Gerd Müller

On August 15, one of the greatest footballers of the 20th century, Gerd Müller, passed away.

He was 75 years old.

The forward has become a true legend of world football.

He won the World and European Championships with the German national team, won the European Cup three times with Bayern Munich, four times the Bundesliga gold, twice won the Golden Boot and once won the Ballon d'Or.

Mueller was called "the nation's scorer."

During his career, he scored 68 goals in 62 international caps and 566 in 607 appearances for Bayern Munich.

The striker's record (40 goals per season in the Bundesliga) lasted almost half a century, until he was beaten by Robert Lewandowski.

Five years ago, "King Gerd" was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and has been isolated from society ever since.

However, in the memory of football fans, he will always remain a great personality.

  • Gerd Müller

  • Reuters

  • © Rupak De Chowdhuri

Tony Esposito

Legendary athlete Tony Esposito passed away on August 10 at the age of 79.

The ex-goalkeeper had pancreatic cancer.

Esposito has played in the National Hockey League since 1968.

The goalkeeper has won the Vezina Trophy three times.

He also won the Rookie of the Season (Calder Trophy) in 1970 and holds the Chicago record for no goals (74) and wins (418).

However, he won the Stanley Cup with Montreal, for which he played before moving to the Blackhawks.

On November 20, 1988, Chicago removed from circulation the 35th number, under which the goalkeeper played.

In the same year, Esposito was inducted into the Toronto Hockey Hall of Fame.

The goalkeeper played 886 games in the NHL.

  • Tony Esposito

  • AP

  • © Charles Rex Arbogast, File

Yuri Vlasov

On February 13, the Olympic weightlifting champion Yuri Vlasov did not become.

He just celebrated another anniversary - 85 years.

The athlete became an Olympic champion in 1960, and four years later took silver at the Tokyo Games.

He also has four world titles and six gold medals at the European Championship.

Yuri Petrovich managed to set 31 world and 41 national records.

The scale of the personality and the general recognition of Vlasov were such that Yuri Andropov, Nikita Khrushchev and Fidel Castro considered it easy to talk to him for happiness.

The champion's career was closely followed by Mohammed Ali.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, during a press conference after the filming of "Red Heat" in Russia, interrupted the journalists and took the floor himself: "I dream of meeting Yuri Vlasov."

According to the actor, the Soviet athlete was his idol.

  • Yuri Vlasov

  • RIA News

  • © Shipunov

Vyacheslav Vedenin

After a long illness at the age of 81, on October 22, two-time Olympic champion Vyacheslav Vedenin died.

He became the first Soviet skier to climb the highest step of the Winter Games podium.

In 1972 in Sapporo, he won gold in the 30 km race.

Accompanying the long-awaited and such a coveted medal, an amusing episode.

Before the start of the race, a local journalist approached Vedenin and asked how the skier was going to run in a heavy snowfall.

He muttered an obscene phrase in response.

However, the Japanese reporter did not know the foul language of the Russian language well enough.

After Vedenin's victory in this race, one of the Japanese newspapers published an article with the title: “Having said the magic word“ Dakhusim ”, the Russian skier won the Olympics.”

Vedenin also won the second gold medal in Japan, with the national team in the relay.

Then the skier, it seemed, did the really impossible - he won back a minute gap and snatched gold from the Norwegian team when no one believed in him.

  • Vyacheslav Vedenin

  • RIA News

  • © Sikorsky

Footballer

On September 26, 55-year-old football player Sergei Gerasimets died suddenly. Nothing boded trouble, he came home joyful after the victory of his team "Yadro" in the third division, and then the coach's heart suddenly stopped. The former striker of the national team of Belarus and Zenit became the protagonist of the legendary match with Torpedo in 1997, when by the 70th minute the St. Petersburg team was 0: 2 inferior, but managed to snatch the victory. Gerasimets scored the first return goal, and then made two assists. Another memorable match Sergei played for the national team of Belarus. In the selection of Euro 1996, the team hosted the Netherlands (1: 0). On the 27th minute Gerasimets escaped from the defenders and shot Edwin van der Sar from a sharp angle.

On December 8, at the age of 61, Igor Gamula, a former player and coach of Rostov, passed away.

The specialist began his coaching career in 1992 at Tavriya.

