Age is not a hindrance: the 12 youngest debutants of the championships of Russia and the USSR in football

On Friday, August 2, under the auspices of the RFU, the first tournament of the Junior Football League starts, in which teams from 12 strongest Russian academies will take part. RT recalls the most famous players of the national teams of Russia and the USSR, who made their debut in the top division of the national championship before the onset of 18 years.

Alan Dzagoev

Debut in the Premier League: 17 years 10 months (04/26/2008, Luch-Energia - CSKA, 1: 3, came off the bench in the 90th minute).

Matches for the national team: 59

Dzagoev moved to CSKA from Krylya Sovetov-SOK in 2008 and immediately fell under the care of Valery Gazzayev. The eminent coach gradually let the talented pupil of the famous Academy of Konoplyov to the base. Alan’s debut in the Premier League took place in April 2008. The midfielder came on as a substitute in the end of the away meeting with the Luch-Energia team. And in the next game - with Khimki - the player got a place in the starting lineup and scored the first points for performance: first assisted Sergei Ignashevich, and then distinguished himself.

Quote: “When I first entered the field in the Premier League, I tried very hard not to worry. Everyone was cheering me on, especially Vagner Love, and after the starting whistle I really got into the game. It was a match with Khimki - the debut in the game in Vladivostok, where I came on as a substitute in the 90th minute, doesn’t count. But then he scored the ball, and this, oddly enough, knocked me out of a rut. It seemed that I should have calmed down completely, felt confident in my abilities, but, on the contrary, I became agitated. And then, before the replacement, he was already playing worse. Have I changed since my debut in adult football? Probably. Then I, on the one hand, was easier and faster, but on the other - faster and more rectilinear. Over the years I have become more powerful, more experienced, I understand the game better, I can vary it more diversely ”.

CSKA player Alan Dzagoev
RIA News
© Vladimir Fedorenko

Igor Akinfeev

Debut in the Premier League: 17 years 1 month (05/31/2003, Krylya Sovetov - CSKA, 0: 2, spent the full match, scored a penalty).

Matches for the national team: 111

Even more impetuous was the start of Akinfeev’s career. Young talented pupil CSKA also attracted to the base Gazzayev. Already in the winter of 2003, he went to the training camp with the first team of CSKA and made a good impression on both the partners and the coaching staff.

As a result, in March, Igor made his debut for the army team in the now non-existent Premier League Cup, and in May for the first time played in the Russian championship. The first pancake in the case of Akinfeev did not come off. In the match with “Wings of the Soviets,” he not only played to zero, but also reflected a penalty from Andrei Karyaka.

Quote: “When I arrived, I was only 16 years old. Veniamin Mandrykina had an injury and they took me. I was very worried about how they would accept me, I was afraid. I remember locked in a room at the base and sat alone. I did not go anywhere, did not talk to anyone. But in the evening training, so I still had to go out. With apprehension appeared on the field. But the guys met me very well, encouraged me. Yes, and Valery G. such a person who will not allow the young pecked. When I played the first game with “Wings of the Soviets” - it was affixed. He brought a box of beer to the bathhouse. ”

Ilzat Akhmetov

Debut in the Premier League: 16 years 9 months (10/20/2014, "Rubin" - "Mordovia", 5: 0, came out on substitution in the 86th minute).

Matches for the national team: 3

Under Rinat Bilyaletdinov, many young footballers got a chance at Rubin, among whom was Akhmetov. The talented midfielder of Kazan was taken from the same academy of Konoplyov, in which Dzagoev was brought up. And in October 2014, he made his debut in the main part of the team in the match with “Mordovia”. In that season, Akhmetov took part in eight more games of the Russian Premier League, but he didn’t take part in effective actions, and in 2018 he moved to CSKA.

Quote: "At the Russian championship in Sochi, I was noticed by a breeder and coach of the Kazan football club and offered to play for Rubin." Dad and I agreed. When Rinat Bilyaletdinov let me out on the field, I did not understand for a long time what was happening. He made me feel gunpowder, try my hand. ”

CSKA player Ilzat Akhmetov
© Vladimir Astapkovich

Fedor Smolov

Debut in the Premier League: 17 years 2 months (04/28/2007, “Luch-Energia” - “Dynamo”, 0: 1, came on substitution in the 90th minute).

Matches for the national team: 39 (14 goals)

At a very young age, he made his debut in the Premier League and Smolov. The future striker of the Russian national team, like Dzagoev, began his career among the elite in Vladivostok. Dynamo had a problem with the attackers at that time, and Andrei Kobelev decided to trust the young striker. Mostly Fedor was satisfied with the substitution in the end of the match, and scored the first goal in Samara next season.

Quote: “Among the guys in 1990, I was the first to manage to play in the Premier League. I remember being very proud of myself. Then the main attackers of Dynamo were injured, and Andrei Nikolaevich Kobelev invited me to the base of the double. It was a little unexpected: in December, he only signed a contract, and in April he made his debut. I remember, the coach in “Master Saturn” said: “What is your double ?! We still have two years to play KFC, you look at yourself! How to cope with the euphoria and did not lower the bar? Yes, then my debut turned my head. But I got ready and just kept working. ”

Vladimir Gabulov

Debut in the Premier League: 17 years 4 months (11.03.2001, Dynamo - Krylya Sovetov, 0: 1, played the full match).

