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Igor Ivanovich Belanov () or Ihor Ivanovych Bielanov (; born 25 September 1960) is a Soviet and Ukrainian former professional footballer who played as a striker.
He made a name for himself at Dynamo Kyiv, winning five major titles as well as the Ballon d'Or in 1986 and became the second Ukraine national to win the award after Oleg Blokhin (1975). 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. The World Cup's top 100 footballers of all time – interactive. The Guardian. 27 May 2014 In 2011, he, Oleg Blokhin and Vitaliy Starukhin were named as the "legends of Ukrainian football" at the Victory of Football awards.
Along with teammates Oleg 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. He played the full 90 minutes in the final against Atlético Madrid (3–0).
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 Deutsche Mark. Belanov protested that he was innocent, and was found guilty, being fined DM. 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.
Belanov moved to 2. Bundesliga's Eintracht Braunschweig in January 1991, for a fee of DM. He made his debut for his new club on 23 February, and went on to net 21 times in the competition in three seasons combined, also suffering relegation in 1992–93 without making a single appearance.
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. He won 33 caps between 1985 and 1990.
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 Chemnitzer FC 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.
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. Беланов получит должность в ФФУ. sport.ua. 29 December 2018
Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine 2022, Belanov joined the Territorial Defence Battalion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces of his hometown Odesa. Früherer Bundesligaspieler kämpft gegen Russen Former (in German), faz.net, dated 7 April 2022; retrieved 7 April 2022
Soviet Union
Individual
Retirement
In 1995 Belanov returned home to Chernomorets for one season, retiring at almost 37 after a spell with FC 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).
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 Oleg 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. Блохин и Беланов – главные спринтеры в истории футбола. Пиковый Блохин считался опаснее Кройффа и стоил как Марадона. sports.ru. 27 April 2008
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 ($40 million) from the UBS Bank.
Career statistics
Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition SC Odesa 1979 5 1980 11 Chornomorets Odesa 1981 Soviet Top League 6 1982 Soviet Top League 3 1983 Soviet Top League 7 1984 Soviet Top League 14 Dynamo Kyiv 1985 Soviet Top League 13 1986 Soviet Top League 14 1987 Soviet Top League 13 1988 Soviet Top League 10 1989 Soviet Top League 4 Borussia
Mönchengladbach1989–90 Bundesliga 4 1990–91 Bundesliga 1 Eintracht Braunschweig 1990–91 2. Bundesliga 3 1991–92 2. Bundesliga 11 1992–93 2. Bundesliga – 1993–94 Oberliga Nord 8 Chornomorets 1995–96 Ukrainian Premier League 1 FC Mariupol 1995–96 Ukrainian Second League 0 1996–97 Ukrainian First League 4
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and year Soviet Union 0 6 2 0 0 0
+ List of international goals scored by Igor Belanov 1986 FIFA World Cup 1986 FIFA World Cup 2–1 3–4 Euro 1988 qualifying Euro 1988 qualifying Euro 1988 qualifying Euro 1988 qualifying
Honours
Dynamo Kyiv
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Лучшие ассистенты ЕВРО. Статистика и рекорды. UEFA. 17 June 2020
External links
Categories: 1960 Births, Living People, Footballers From Odesa, Soviet Men's Footballers, Ukrainian Men's Footballers, Men's Association Football Forwards, Soviet Top League Players, Ukrainian Premier League Players, Ska Odesa Players, Fc Chornomorets Odesa Players, Fc Dynamo Kyiv Players, Fc Mariupol Players, Bundesliga Players, 2. Bundesliga Players, Borussia Mönchengladbach Players, Eintracht Braunschweig Players, Soviet Union Men's International Footballers, 1986 Fifa World Cup Players, Uefa Euro 1988 Players, Soviet Expatriate Men's Footballers, Ukrainian Expatriate Men's Footballers, Expatriate Men's Footballers In Germany, Ballon D'or Winners, Soviet Expatriate Sportspeople In West Germany, Ukrainian Expatriate Sportspeople In Germany, Recipients Of The Order Of Merit , 1st Class, Recipients Of The Order Of Prince Yaroslav The Wise, 5th Class, Ukrainian Military Personnel Of The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine, Territorial Defense Forces Of Ukraine Personnel, Military Personnel From Odesa, 20th-century Ukrainian Sportsmen
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