Subsequently, he headed the Novorossiysk "Chernomorets", the Latvian teams "Daugava" and "Dinaburg", then returned to Ukraine, where he worked in the "Transcarpathia".

In 2011, Gamula ended up in Rostov, where he later coached the youth team, and in 2014 became the foundation's mentor.

Relatives, friends, colleagues and fans will remember him as a cheerful, kind, positive person, an expert in jokes and the author of sharp quotes that have gained great popularity in the football community.

About his manner of communication, he spoke like this: "At one time I heard from Viktor Prokopenko the following words:" Humor is like pregnancy - either there is or not. "

I completely agree with this slogan. "

  • Igor Gamula

  • RIA News

  • © Anna Fialovskaya

Thunder from a clear sky was the news of the death from COVID-19 of the former midfielder of the Samara "Wings of the Soviets" Denis Kovba. The former footballer died on November 18 after spending more than a week in the intensive care unit of a Moscow hospital on a ventilator. He was only 42 years old. In Samara, Kovba performed for over 10 years and became a real fan favorite. The year 2004 was especially successful for Wings. The team reached the final of the Russian Cup and took bronze medals of the championship. In 2005, thanks to this, the Samarans clashed with AZ in the UEFA Cup and won 5: 3 at home. After this match, Dutch head coach Louis van Gaal, who came to the club after working for Barcelona, ​​said: "I did not understand the tactical pattern of the opponents' play, but I was very impressed by Cowba." At the end of 2005, Denis took second place in the poll about the best player in Belarus, losing only to Alexander Gleb.

No less unexpected was the departure of the head physician of Dynamo Alexander Yardoshvili.

On April 13, his heart stopped.

The specialist was 66 years old, 40 of them he gave to football: he worked as the chief physician at Chornomorets, CSKA, the Russian national team, and spent most of his career at Lokomotiv and Dynamo.

Nikita Simonyan brought him to football in 1980, and since then Alexander Eduardovich parted with this game only once - from 85th to 87th, when due to a conflict with the head coach of Dynamo he had to go to the water polo of the same name command.

On April 1, at the age of 82, Honored Master of Sports Valentin Afonin passed away.

He played for the USSR national team at the 1966 World Cup, where the national team finished fourth.

And at the World Cup in Mexico, four years later, by a special jury, he was recognized as the best player in the Soviet team.

Liverpool said goodbye at once to two players who have gone down in club history. On September 27, 83-year-old world champion in 1966 Roger Hunt passed away. As part of the Reds, the striker scored 285 goals in 492 matches and until 1992 was the club's top scorer. Hunt is still the leader in the number of goals for Liverpool in the national championship. And on November 30, at the age of 71, the iconic midfielder of the 70s and 80s, Ray Kennedy, died. He has five English league titles, a UEFA Cup and Super Cup, a League Cup and three Champions Cups. Kennedy suffered from Parkinson's disease for a long time, which worried him even during his playing career.

Germany on December 3 said goodbye to the last creator of the national team's historic victory at the 1954 world championship.

Bundestim midfielder Horst Eckel has died at the age of 89.

The main club in his career was Kaiserslautern.

At the World Championships in Switzerland in the final, representatives of the post-war Germany met with the golden generation of Hungarians.

The Germans won a sensational 3-2 victory, claiming their first world title in history.

Hockey

Hockey "Spartak" lost two legends at once.

On November 5, at the age of 67, Alexander Orlov died after a serious illness.

The player entered his name in the history of Russian hockey on March 21, 1982.

Then "Spartak" with a score of 12: 1 defeated "Wings of the Soviets", and Orlov gave six assists.

So far, no one has been able to beat his record.

Together with the red and white, the hockey player became the silver medalist of the USSR championship four times.

On August 26, two-time Olympic winner and five-time world champion Vladimir Shadrin died at the age of 74.

He played with Spartak from 1965 to 1979.

The 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck became the striker's real finest hour.

In the decisive match, the USSR national team lost 0: 2 to Czechoslovakia, and in the second period Viktor Zhluktov and Sergei Babinov earned penalties.

Defenders Yuri Lyapkin and Gennady Tsygankov came out on the ice, and together with them coach Boris Kulagin threw Shadrin into battle.

And this trio did not give the rivals a single chance.