Matches for the national team: 10

At the age of 17, he began his career in the Premier League and Gabulov. As for Smolov, Dynamo was the starting point in the goalkeeper’s football career. The coaching staff was not afraid to trust the very young at that time goalkeeper - and he did not disappoint. In March, Gabulov played the first match in the elite and missed one ball from Wings of the Soviets, and in total that season he held 11 meetings for the blue and white, three of which - to zero. And in the summer, Vladimir unexpectedly left for Alania, where he was also the main goalkeeper.

Quote: “The formation of the goalkeeper's equipment, the understanding of the game was laid by Vyacheslav Viktorovich Chanov. I debuted when I was 17, and was not yet fully ready for the level of the Premier League and the Russian national team. I gained many qualities in working with Chanov at CSKA. He always tried to reassure me a little, because I have such a driving character that requires a splash of emotions. I tried to steer them in the right direction. ”

Amkar goalkeeper Vladimir Gabulov
RIA News
© Anton Denisov

Alexey Rebko

Debut in the Premier League: 16 years 2 months (July 10, 2002, Spartak Moscow - Zenit, 4: 3, came off the bench in the 86th minute).

Matches for the national team: 3

And the youngest footballer in the history of the Russian championships is still Rebko. In 2002, Oleg Romantsev released a young opornika to replace in the most important match with Zenit, and the red and white won - 4: 3. At the same time, the decisive goal in that meeting was scored by 18-year-old Dmitry Sychev.

Some experts call Alexey’s career not entirely successful. On the one hand, he played in the Russian top clubs and even played three matches for the national team, on the other - he ended his career quite early due to injury.

Quote: “Debut at 16 is a shock, shock! I remember the details of the first match very vaguely, but my heart was beating! Oleg Ivanovich says something to me before leaving. I come to the edge of the field and meet the eyes of the guys from the school, they are all a year older. Their eyes were full of horror, I would not say that envy. That day they served the balls ... "

Vladislav Radimov

Debut in the Premier League: 16 years 8 months (07/30/1992, “Ocean” - CSKA, 5: 2, came on substitution in the 74th minute).

Matches for the national team: 33

The legend of “Zenith” and a native of St. Petersburg Vladislav Radimov began his career in big football with CSKA. He went to Moscow after he failed to gain a foothold in the Smena-Saturn team that had brought him up. The future owner of the UEFA Cup basically played for the second army team in the PFL, but at the age of 16 waited for a call to the base.

The debut of 16-year-old Radimov in the first in the history of the Russian football championship was partly forced. CSKA took only 13 field players for the away match with “Ocean” from Nakhodka and suffered a crushing defeat in it. The midfielder played just 26 minutes, during which the last two goals were scored. Only two years later Radimov became a regular player in the army.

“I was 16 years old when Stepan Krysevich brought me to Moscow to CSKA. Together with other nonresident players of the double - Khokhlov, Shukov, Demchenko, Ageev, Tsaplin, Melnikov - we lived in a modest boarding house at the stadium on Sandy Street. They paid so little that sometimes there was not enough money even for food. Rescued parcels from home from parents. The guests shared equally in all. I remember the pleasure with which the Demenche Zaporozhye fat, Khokhlov’s fruit and fish, our St. Petersburg smoked sausage, were consumed! At the windows of fashion stores did not look. Training suits with the letters "CSKA" on the back we were quite satisfied, and we walked around them in the city. Past to the monument to Pushkin on a date or a disco in the "Olympic" rushed the Muscovites who seemed to be fed and dressed up to us. I, forced to live according to a routine, envied in my heart their looseness and freedom. But now, remembering those difficult days in a foreign city, I increasingly find myself thinking that this was a wonderful time. Perhaps the best in my life. The time of partnership, hopes and dreams, ”recalled Radimov.

The player of the team "Zenit" midfielder Vladislav Radimov
RIA News
© Vladimir Fedorenko

Dmitry Kharin

Major League Debut: 16 years and 3 months (11/21/1984, SKA - Torpedo, 2-4, played the entire match).

Matches for the national team: 38

Dmitry Kharin made his debut for Torpedo Moscow in the final round of the 1984 USSR Championship in an away match with SKA from Rostov. Avtozavodtsev failed the ending of the season in which they claimed to win, and their head coach, Valentin Ivanov, finally decided to check in the case of the young goalkeeper, who was barely 16 years old.

The future player of CSKA and Chelsea missed two goals, but his impression of the game was saved by his partners, who responded with four goals. To this day, Kharin is the youngest goalkeeper debutant in the history of domestic football.

“Immediately it was even somewhere a little easier to plunge into the peasant football. Yes, you are harder to exercise, because the muscles have not yet fully formed. But at the age of 16-18, you still do not feel the pressure from football and it is easier to bear the burden of responsibility. When you grow up and start playing in professional football, especially in the current one, in which huge money is at stake, and losing one Champions League match can sometimes cost the club a loss of 15-20 million, the psyche of the players, technically and physically strong, cannot withstand the strain. It was probably easier in this regard, ”Harin told the Futures weekly.

