Retirement. 1989-90 was last season for Oleg Blokhin, arguably the best ever player of USSR.
Blokhin was and is so well known, it seems a few dry facts and statistics are enough. Oleg Vladimirovich Blokhin, or Oleh Volodymyrovych Blokhin born 5 November 1952, is a former Ukrainian and Soviet football player. Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all-time, Blokhin was formerly a standout striker for Dynamo Kyiv and the Soviet Union.[1]
He holds the all-time top goalscorer record for both Dynamo Kyiv (266 goals) and the Soviet Union national team (42 goals), as well as being the overall top goalscorer in the history of the Soviet Top League (211 goals). He is also the only player to have been capped over 100 times for the Soviet Union and holds Dynamo's appearance record with 582 appearances during his 18-year spell at the club. With Dynamo, Blokhin won eight Soviet league titles, five national cups and two European Cup Winners' Cups. He also competed for the Soviet Union at the 1972 and 1976 Olympic Games and 1982 and 1986 FIFA World Cups. During his playing career he won the Soviet Footballer of the Year award three times and the Ukrainian Footballer of the Year award nine times (both records). In 1975, he was named European Footballer of the Year, winning the Ballon d'Or, becoming the second Soviet and the first Ukrainian player to achieve such a feat.Blokhin was born in Kyiv, the capital of the Ukrainian SSR. His mother Kateryna Adamenko was multiple champion of USSR in the pentathlon, sprint and long jump. He was born to a Russian father and Ukrainian mother. His father Vladimir Blokhin was a police officer, a World War II veteran, and a competitive sprinter. Owing to his parents, Blokhin quickly mastered sprint, and by the age of 16 ran 60 m in less than 7 seconds, and 100 m in 11.0 seconds.
Dynamo Kyiv
Soviet Top League (8): 1971, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1986
USSR Super Cup: (3): 1981, 1986, 1987
UEFA Super Cup: 1975; Runner-up: 1986
European Player of the Year 1975
He also played for two foreign clubs: 1988-89 Vorwärts Steyr (Austria) – 41 matches, 9 goals, and
Aris Limassol (Cyrpus) – 1989-90: 22 matches, 5 goals.
He was among the first group pf Soviet players going to the West, but his spells were both short and small clubs at the fringe of European football – not surprising, since Blokhin was too old already and well beyond his peak years.
Blokhin ended his playing career in Cyprus and here is a photo from his last season, but he did not return to crumbling USSR – he was invited by the Greek giant Olympiakos (Piraeus) to coach them, so hew started his coaching career right after he stopped playing.
Of course, Blikhin played largely for Dinamo (Kiev) – 432 games and 211 goals – and is best remembered with the teams shown above – 1975 and 1986, the teams which won the Cup Winners Cup . He was the only player from who was in both squads, which also made the national teams of USSR in both years.
With team USSR he played twice at the World Cup finals – in 1982 and 1986 – making altogether 112 games and scoring 42 goals. Records, which will be unmatched for USSR disappeared. However, he was the only player in USSR to score reach the 200 mark in scoring and the only player to reach 100 mark in appearances for the national team.
Blokhin's names pops-up here and there since 1969, but as a bright promising talent – he was included in Juniors national teams of USSR, but that does not mean he was playing with first team of Dinamo. But he was part of the B-team since 1969 and what exactly is a B-team in Soviet terms? It was both part of the A-team and somewhat separate entity, playing in the B-teams championship running parallel to the A-team league championship and following the same schedule. Of course, players moved from one side to another in a single championship, so in general terms both teams were one, but... before a new seasons begins every club registered its roster for this season: Blokhin appeared for the first time in this official roster in 1971 with 0 games and 0 goals. For 1972 he was listed with 2 games and 0 goals. Dinamo (Kiev) won the 1971 championship and in the traditional introduction of the winning squad by its captain on the pages of “Football-Hockey' weekly, Blokhin is not mentioned at all and is not on the team photo. Back to the B-team then... made of promising youngsters from the club's youth system plus reserves in the A-team, getting playing time, plus coming from injuries regulars, not in top form yet, and sometime players at the end of their careers or recruited specifically to bring experience to the B-team, but, unlike reserves and those trying to get into form after injury, this group of players had nothing to do with the A-team. If the coach of the A-team decided some of the youngsters played particularly well in the B-team, he would invite him foe a game or two with the A-team, usually coming out as a substitute. The first 2 games of Blokhin were clearly of this kind, but was his debut in 1969 or 1971 is unclear – of course, unknown player popping up just once may have been forgotten by statisticians and officials, yet, the first time Blokhin is in the official team roster is 1971 and that with 0 games, 0 goals. And whether he played once or twice during this season is practically unimportant as far as list of champions is concerned: the Soviets required 50% appearances in the season to include a player among the title winners. Thus, even the official roster of Dinamo (Kiev) was longer in 1971, the team photographic and narrative presentation of the champions at the end of the season includes just 15 players, without even a back-up goalkeeper. To a point, one may argue that the debut of Blokhin was in 1972 – starting with his pitiful 2 games and 0 goals, he in a matter of two months became not just a regular, but leading scorer and national team player.