And soon it was the goal of the Soviet striker that made it possible to reduce the difference in the score.

The team won that match (4: 3) and won the title of Olympic champions.

  • Vladimir Shadrin

  • RIA News

  • © Yuri Somov

The National Hockey League in 2021 said goodbye to the six-time Stanley Cup winner, former Montreal striker Ralph Backstrom.

He passed away on February 8 at the age of 83.

The forward took part in the All-Star Game six times and was named the league's best rookie.

Backstrom was a member of the 1974 Super Series with the Canadian national team.

Legendary Rangers forward Rod Gilbert passed away on August 23 at the age of 80.

The Canadian is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, the best sniper (406 goals) and goalscorer (1021 points, 406 + 615) in the history of the New York club in the regular championships.

With the Rangers, he spent 18 seasons.

In 1979, his 7th number was withdrawn from circulation by the club.

Gilbert is the first player in club history to receive this honor.

Olympic legends

On September 14, it became known about the death of the legendary Soviet athlete, two-time Olympic champion in hammer throwing Yuri Sedykh. He was 66 years old. The cause of death was a heart attack. The world record he set in 1986 has not been broken to this day. In the early 1990s, Sedykh completed his sports career, moved to Paris, where he worked as a physical education teacher in educational institutions.

On April 26, it became known about the death of the three-time Olympic champion in track and field athletics Tamara Press. She was 83 years old. At the 1960 Rome Games, she and Irina Press became the first sisters who managed to win gold medals in the same Olympics. First, the youngest, Irina, won the 80m hurdles, and then the older, Tamara, excelled in the shot put. Both set competition records. Four years later, they managed to repeat the success in Tokyo.

On May 19, the honored coach, medalist of the Olympic Games and World Championships, Alexander Privalov, did not become.

Honored Master of Sports and Trainer of the USSR.

Silver medalist of the Games in Innsbruck and bronze medalist in Squaw Valley in the individual 20 km race.

The first Soviet biathlete to win an Olympic medal.

He was also the silver medalist of the world championship in 1961 and the five-time champion of the USSR.

After completing his sports career, he led the national team.

The specialist was very demanding of himself and did not perceive other places except the first.

His team at the Games in Lillehammer took only gold in the relay, and Privalov himself withdrew his candidacy for the post of head coach for the next Olympic cycle.

  • Alexander Privalov

  • RIA News

On December 12, the Soviet fencer, Olympic champion of 1964, Yuri Sharov, passed away. He was 82 years old. In addition to winning the command foil, in the same discipline he became the silver medalist at the 1968 Games. In addition, the fencer has won the World Championship as a team five times. After the end of his sports career, Sharov worked as a teacher and head of the department of physical education at the Saratov Pedagogical Institute, and was also a coach of the Russian national team.

Olympic champion Valentina Sidorova died on June 9.

At the 1976 Olympics, she won gold in the USSR national team in the command foil, and four years later she won silver in the same discipline.

Sidorova is also a two-time world champion in individual and five-time in team competitions.

In addition, she was twice recognized as the best foil fencer in the world and is included in the Hall of Fame of the International Fencing Federation.

Stars of other kinds

On November 2, at the age of 81, five-time world fencing champion Viktor Putyatin died.

He was a member of the USSR national team from the mid 60s to the early 70s.

For the first time he climbed to the highest step of the podium at the championship of the planet in 1967.

However, he could not win Olympic gold.

In Mexico City in 1968 and the 1972 Games in Munich, Putyatin became the silver medalist in the team competition.

On June 12, at the age of 58, Soviet speed skater Igor Zhelezovsky died.

He was considered the best sprinter in the world in the late 80s and early 90s, but failed to win Olympic gold.

He has a bronze medal at the Olympics in Calgary (1988) and a silver medal at the Games in Lillehammer (1994) at a distance of 1000 m.Zhelezovsky won a record six times at the world championships in the sprint all-around, is a multiple winner of the USSR championship and the owner of the World Cup.

He has set world records four times in various disciplines.

  • Igor Zhelezovsky

  • © Wikimedia commons

A string of losses have occurred in the world of tennis.

On December 11, at the age of 84, Manuel Santana died.

The Spaniard is a four-time winner of the Grand Slam tournaments (he won the Roland Garros twice, the US Open and Wimbledon once).

