Lev Ivanovich Yashin · Soviet Union
Photo : CC BY-SA 3.0 NL — Ron Kroon / Anefo
Yashin is the only goalkeeper to have won the Ballon d’Or, and more than sixty years later he is still the only one. He spent his entire career at Dynamo Moscow, won the 1960 European Championship and the 1956 Olympic title with the Soviet Union, and played over three hundred league matches in black.
He changed how the position is played. Yashin came off his line, commanded his area, punched crosses clear and shouted instructions at defenders who were not used to being organised by a goalkeeper — behaviour so unusual at the time that it was treated as eccentricity before it was treated as method.
FIFA’s award for the best goalkeeper at a World Cup carries his name. He died in 1990, two years after having a leg amputated following a long illness.
Club career
| Years | Club | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950–1970 | Dynamo Moscow | 326 | |
| Total | 326 | 0 |
International career
| Years | Team | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954–1970 | Soviet Union | 74 | |
| 1956 | Soviet Union Olympic | 6 |
Honours
Dashed = runner-up.
Related legends
Career figures compiled from public records. Competitive senior appearances only.