Aleksandr Zavarov
Encyclopedia
Oleksandr Anatoliyovych Zavarov, also spell Aleksandr Anatoljević Zavarov – (born 20 April 1961 in Luhansk
, Ukrainian SSR
) is a former football
midfielder
and the former head coach at FC Arsenal Kyiv
. In 1986 he was named the best footballer in the USSR and Ukraine
and the 6th best footballer in Europe according to France Football
. Zavarov is widely regarded to be among the greatest footballers in the history of the USSR and Ukraine
, and in 2000 he was included in the Ukrainian Team of The Century according to a poll by the Ukrainsky Futbol weekly.
for Zorya Luhansk
(1977–79, 1982), SKA Rostov (1980–81). In 1983–88, he played for the Soviet-Ukrainian giants, Dynamo Kyiv, with whom he won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
in 1985–86
, scoring in the final itself. Finally, Zavarov played for Juventus
between 1988 and 1990, winning the Coppa Italia
and the UEFA Cup
.
, scoring six goals including two in the World Cup finals
in 1986
and 1990
. He also played in the Euro 1988
in which the USSR
team were runners-up
.
in 2003–04, however because he lacked the necessary UEFA licence, he was given the position of director of football with the club. He is currently manager of Ukrainian team Arsenal Kyiv.
Individual honours
Luhansk
Luhansk also known as Lugansk is a city in southeastern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Luhansk Oblast . The city itself is also designated as its own separate municipality within the oblast...
, Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
) is a former football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
and the former head coach at FC Arsenal Kyiv
FC Arsenal Kyiv
FC Arsenal Kyiv is a professional football club from the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.-History:In the 1950s, a different club under the same name Arsenal Kyiv won the 1958 Ukrainian SSR Championship. However in 1963 the club was renamed to "Temp Kyiv". In 1964 the club was replaced by FC Dynamo-2 Kyiv...
. In 1986 he was named the best footballer in the USSR and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and the 6th best footballer in Europe according to France Football
France Football
France Football is a French bi-weekly magazine containing football news from all over the world. It's one of the most reputable sports publications in Europe, mostly because of their photographic reports and accurate statistics of the big European Cup matches, and extensive coverage of the European...
. Zavarov is widely regarded to be among the greatest footballers in the history of the USSR and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, and in 2000 he was included in the Ukrainian Team of The Century according to a poll by the Ukrainsky Futbol weekly.
Club
Zavarov started off his career in his home city of Zorya Luhansk. He played in the USSR Premier LeagueSoviet Top League
The Soviet Top League since 1970 was officially known as the Supreme League serving as the top division of Soviet Union football since 1936.It was one of the best football leagues in Europe ranking second among the UEFA members in 1988-1989 seasons...
for Zorya Luhansk
FC Zorya Luhansk
FC Zorya Luhansk , formerly known as Zorya Voroshilovgrad and Zorya-MALS, is a Ukrainian football team. Zorya Luhansk is based in the city of Luhansk , Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine.-History:...
(1977–79, 1982), SKA Rostov (1980–81). In 1983–88, he played for the Soviet-Ukrainian giants, Dynamo Kyiv, with whom he won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
in 1985–86
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1985-86
The European Cup Winners' Cup was won in season 1985-86 by FC Dynamo Kyiv in the final against Atlético Madrid. It was their second title in the competition, having already won it in 1975...
, scoring in the final itself. Finally, Zavarov played for Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
between 1988 and 1990, winning the Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
and the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
.
National
Zavarov had 41 caps for the USSRUSSR national football team
The Soviet Union National Football Team was the national football team of the Soviet Union. It ceased to exist after the break up of the Union...
, scoring six goals including two in the World Cup finals
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
in 1986
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
and 1990
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
. He also played in the Euro 1988
1988 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1988 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in West Germany. West Germany won the right to host the tournament with five votes ahead of a joint bid from Norway, Sweden and Denmark, who gained 1 vote, and a bid from England. It was the eighth European Football...
in which the USSR
USSR national football team
The Soviet Union National Football Team was the national football team of the Soviet Union. It ceased to exist after the break up of the Union...
team were runners-up
Runner-up
Runner-up is a term used to denote a participant which finishes in second place in any of a variety of competitive endeavors, most notably sporting events and beauty pageants; in the latter instance, the term is applied to more than one of the highest-ranked non-winning contestants, the...
.
Coaching
Zavarov began his coaching career with Saint Dizier CO as a player-coach. He had a short spell as a head coach of FC WilFC Wil
FC Wil, also known as FC Wil 1900, is a Swiss football club, playing in the town of Wil, Canton St. Gallen in the east of Switzerland. The club was founded in 1900, hence the name....
in 2003–04, however because he lacked the necessary UEFA licence, he was given the position of director of football with the club. He is currently manager of Ukrainian team Arsenal Kyiv.
Awards and honours
Awards- USSR Premier LeagueSoviet Top LeagueThe Soviet Top League since 1970 was officially known as the Supreme League serving as the top division of Soviet Union football since 1936.It was one of the best football leagues in Europe ranking second among the UEFA members in 1988-1989 seasons...
: 1985, 1986 - USSR CupSoviet CupThe Soviet Cup, or USSR Cup , was the premier football cup competition in the Soviet Union.-Finals:-Performance by club:-Performance by republic:-References:*, rsssf.com. Accessed on 16 May 2006....
: 1981, 1985, 1987 - UEFA Cup Winners Cup: 1985–86
- Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
: 1989–90 - UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
: 1989–90 - UEFA European Football ChampionshipUEFA European Football ChampionshipThe UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
(runner-up): 1988
Individual honours
- Soviet Footballer of the YearSoviet Footballer of the YearThe award Soviet Footballer of the Year had been awarded to the best footballer of the former Soviet Union from 1964 until 1991. The poll was conducted by the weekly sport newspaper Football .-List of winners:-Most Wins by Club:...
: 1986 - Ukrainian Footballer of the YearUkrainian Footballer of the YearUkrainian Footballer of the Year is an annual award given by the Ukrainskiy Football daily to the best professional Ukrainian footballer....
: 1986 - Ukrainian Team of the Century (poll by “Ukrainsky Futbol”): 2000
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1985–86 top scorer.
Ballon d'Or
- 1986 – 6th
- 1987 – 17th
- 1988 – 8th
- 1989 – 23rd