Since 1984 he has been a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Santana was the first director of the Madrid Masters tournament.

The central court is named after him.

On July 13, in the 95th year, American tennis player, the first racket of the world, Shirley Fry, passed away.

She was the winner of four Grand Slam singles tournaments and the owner of a career Grand Slam (won all four tournaments in different years).

She recently lived in Naples, Florida, where she died in her sleep at home.

On February 3, at the age of 90, the legendary American tennis player Tony Trabert passed away. During his career, he won five Grand Slam singles and five more in doubles. The athlete was the first racket in the world in 1953 and 1955. At the end of his career, Trabert worked as a TV presenter for over 30 years. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1970.

Tragic news came on June 5 from Novosibirsk. At the 31st year of life, the midfielder of the Russian national bandy team Maxim Ishkeldin died suddenly. The six-time world champion had a blood clot in his sleep. Ishkeldin started playing field hockey at the Novosibirsk club "Zarya". Also played for Krasnogorsk "Zorky" and Khabarovsk "SKA-Neftyanik". The last season Ishkeldin played in the Yenisei Krasnoyarsk, where he became the champion of the country and for the fifth time received the highest award of the national championship.

The hockey player was also an irreplaceable member of the Russian national team.

Back in 2007, he first won the championship of the planet as part of a youth team, and five years later he went to the world championship along with the main team.

In total, Ishkeldin won the main tournament of the national teams six times and twice became the silver medalist, and at the last championship in 2019 he was recognized as the best midfielder.

  • Maxim Ishkeldin

  • RIA News

  • © Maxim Bogodvid

On May 29, legendary Utah center and two-time NBA defensive player Mark Eaton died.

He was 64 years old.

The American became famous for his high growth (224 cm).

Eaton holds league records for average block shots per season (5.6) and career (3.5).

During the 95/96 season, Utah removed Eaton's No. 53 from circulation.

Coaches and functionaries

On November 28, Frank Williams, the founder of the legendary Formula 1 team, died. British businessman and former race car driver has passed away at the age of 79 surrounded by his family. Under the leadership of Williams, the team named after him became a seven-time world champion among pilots and nine-time among constructors. For the last 35 years of his life, Frank was confined to a wheelchair. In 1986, he was in a car accident and as a result of a neck fracture suffered paralysis of all four limbs. Despite serious injuries, Williams was able to return to work and subsequently achieved some of the biggest gains in his career.

On August 29, at the age of 80, former President of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge died after a long illness.

He held the post from 2001 to 2013, after which he was succeeded by the German Thomas Bach.

Under him, Russia won the right to host the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.

As an athlete, Rogge became the Belgian rugby champion, won the gold in the world championship and was the 16-time national sailing champion.

He took part in the Olympic Games three times.

  • Jacques Rogge

  • Reuters

  • © Denis Balibouse

On May 24, at the age of 87, the legendary freestyle wrestling coach Dmitry Mindiashvili died of pneumonia. For his disciples, he was a mentor, a spiritual father, a great example. He founded the renowned Krasnoyarsk school, which has trained several Olympic champions. Titled wrestlers Ivan Yarygin, Buvaysar Saytiev, Viktor Alekseev, Akhmed Atavov trained with him. In 2020, Dmitry Georgievich was awarded a rare distinction for a sports coach - the title of Hero of Labor of the Russian Federation.

On June 4, at the age of 82, the famous Soviet basketball player and honored coach of the USSR Vadim Kapranov died. As part of the army team, he won the USSR championship seven times, twice won the European Champions Cup. At the 1992 Olympics, Kapranov worked as an assistant to Evgeny Gomelsky, and then the United Team won gold medals in Barcelona. Under his leadership, the national team became the third at the 2004 Games, won gold in the European Championship in 2003, and in 2002 became the second at the World Championship.

On April 3, at the age of 79, the honored coach of the USSR and Russia in athletics Evgeny Zagorulko died.

Recently, he fought with cancer, and a month before his death, a specialist was diagnosed with COVID-19.

During his career, Zagorulko has trained four Olympic high jump champions, including Anna Chicherova and Andrey Silnov.

  • Evgeny Zagorulko

  • RIA News

  • © Mikhail Mokrushin