Valery Lobanovsky

Valeriy Lobanovskyi

Lobanovski in 1985
Personal information
Full name	Valeriy Vasylyovych Lobanovskyi
Date of birth	(1939-01-06)6 January 1939
Place of birth	Kiev, Soviet Union
Date of death	13 May 2002(2002-05-13) (aged 63)
Place of death	Zaporizhia, Ukraine
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Forward
Youth career
1952–1955	Football School N.1
1955–1956	Football School of Youth (FShM)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1957–1964	Dynamo Kyiv	144	(42)
1965–1966	Chornomorets Odessa	59	(15)
1967–1968	Shakhtar Donetsk	50	(14)
National team
1960–1961	USSR	2	(0)
Teams managed
1969–1973	Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
1973–1982	Dynamo Kyiv
1975–1976	USSR
1982–1983	USSR
1984–1990	Dynamo Kyiv
1986–1990	USSR
1990–1993	UAE
1994–1996	Kuwait
1997–2002	Dynamo Kyiv
2000–2001	Ukraine
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Valeriy Vasylyovych Lobanovskyi (Ukrainian: Вале́рій Васи́льович Лобано́вський, Valerij Vasyl’ovyč Lobanovs’kyj [vɑˈlɛrɪj lobɑˈnɔwsʲkɪj]; Russian: Вале́рий Васи́льевич Лобано́вский, Valeriy Vasilyevich Lobanovskiy [vɐˈlʲerʲɪj vɐˈsʲilʲɪvʲɪtɕ ləbɐˈnofskʲɪj]; 6 January 1939 – 13 May 2002) was a Soviet-Ukrainian football manager. He was the Master of Sports of USSR, the Distinguished Coach of USSR, and the laureate of the UEFA Ruby Order (2002).

Lobanovskyi is most famous for his spells managing FC Dynamo Kyiv, the Ukraine national football team, and earlier the USSR national football team. In 1975 his Dynamo Kyiv team became the first side from the Soviet Union to win a major European trophy when they beat Hungarian side Ferencváros in the final of the Cup Winners' Cup. Lobanovskyi is highly esteemed for his achievements as a coach but also notorious for his both highly scientific and excessively disciplinarian approach to management. In January 2017, Lobanovskyi was named among the 10 greatest coaches since the foundation of UEFA in 1954.

Lobanovskyi was a graduate of the Kiev football school #1 and the Football School of Youth (Kiev). He began his playing career as a left winger with Dynamo Kyiv, his hometown club, whilst with the side he won both the USSR league and cup. He spent seven years with the club before finishing his career with brief spells at Chornomorets Odessa, and Shakhtar Donetsk. Lobanovskyi ended his playing career at the age of 29 having scored 71 goals in 253 games. He also earned two full caps for the Soviet Union and played in two Olympic games. Lobanovskyi played his first international game on September 4, 1960 away against Austria. He is most famous for his legendary ability to score from corner kicks and his ability to curve the ball and place it wherever he pleased; his immense fame gained from this led him to take over as a coach for Dynamo Kiev.