1972 was quite a weird year for all Soviet national teams: the A national team was involved in the last qualification stages in the European Championship and eventually reached – and lost – the final. In the same time the qualifications for the 1972 Summer Olympics were going on. In the same time the last stages of the newly – and short lived – Under-23 European championship were in progress. And finally there was scheduled South American tour of the A team... conflicting priorities practically lead to huge confusion: in South America went a club squad – Zarya (Voroshilovgrad – today Lugansk, Ukraine). Since they played as A team USSR, even obscure reserves, hardly playing for their club, got national team caps. But in 1972 Zarya emerged as the strongest team and won the Soviet championship – their play was recognized, so gradually some of their best players plus their coach were included in... the Olympic team? Or the national team? Because of coach and players, there is certain continuation, even amalgamation of the pointless (as the main criticism of the South American tour went) tour and later versions of the 'real' national team. Which was what? Blokhin was regular in the team, which reached the European Under-23 Championship final (and lost it to Czechoslovakia).
However, the bulk of the Under-23 team - including Blokhin - played also for the Olympic team: for the moment, looking like separate from the A-team entity with different coaching stuff and players. It was this squad which eliminated the Olympic team of France and qualified to the Olympic games. So... on May 25 9 players having nothing to do with USSR A-team at the moment and associated largely with the Under-23 team qualified USSR to the Olympic finals. This was the game considered by many to be the first match of Blokhin for USSR. He scored 2 of the Soviet goals. On June 26 the same 9 players – including Blokhin – but under the regular coach of the Under-23 team, B. Nabokov, played the first leg of the Under-23 European final. Then came June 18 and USSR lost the European final 0-3 against West Germany. Entirely different squad, entirely different coach – none of those playing at the important Olympic qualification and Under-23 finals was part of it, just like none was part of the A-team in the ¼ and ½ stages of the European championship, played in the spring of 1972. A. Ponomarev and N. Gulyaev coached the A team – but in the last 6 months teams named A team were coached by other people as well: V. Nikolaev and A. Paramonov – 6 games, and N. Gulyaev and G. Zonin – 2 games. The lost European final brought heavy criticism – it was not the result as such, but the fact team USSR was entirely crushed and looked hopelessly outdated when confronted by total-football playing West Germany. The Soviet Federation severely reprimanded all involved in the lost final and some players were punished with exclusion from all national teams for 'lack of character', practically playing in 'un-patriotic way'. Strangely, the head coach was not sacked. And now the Olympics became top priority...
