep on the pitch, he tended to be the driving force of his teams.

He grew up on the shores of the Black Sea and began his career in the first team at the age of 18 in his local club which played in the second division of the USSR. After two seasons, he signed with the club Tchernomorets Odessa, there, he discovered the Soviet first division during the 1981/82 season. This season was quite good, 6 goals and 27 matches.

There were two types of Belanov, the first, the player without the ball, who used his intelligence to stand out, create space for his teammates. The second, the technical attacker with the ball at his feet, a very good dribbler, efficient, very good in the game with one touch of the ball.

An impressive peak

Able to play striker, second striker or right winger, he is not a statistical attacker but a player who influences matches. It is at Dynamo kyiv that he joined in 1985 that he reached his prime. In this flagship club of the 80s, he established himself as one of the best players in the world. He played alongside another legend: Oleg Blokhin, and under the orders of Valeri Lobanovski, he will succeed in his first season the double championship and USSR Cup on Soviet soil.

The following season, he played in the Cup Winners' Cup and would certainly have his best season, in this competition, he would finish top scorer with 6 goals and would win the final 3-0 against Atlético Madrid. This match was one of his best, he had fun throughout the match with the Spanish defense, taking them by surprise, dribbling them... A masterclass.

With the Soviet selection, he had a great career between 1985 and 1990, playing his first match against Switzerland, a 4-0 victory on May 2, 1985 in Moscow. He would logically participate in the 1986 World Cup as a starter, Belanov was one of the best players in the tournament, he gave 6 assists and scored 4 goals during the competition, crazy statistics.

Belanov was not only a scorer, he also knew how to make his teammates score, he knew how to do it very well. He scored a hat-trick in the round of 16 against Belgium but ultimately lost the match 4-3 in extra time, a great disappointment for a magnificent player who was then at the top of his game. This match is also considered one of the best in the history of football.

A more than disappointing end to a career

Winner of the Ballon d'Or after this crazy year of 1986, he became the leader of this USSR team, and he led the USSR to the final of Euro 1988, which he lost 2-0 in the final against the Netherlands of Van Basten, Rijkaard and Gullit. Belanov will have missed the penalty that could have changed the match, disappointed with himself, he describes this match as the worst moment of his life.

After the Euro, his career experienced a progressive decline, he left for Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1989, he then became the first Soviet player to play in the Bundesliga. The transfer was a bitter failure, the player did not impose himself in the team, and he signed in the German second division at Eintracht Braunschweig. But even in the second division, the player who was 31 years old struggled to convince.

He then returned to Ukraine, where he was clearly at the end of his career and only played 8 games in two years. He then retired at the age of 36. A sad end to a career for a legendary player who disappeared as quickly as he reached the top of the basket of the best players in the world.