Great artists, musicians, writers and athletes rarely appear. Their contribution cannot be overestimated. Such people bring great discoveries and victories to their country. Such in the history of Spartak was the outstanding football player Anatoly Konstantinovich Isaev.
The beginning of the way
He was born on July 14, 1932 in the capital of Russia. It is now difficult to remember how his life got in touch with the Spartak football team. His father was a storekeeper, his mother was a fitter.
The childhood of the future legend of Spartak was not easy. I had to live in a one-room apartment at 14 meters. At the same time, in addition to mother and father, there was a sister nearby with her husband and daughter. Anatoly Isaev often recalled how he had to sleep on a chest or under a table. After hard training, it was difficult for the boy to fall asleep, and when a dream came to him, well after midnight, a child woke up and everything went down the drain.
For the first time, he met Spartak at the age of 15. Then he was one of those who handed flowers to the Torpedo players and the Moscow team. Then the Spartacists won the crystal cup in the final meeting of the game of the USSR.
After some time, working in the workshop, Anatoly Isaev met with the director of the plant, in the past - the Torpedo defender. He invited him to play in the car factory team, but the future star saw himself only in Spartak.
War is a hindrance to football
When the Great Patriotic War began, the boy was 9 years old. He recalled the difficult times for Moscow, where there were no markets. Little Tolya had to stand for bread all night. But not in order to finally eat. He rode far out of town, 100 kilometers to sell bread. Returned back with frozen black potatoes in order to feed the whole family. Mother was not at home for days, and the boy was responsible for food in the house. I had to cook it myself on a cast-iron stove. He made cakes from bran, which they ate with pleasure.
During the war, football did not matter. It only remained to look at the sky and look for planes there. Sometimes the boy with his mother had to watch on the roof of the house. They had special forceps that could be used to grab the burning fragments of the bomb and dump them to the ground.
There was once a story when little Tolya grabbed one bomb and dragged him home. Neighboring boys extradited him, and a policeman with reinforcements entered the house. Mom did not understand, and the boy could only show his "catch". How the bomb did not explode in the house is still not known.
At the end of the war, Anatoly Isaev saw Spartak in action. The match delighted him so much that it was breathtaking. Endless ball games began in any weather and time of day.
Football stories
Oddly enough, but the football career began with hockey. The team of the factory "Red Proletariat" was the first team in which Isaev managed to play. Then a football club appeared on its base. Anatoly moved there, as he played hockey worse, and the only thing that helped on the ice was a quick run.
After the war, by the way, Anatoly became interested in all kinds of sports, from basketball and volleyball to hockey. He played in the Red Proletariat, and the boy was followed by that very invitation to Torpedo. As the football player himself said, the teammates were very upset, some even started to cry, so he decided to stay.
Not in service, but in friendship
In 1951, Anatoly Konstantinovich Isaev joined the army. He served in the air force in the Podolsky district. By the way, the story associated with this event is also interesting. In the same year, the guy was lucky to play for the Moscow team. The first match was against the masters of the Air Force. The military defeated to smithereens with a score of 5: 0, and after the game the head coach approached the future Spartak star and wrote down the football player’s address, leaving his contacts.
Then the whole team was sent a summons to the army, and Isaev was left until further notice. Then he went with his friends to the Air Force coach and talked about what was happening. He recommended that everyone pick up the documents from the military registration and enlistment office and go to the Air Force. That's how football mixed with the army.
Red T-shirt
For a long time it was not possible to play in the Air Force team. Two years later, it was disbanded, and in 1953, Anatoly Isaev, a football player with experience, officially became a Spartak player.
Another irony of fate. It turns out that Isaev’s sister worked in cooperation (the Spartak organization). From there, she gave a young boy a t-shirt of his favorite team. As Anatoly said, he did not part with her. It was as if he was born in red and went not only to work and training, but also seemed to sleep in it. While still an employee at the factory, during the match, he ran through the roof to watch the game.
Then, at the beginning of Spartak’s career, even her mother felt pressure from the director of the plant, who persuaded Isaev to go to Torpedo after the Air Force. Although, in truth, my mother was initially opposed to playing football. As a child, Anatoly tore all the shoes in the house, his father’s soldiers, and even his mother’s.
A dream, not a job
Unlike the Air Force team, Spartak met Anatoly democratically. There were no orders, so it became more comfortable to play. At that time, the team had 10 Olympic champions. The first time I had to play on the Kharkov field. The match was victorious. Upon returning home, already on the train, Isaev got to know the rest of the players closer and realized that Spartak was his football homeland ... ”
Crucial moment
As in the life of any genius, there were a lot on his way. Anatoly Isaev, a football player with a capital letter, suffered a moral defeat. In the 57th Cup final, he was injured - an ankle dislocation. As Isaev himself said, it would be better if the team-mate broke his leg. Then he was taken to the ambulance, and six months had to go on crutches. Over time, a spike formed there.
Of course, as a real athlete, Anatoly tried not to pay attention to it. In addition, the qualifying round was nearing the World Cup, which means that it was necessary to train. But when he woke up in the morning, the footballer felt a thorn fly out of his leg. I had to stumble to the masseur. He put the spike in place, but the torment continued.
In 1962, “Spartak” became the champion, and, despite the pain in his leg, Isaev won back “excellent”. But after the match, the football player was beautifully played from the team.
Against their
Further suggestions followed. The next team Isaev - Yaroslavl "Shinnik." While he was considering whether to play there or not, many of his friends went there. Of course, this moment pushed Anatoly to a decision.
The next USSR Cup forced the player to play against his beloved Spartak. He refused to speak for a long time, but Akimov then told him that the team did not need the cup, it was only important to win back so that it was not a shame. “Shinnik” lost 3-0, but the fans were satisfied.
Olympic misunderstanding
The Soviet football player Anatoly Isaev survived the next difficult stage at the Olympics. An obscure goal has become the subject of controversy and reasoning. Then Isaev threw the ball head into the goal when he crossed the line, and Ilyin just touched it. The result - the goal counted. But its author was not Isaev.
Of course, then the championship at the Olympics was important. But upon arrival home, during the award ceremony, no one even mentioned Anatoly Konstantinovich. Only with time, already with the light hand of Dmitry Medvedev, Isaev was awarded the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland, IV Degree".
The footballer remembered this episode forever. It’s hard to forget and forgive. He always said that if the situation had happened the other way around, he would not have recognized this goal as his own. He believed that who knew him, he appreciated this situation and his act.
Sunset career
After completing his career as a football player, Anatoly Isaev was not going to leave his favorite game. He worked as a coach for 30 years. First, in the capital's “Spartak”, later in “Ararat”, “Rotor”, “Shinnik” and even led the national team of Indonesia.
In 1990, he was the head of the Geologist team, now called Tyumen. The deserved footballer tried to help the coach, looked for players and conducted training. In 2008, a meeting of veterans at the Luzhniki Stadium took place. The next year, four generations of the Moscow team have already gathered here. Players had something to remember!
Football loss
Anatoly Isaev died at a venerable age. July 14, 2016 he was to turn 84 years old. He did not live 4 days until his birthday. Anatoly Isaev managed to do a lot in his life. The cause of death was not known for a long time. Most likely, recent pneumonia, which put Anatoly Konstantinovich in a hospital bed, has exhausted the body of an elderly football player. Despite the fact that after discharge Isaev felt better, his death stirred up not only Spartak, but all of domestic football.