And again... hard to figure out what is what. On July 16 USSR played a friendly against Finland , which ended 1-1. Blokhin scored the Soviet goal and this match is considered his 2nd for USSR. Nominally, it was a game between the A national teams, but in reality it was more of preparatory match for the coming Olympics. The Soviet squad was entirely different from the team qualifying USSR in May against France to the Olympic finals – only the strikers Blokhin, Gutzaev and Givi Nodia (both Dinamo Tbilisi) were present against Finland. Between May and July they also played in the Under-23 European finals. But 4 players played in the lost final of European Championship against West Germany. Coach Nabokov was back to Under-23 team, Ponomarev was coaching the Olympic or A team, whatever it was. This match also came under severe criticism – the boring and heartless performance (only 2 players apparently played well – Blokhin was not among them) brought back the team which toured South America: Zarya (Voroshilovgrad) played there against Argentina, Uruguay, and Portugal and apparently well enough – but no players from this squad were used in the 'normal' national team. This was taken into account in the next friendly against Sweden. The match ended 4-4, Blokhin came as a substitute and scored the last goal for USSR in the 20 minutes he played. This time 3 players of Zarya were included plus coach German Zonin. From the Olympic squad qualifying USSR in May only Blokhin remained. In the same time the Under-23 team also played against Sweden and here one can see 4 players from the Olympic team in May and 5 players from the Under-23 finals. One of them moved up... for the final selection of the Olympic squad was made right after the match with Sweden: it included 6 players from the European final for A national team and only 2 of the Olympic squad qualifying USSR to the Olimpics – Blokhin and Zanazanyan (Ararat Erevan). 3 more players were associated with the A national team, not with the Olympic or Under-23 formations, one came from the Under-23 team, and 3 players plus coach German Zonin came from Zarya, which played as team USSR in the South American tour. Now, part of confusion comes from USSR's – and following their example/order. The whole of Communist Eastern Europe – use of A national team for everything. Complains against that were old and the Soviets had to navigate carefully, which leads to changing names and squads of country's formations, to which should be added various whims about prestige as the Soviets thought of damaging or benefiting them. So.. the Olympics were secondary in importance to the European Championship and in May of 1972 USSR used a team which was later discarded in whole. Then the Under-23 European finals were priority – yet, secondary to the European hampionship finals – and what was an Olympic team just a month ago was now the Under-23 team. The the European final was lost – and for it the South American tour was practically voided as something important for the national team and mere club was sent on it – and the lost final was considered a disgrace, so entirely new national team was seemingly in order, but the Olympics was coming and they became priority, so at the end both A-team friendlies and the squad for the Olympics were practically based on the A national team which lost the European final with few additional players – but those who qualified USSR to the Olympic finals in May were now back in the Under-23 team as nothing happened. So which was the first match Blokhin played for the national team of USSR in all that? For if the match against France in May was his first... no wonder why Russian sources today omit the fact that the opponent was the Olympic team of France, having nothing to do with the Frech national team, made of professional players. Dry statistics give this game as the first match of Blokhin for USSR – but it is no so for his teammates in this match, most of whom have no record as national team players. And even more – if the Olympic team at the moment came to be dumped into the national team records, then... why the game against France, but not the game played 2 or 3 months earlier against the Under-23 team of Bulgaria? For some Soviet reason the Soviets told the Bulgarians that this was their Olympic team – although virtually the same which played in the Under-23 European Championship – and that is how it stays in Bulgarian records: Under-23 Bulgaria vs USSR Olympic. Yes, Blokhin played in this match. Finally, in the match report the Swedish coach is quoted that his country, having problems for years with players going abroad, adopted semi-professional football and had to abandon entirely the Olympic tournaments for Sweden no longer had eligible players by the amateur requirements of the Olympic rules. It is clear that the friendly between Sweden and USSR was oficially between A national team (with the additional game between their Under-23 teams in the same time) – but it was the last preparatory game for the Olympics for USSR and the final team selection for the Olympics was announced after that match and included the players used in the this match. This meandering between Under-23, Olympic team and A national team, confuses tremendously the matter of Blokhin's debut for the national team of USSR.
Come September 1972 and Blokhin played at the Olympics – here trying a header in the match against Burma. Next to him is Yu. Elisseev (Zarya Voroshilovgrad). One more Soviet bitter disappointment... they lost the Olympics too, eliminated by Poland. The photo in a way represents the mess of 1972 and to the very end – the final loss was for Dinamo (Kiev): they finished behind Zarya (Voroshilvgrad), which won the Soviet title, becoming the first provincial club to do so – that is, a club not from republican capital city. Elisseev did not last long in the national team, but is was his year, not Blokhin's... Still Blokhin made his name, ended as the championship top scorer, became a regular of both Dinamo Kiev and the national team and from 1972 will be constant success and his records – easy to trace and confirm. No matter when exactly he debuted as a matter of first match played, 1972 was the year of his debut – and with a bang. After that both the success of Dinamo (Kiev) and the big revival of the Soviet national team in the 1980s is associated with him. May be not as mythic and legendary as Lev Yashin, but certainly very close – for almost 20 years his name was focus of attention. He even adapted well to aging and the brutal changes of the game in the 1980s.
