Igor Netto

This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic is Aleksandrovich and the family name is Netto.

Igor Netto

255px Igor Netto (left) and Lev Yashin in 1961
Personal information
Full name	Igor Aleksandrovich Netto
Date of birth	(1930-01-09)9 January 1930
Place of birth	Moscow, Soviet Union
Date of death
Place of death	Moscow, Russia
Position(s)	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1949–1966	FC Spartak Moscow	368	(36)
International career
1952–1965	Soviet Union	54	(4)
Managerial career
1967	AC Omonia
1968	FC Shinnik Yaroslavl
1969–1970	Iran (Assistant)
1970–1971	Iran
1973–1975	FC Spartak Moscow (Assistant)
1975	FC Spartak Moscow
1976–1977	Panionios
1979	Neftchi Baku
Medal record Representing Soviet Union Olympic Games 1956 Melbourne Team European Championships 1960 Paris Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Igor Aleksandrovich Netto (Russian: Игорь Александрович Нетто; 9 January 1930 – 30 March 1999) was a Soviet–Russian footballer, considered one of the greatest Soviet players ever. He started out playing on the left of defense but, due to his offensive mentality, dribbling and technical abilities turned into a dynamic central midfielder. His versatility and footballing intelligence allowed him to play a number of positions across defense and midfield.

Ice hockey and club career

Besides football, Netto played 22 games in the 1948–49 and 1950–51 seasons as an ice hockey forward for Spartak. He quit because of the high level of traumatize intrinsic to hockey.

During his club career he played for FC Spartak Moscow from 1949 until 1966, scoring 37 goals in 367 league games, winning five Soviet championships and three cups.

International career

File:Igor Netto, Sergei Salnikov, Lev Yashin 1958.jpg

Igor Netto, Sergei Salnikov and Lev Yashin at the 1958 World Cup

He was the captain of the USSR national football team from 1954 to 1963. He led the country to the gold medal in the 1956 Summer Olympics, and victory at the first ever European Championship in 1960. He missed all but one match in the 1958 FIFA World Cup due to injury, and also played all four matches in the 1962 FIFA World Cup when the Soviet Union reached the quarterfinals. In total he collected 54 international caps and four goals.

Netto was a person of exceptional honesty, which was revealed most remarkably during the 1962 FIFA World Cup match against Uruguay. At a 1–1 score, Igor Chislenko managed to strike through the net, and the resulting goal was mistakenly counted by the referee who has not seen the ball trajectory. Hearing protests from the Uruguayan keeper, Netto confirmed with Chislenko that the ball went through the net, and convinced the referee to discount the goal. Netto's team won that match anyway.

Managerial career

After retiring in 1966 he had a long, though unsuccessful career as a coach, training AC Omonia, FC Shinnik Yaroslavl, Iran, Panionios and Neftchi Baku. Netto was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1957. The stadium of Spartak Moscow reserves team is named after him.

Personal life

Netto was known as goose for his hissing voice, as well as goose-like walk and head shape. On 9 January 1960 he married Olga Yakovleva, an actress. They divorced around 1987 when Netto was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Honours

Spartak Moscow

• Soviet Champion (5): 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1962
• Soviet Cup Winner (3): 1950, 1958, 1963

Soviet Union

• European Champion (1): 1960
• Soviet Olympic team: 3 games in 1952 and 5 games in 1956, with 1 goal and gold medal in 1956.
• National team: 54 caps, 4 goals; participant and quarter finalist in the 1958 and 1962 playing totally in 6 matches

References

Preceded by None

UEFA European Championship winning captain 1960

Succeeded by Ferran Olivella Spain