The Most Famous

SOCCER PLAYERS from Russia

This page contains a list of the greatest Russian Soccer Players. The pantheon dataset contains 21,273 Soccer Players, 240 of which were born in Russia. This makes Russia the birth place of the 16th most number of Soccer Players behind Serbia, and Mexico.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Russian Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous Russian Soccer Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Russian Soccer Players.

1. Lev Yashin (1929 - 1990)

With an HPI of 82.39, Lev Yashin is the most famous Russian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 78 different languages on wikipedia.

Lev Ivanovich Yashin (Russian: Лев Иванович Яшин; 22 October 1929 – 20 March 1990) was a Soviet professional footballer considered by many to be the greatest goalkeeper in the history of the sport. He was the first and only goalkeeper to win a Ballon d'Or, a feat which no other goalkeeper has been able to accomplish to this day. He was known for his athleticism, positioning, imposing presence in goal, and acrobatic reflex saves. He was also deputy chairman of the Football Federation of the Soviet Union. Yashin earned status for revolutionising the goalkeeping position by imposing his authority on the entire defence. A vocal presence in goal, he shouted orders at his defenders, came off his line to intercept crosses and also ran out to meet onrushing attackers, done at a time when goalkeepers spent the 90 minutes standing in the goal waiting to be called into action. His performances made an indelible impression on a global audience at the 1958 World Cup, the first to be broadcast internationally. He dressed head to toe in apparent black (in truth very dark blue), thus earning his nicknames "the Black Spider" or "the Black Panther", which enhanced his popularity. Yashin appeared in three World Cups from 1958 to 1966 and was an unused squad member in 1970. In 2002, he was chosen on the FIFA World Cup Dream Team. In 1994, he was chosen for the FIFA World Cup All-Time Team, and in 1998 was chosen as a member of the World Team of the 20th Century. According to FIFA, Yashin saved over 150 penalty kicks in professional football — more than any other goalkeeper. He also kept over 270 clean sheets in his career, winning a gold medal at the 1956 Olympic football tournament, and the 1960 European Championships. In 1963, Yashin received the Ballon d'Or, awarded to the European player of the year, the only goalkeeper ever to receive the award. He was additionally named posthumously to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team in 2020, a greatest all-time XI, and was voted the best goalkeeper of the 20th century by the IFFHS. He was also named to the IFFHS All-time Men's Dream Team in 2021. He was named by France Football as the greatest goalkeeper of all time in 2020. In 2025, IFFHS crowned him as the greatest goalkeeper in football history. In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Russia by the Russian Football Union as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. In 2019, France Football established the Yashin Trophy for the best performing goalkeeper, and is awarded alongside the Ballon D'Or.

2. Rinat Dasayev (b. 1957)

With an HPI of 66.55, Rinat Dasayev is the 2nd most famous Russian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 42 different languages.

Rinat Fayzrakhmanovich Dasayev (Russian: Ринат Файзрахманович Дасаев, Tatar: Ринат Фәйзерахман улы Дасаев; born 13 June 1957) is a Russian football coach and a former goalkeeper. Throughout his club career, he played for Volgar Astrakhan, Spartak Moscow and Sevilla. At international level, he played at three World Cups with the Soviet national team, also winning a bronze medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics and a runners-up medal at UEFA Euro 1988. Regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world during the 1980s, he is considered the second-best Soviet goalkeeper ever behind Lev Yashin. He was awarded the title of the World’s Best Goalkeeper of the Year award in 1988 by the IFFHS. In a 1999 poll by the same organisation, he was elected the sixteenth greatest European goalkeeper of the twentieth century, alongside Gianpiero Combi, and the seventeenth greatest goalkeeper of the century. In 2004, he was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers. Following his retirement, he worked as a coach, and currently serves as a goalkeeping consultant with FC Spartak-2 Moscow and Spartak's youth teams.

3. Valentin Ivanov (1934 - 2011)

With an HPI of 65.22, Valentin Ivanov is the 3rd most famous Russian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 42 different languages.

Valentin Kozmich Ivanov (Russian: Валентин Козьмич Иванов, 19 November 1934 – 8 November 2011) was a Russian footballer who played as a midfielder. He was the co-leading scorer at the 1962 World Cup, and the co-1960 European Nations' Cup top scorer. Ivanov appeared 59 times for the Soviet Union, scoring 26 goals. He is the Soviet national football team's third-highest goalscorer of all time, behind only Oleg Blokhin and Oleg Protasov. One of the finest Russian players ever, Ivanov was noted for his pace, dribbling quality and technical ability. Ivanov's four goals in the 1962 World Cup saw him named the tournament's top-scorer, along with five other players; he also scored one in the 1958 edition. He spent most of his club career with Torpedo Moscow, scoring 124 goals in 286 appearances in the Soviet Championship, the 9th all-time best record.

4. Igor Netto (1930 - 1999)

With an HPI of 64.26, Igor Netto is the 4th most famous Russian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 37 different languages.

