Date of birth: 22 October 1929
Place of birth: Moscow, Soviet Union
Date of death: 20 March 1990 (aged 60)
Place of death: Moscow, Soviet Union
Playing position: Goalkeeper
Lev Yashin's (seen left in the adjoining picture) goalkeeping in the inaugural European Championship in 1960 was instrumental in winning USSR the title. His ability to frustrate the opposition's efforts to find the back of the net is legendary. The custodian touted by many as the best ever conceded only two goals through the tournament which including the qualifying rounds. He was also part of the USSR squad that finished runners-up behind Spain four years later.
With 812 career games to his name, Yashin had an astounding 270 career clean sheets which also included an estimate 150 penalty saves spanning almost a 20-year long stint in professional football. He is also the only goalkeeper in the history of the sport to receive the Ballon d'Or in 1963. He was also the goalkeeper of the Dynamo Moscow ice-hockey team which won the Soviet Cup in 1953.
The 1962 World Cup proved to be probably the only low point of his career. Soviet side were leading Colombia 4-1 when Yashin let in a few quite uncharacteristic and soft goals. Infact Marcos Coll scored a direct goal from a corner kick, the first and the only such goal in FIFA World Cup history. The game was eventually tied 4-4 and many predicted an end to Yashin's career. But the fighter that he was, he received the Ballon d'Or the very next year and later led the Soviet Union to their best ever World Cup performance, a fourth place finish, in 1966. Lev Yashin, the true 'patriot', accompanied his side to his fourth World Cup in 1970 albeit as a cover for the other two. Out of his 270 career clean sheets, 4 came in 12 World Cup matches.