Vladimir Beschastnykh

Debut in the Premier League: 17 years 11 months (03/29/1992, Spartak Moscow - Krylya Sovetov, 5: 0, played 65 minutes, scored 2 goals).

Matches for the national team: 71

In 1991, Vladimir Beschastnykh got into the double of Spartak Moscow, and the following year he began to be involved in games as a basis. The debut of the attacker took place in the arena of CSKA, where Samara Krylia Sovetov arrived. Beschastnykh entered the artificial field from the first minutes and immediately marked two goals. He then had only three days to the age of majority.

“I got to the main team of Spartak two days before I turned 17. But this happened only because the coaches did not have time to announce the two leading players in time. At the very beginning of the debut game, I stepped on the ball, fell, and flashed through my head: “This is my last performance for Spartak. Suddenly, our players play the combination, Vitya Onopko serves, I jump and score the ball with my head, ”said Beschastnykh.

Spartak forward Vladimir Beschastnykh
RIA News

Igor Shalimov

Debut in the Premier League: 17 years 2 months (04/27/1986, Dynamo Kiev - Spartak, 2: 1, came off the bench in the 86th minute).

Matches for the national team: 47

From the very beginning of the 1986 USSR Championship, Igor Shalimov began to play brightly for the Spartak double. Sooner or later he was waiting for a debut in the main team, and he took place already in the seventh round, and in the most important derby of those times - an away match with Kiev “Dynamo”. Konstantin Beskov released a 17-year-old midfielder in the end of the meeting, when Muscovites were already losing with the score 1: 2. From those four minutes spent on the field, began career Shalimov in “Spartacus”, which lasted five years.

“I was very lucky because I had Igor Netto as the first coach, who spent a lot of time on engineering, and what is important for the children's coach, he was a technical player himself and showed us everything by his example. All the exercises were like in the first team, so when I got into the double, there were no problems with the adaptation, because there was the same football, the same requirements. I remember Beskov, because with him I got into Spartak, the main team. That he began to put me in the main part, that is, he first released me in 17 years. At 17, I played eight games, scored one goal for the main team. And in the 88th I already played tightly in the base, ”Shalimov recalled in an interview with Kuban 24.

Oleg Salenko

Debut in the Premier League: 16 years 4 months (1.03 1986, Dynamo Moscow - Zenit, 3: 4, came off the bench in the 70th minute, scored the winning goal).

Matches for the national team: 8

The pupil of the Leningrad “Smena”, 16-year-old Oleg Salenko, did not wait long for his finest hour at Zenit. He took part in the first round of the USSR championship in 1986, in which Pavel Sadyrin's players played in Moscow with Dynamo. Coming to the field in the 70th minute, the future author of the penta-trick at the gate of the Cameroon national team broke the record of Eduard Streltsov for the earliest debut in national championships. On this March day, Salenko did not limit himself to this achievement. He scored the ball five minutes after entering the pitch, which brought victory to Zenit.

“I come out to replace in the match with the Moscow Dynamo and after five minutes I score my first goal in the Higher League of the USSR Championship. And I get Prudnikova between the legs. Above me in St. Petersburg, the guys are still laughing: all the gates were empty, and you went far to the right place. Especially not worried. After all, I should have come out earlier for Zenit, but problems with the law prevented me. I fought in St. Petersburg at a school disco. A criminal case was filed against me (the guy with whom I fought, brain concussion earned), devastating articles appeared in the newspapers, saying that Salenko shouted at a disco: “I am a star! And who are you? ”- and climbed into the fray. They wanted to disqualify me then, and the team already went upstairs, but as I scored the Dynamo goal, everything calmed down, ”Salenko said in an interview with Football. Hockey".

Dynamo forward Oleg Salenko
RIA News

Andrey Kobelev

Debut in the Premier League: 16 years 7 months (06/16/1985, Dynamo Moscow - Zenit, 0: 2, came on as a substitute in the 75th minute).

Matches for the national team: 1

In May 1985, a graduate of Dynamo Moscow, Andrei Kobelev, together with the USSR youth team, took part in the European Championship and won the first victory in the history of the team. The young midfielder even scored a goal in the final. Less than a month later, he was already waiting for a debut in the main team. Kobelev played 15 minutes in a match with Zenit and became the youngest player of his club, who first entered the field. Since then, he not only played a few seasons with blue and white, but also worked as their coach.

“You know, I do not feel any nostalgia for those times. Yes, we then had fun, great - both on the field and beyond, but we didn’t win anything by and large by this company! Maybe that's why I don't feel nostalgia. By the way, recently, for some occasion, I decided to watch a cassette with recordings of games of 1985 or 1986. And you know, I could not watch the tape to the end. I was bored! I'm bored even watching ten years old football. It seems that everything was not so long ago, but football has since stepped far forward. Now there are very different speeds, another struggle in terms of tension, ”said Kobelev.