Igor Aleksandrovich Netto (Russian: Игорь Александрович Нетто; 9 January 1930 – 30 March 1999) was a Russian footballer, considered one of the country's greatest players ever. He started out playing on the left of defense but, due to his offensive mentality, dribbling and technical abilities turned into a dynamic central midfielder. His versatility and footballing intelligence allowed him to play a number of positions across defense and midfield.

5. Mordechai Spiegler (b. 1944)

With an HPI of 63.14, Mordechai Spiegler is the 5th most famous Russian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Mordechai "Motaleh" Spiegler (Hebrew: מרדכי "מוטל'ה" שפיגלר; born 19 August 1944) is an Israeli retired football player and manager. A prolific forward, he is placed second in Israel's all time goalscoring list, with 32 goals in 83 caps.

6. Eduard Streltsov (1937 - 1990)

With an HPI of 62.38, Eduard Streltsov is the 6th most famous Russian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Eduard Anatolyevich Streltsov (Russian: Эдуа́рд Анато́льевич Стрельцо́в, IPA: [ɨdʊˈart ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲitɕ strʲɪlʲˈtsof] ; 21 July 1937 – 22 July 1990) was a Soviet footballer who played as a forward for Torpedo Moscow and the Soviet national team during the 1950s and 1960s. A powerful and skilful attacking player, he scored the fourth-highest number of goals for the Soviet Union and has been called "the greatest outfield player Russia has ever produced". He is sometimes dubbed "the Russian Pelé". Born and raised in east Moscow, Streltsov joined Torpedo at the age of 16 in 1953 and made his international debut two years later. He was part of the squad that won the gold medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, and came seventh in the 1957 Ballon d'Or. The following year, his promising career was interrupted by allegations of sexual assault shortly before the 1958 World Cup. Soviet authorities pledged he could still play if he admitted his guilt, after which he confessed, but was instead prosecuted and sentenced to twelve years of forced labour under the Gulag system (abolished in 1960 and replaced by prisons). The conviction was highly controversial, with many pointing to conflicts between Streltsov and government officials. Streltsov was released after serving approximately half of his sentence, and in 1965 he resumed his career with Torpedo Moscow. In the first season of his comeback, the club won the Soviet championship; in 1968 Torpedo won the Soviet Cup. Streltsov was restored to the Soviet national team in 1966, and in 1967 and 1968 named Soviet Footballer of the Year. By the time of his retirement in 1970 he had pioneered innovations such as the back-heeled pass, which became known in Russia as "Streltsov's pass". He died in Moscow in 1990 from throat cancer, which his first wife alleges was a result of irradiated food served to him during incarceration. Six years later, Torpedo renamed their home ground "Eduard Streltsov Stadium" in his honour. Statues of Streltsov now stand outside the stadium bearing his name and the Luzhniki Olympic Complex in Moscow.

7. Oleg Salenko (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 62.12, Oleg Salenko is the 7th most famous Russian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 44 different languages.

Oleg Anatolyevich Salenko (Russian: Оле́г Анато́льевич Сале́нко, Ukrainian: Олег Анатолійович Саленко; born 25 October 1969) is a Russian-Ukrainian former footballer who played as a forward. He scored a record five goals in a group-stage match in the 1994 World Cup, helping him earn the Golden Boot as joint-top tournament goalscorer.

8. Slava Metreveli (1936 - 1998)

With an HPI of 61.90, Slava Metreveli is the 8th most famous Russian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Slava Kalistratovich Metreveli (Georgian: სლავა კალისტრატეს ძე მეტრეველი; Russian: Слава Калистратович Метревели, 30 May 1936 – 7 January 1998) was a Soviet and Georgian football player and manager. Metreveli played most of his career for Torpedo Moscow (1956–1962) and Dinamo Tbilisi (1963–1971).

9. Viktor Ponedelnik (1937 - 2020)

With an HPI of 61.67, Viktor Ponedelnik is the 9th most famous Russian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Viktor Vladimirovich Ponedelnik (Russian: Виктор Владимирович Понедельник, 22 May 1937 – 5 December 2020) was a Russian footballer and manager, who played for the Soviet Union national team.

10. Sergei Salnikov (1925 - 1984)

With an HPI of 60.43, Sergei Salnikov is the 10th most famous Russian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Sergei Sergeyevich Salnikov (Russian: Серге́й Серге́евич Сальников; 13 September 1925 – 9 May 1984) was a Russian footballer who played for Zenit Leningrad, Spartak Moscow and Dynamo Moscow. He was part of the Soviet Union national team that won the gold medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics.

People

Pantheon has 240 people classified as Russian soccer players born between 1911 and 2003. Of these 240, 184 (76.67%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Russian soccer players include Rinat Dasayev, Mordechai Spiegler, and Oleg Salenko. The most famous deceased Russian soccer players include Lev Yashin, Valentin Ivanov, and Igor Netto. As of April 2024, 240 new Russian soccer players have been added to Pantheon including Lev Yashin, Rinat Dasayev, and Valentin Ivanov.