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Soviet soccer great Valentin Ivanov buried at Vagankovo cemetery

After the end of his active career on the pitch Valentin Ivanov manifested himself as a successful coach

MOSCOW, November 10 (Itar-Tass) —— The funeral ceremony honoring renowned Soviet footballer, 1956 Olympic champion and 1960 European champion, Valentin K. Ivanov took place at the culture center of the automobile manufacturer ZIL in Moscow. For decades the automotive giant sponsored the Torpedo soccer team, to which Valentin Ivanov dedicated his whole life, first as a player, and then as a coach. A crowd of two thousand was there to pay the last respects to the great footballer and personality - both ordinary fans and Soviet and Russian soccer veterans, among them Sergei Shavlo, Rinat Dasayev, Mikhail Gershkovich, Georgy Yartsev and the current team of Moscow’s Torpedo. Shortly after the farewell ceremony Valentin Ivanov was buried at the Vagankovo cemetery.

Valentin Ivanov spent his entire career at one club, Moscow’s Torpedo, for which he played 287 matches in the USSR national championship to have scored 124 goals. He was his club’s top scorer. For the USSR national squad Ivanov played 59 official matches and scored 26 goals. Alongside the 1956 Olympic Gold and 1960 European Gold he and his fellow players won the USSR championships in 1960 and 1965.

After the end of his active career on the pitch Valentin Ivanov manifested himself as a successful coach. In 1976 the team he led won the national title, and in 1968, 1972, and 1986 it won the national cup.

Valentin Ivanov was the winner of the national sports award Glory for 2007 in the nomination Lifetime Legend, which he shared with his wife Lidiya Ivanova (Kalinina), a gymnast, two times Olympic champion.

Ivanov’s grave is next to those of two other Soviet football stars – Vladimir Maslachenko and Valentin Bubukin.