Tsymbalar Ilya Vladimirovich was born on June 17, 1969 in the Ukrainian SSR. The football player’s hometown is Odessa. During his long sports career, Ilya played in the leading Ukrainian and Russian clubs as a midfielder, and was repeatedly called up to the national team.
In the coaching field, the player achieved local success with the teams of the lower divisions. At the beginning of his professional career, he received the Master of Sports of the Russian Federation.
Club biography
Ilya Tsymbalar began his journey to great sport in 1977 in Odessa Sports School, owned by the local club Chernomorets. His first mentor was the notorious football strategist George Krivenko. A little later, Ilya transferred to a sports boarding school in Kiev, which he graduated with honors. Even then, teachers and trainers predicted a great future for him.
List of countries where Ilya Vladimirovich Tsymbalar played: USSR, Russia and Ukraine.
The player’s debut team was Chernomorets. It was there that he was first played as a central midfielder. A season later, in 1987, Tsymbalar moved to Odessa Dynamo, from where he was leased to the local SKA. After spending several years outside the walls of his native team, Ilya returned to Chernomorets. Since 1989 he was the main midfielder of the Odessa club, repeatedly brought partners to the match as captain. In 1992, he won the first Ukrainian Cup together with Chernomorets.
In 1993, the midfielder moved to Spartak Moscow, where he spent seven successful seasons. During this period, Ilya spent 146 official matches, scoring 42 goals. This result for the defensive midfielder in those years was simply phenomenal. With his game, Tsymbalar immediately fell in love with thousands of fans of the capital's team.
In 2000, after a serious injury, he signed a contract with Moscow Lokomotiv, where he could not reach the usual level. For half a season spent in the capital's club, Ilya played only 10 matches, while he never scored, limiting himself to a couple of assists. That is why his speedy transition to the Anji camp did not come as a surprise to anyone.
In Makhachkala, the player played from 2001 to 2002, becoming the real leader of the team. If it weren’t for permanent injuries, he would appear on the field regularly. Due to relapses, Tsymbalar had to take rehabilitation courses for several months. Nevertheless, it was in Anji that the football player ended his career, having received at the end of the year the post of vice president of the club.
National Team Performance
Ilya Vladimirovich Tsymbalar, whose biography is filled with great club and personal achievements, began to be attracted to national teams only since 1992. At that time, the midfielder played for Chernomorets. The first national team of Ilya was Ukrainian, for which he spent 3 official matches.
Soon the footballer moved to Moscow and accepted the citizenship of the Russian Federation. This gave him the opportunity to receive an invitation to the Russian team. In 1994, Tsymbalar made his debut for the new national team. In total, the player spent 28 meetings for the national team, distinguishing himself 4 times.
The most memorable moment during the performance for the Russian team was the qualifying match for Euro 2000 with the French, when Ilya gave an assist to
Valery Karpin. That goal scored brought the country a historic victory, and with it a lot of emotions.
Previously, the midfielder participated in the World and European Championships in 1994 and 1996, respectively.
Career coach
In 2003, Ilya Vladimirovich Tsymbalar led the Spartak double. The new coach did not achieve significant success with the reserve team. Nevertheless, in 2004 he received an invitation to the post of coach of the Khimki club.
The next item in the coaching career of Tsymbalar was Ryazan Spartak-MZHK. In the 2006 season, Ilya managed to bring the provincial team to the first division for the first time. At the end of the championship, the former Anji midfielder was recognized as the opening of the second league of the Center zone. At the beginning of the next season, the club management and coach failed to agree on a contract, and Tsymbalar left Ryazan.
In 2008, he received an invitation from FC Nizhny Novgorod, which faced a similar task - getting into the first division. Ilya accepted the new challenge of fate with joy. At first, the team stayed in the middle of the standings, but subsequently fought for gold medals. Six months later, the coach was forced to leave the club in connection with a family tragedy - the death of his mother. At the beginning of the next season, Tsymbalar returned to Nizhny Novgorod, again receiving the post of coach of the team. However, this time the results were not pleasing. At the end of the year he again left the club by mutual agreement.
In December 2009, Ilya Vladimirovich Tsymbalar received the appointment of Igor Ledyakhov, assistant to the Shinnik mentor. Under the leadership of the new tandem, the Yaroslavl team was barely making ends meet, alternating phenomenal victories with failures. In May 2010, the contract was terminated with the entire coaching staff.
Ilya did not remain without work for a long time. A few months later he was invited as an assistant to the Khimki club. Since 2011, Tsymbalar has not trained. He played in amateur tournaments for Spartak veterans.
Awards and Achievements
During his football career, Tsymbalar Ilya Vladimirovich six times became the champion of Russia. The midfielder won all the gold medals in the ranks of the Moscow Spartak. Also in the player’s arsenal there are four victories in the Cup of Russia.
In 1990, Tsymbalar became the owner of gold medals of the USSR Cup. At that time, the footballer played for Chernomorets. In 1992, he won the Ukrainian Cup with Odessa residents.
Of the personal achievements of the midfielder, it is worth highlighting the title of “Best Russian Football Player-1995” according to the edition of “Football”. In addition, he entered the list of legends of Russian football.
Personal life
Ilya was married to Irina Nizhegorodova - the sister of the famous ex-defender of the capital's “Locomotive”. Over the years of marriage, the couple had two sons: Oleg and Sergey. Both from early childhood engaged in football. The eldest son Sergei played in the attack of the double “Spartak” and “Chernomorets”, but in 2008 decided to suspend the player’s career and entered the sports academy. Oleg went through the youth squads of Niki, Spartak and Khimki. At the moment, stands for the Yalta "Pearl".
In September 2014, a memorial plate with the inscription "Ilya Vladimirovich Tsymbalar" appeared in the Walk of Fame of Odessa "Chernomorets".
Cause of death
On December 28, 2013, the legendary midfielder of Chornomorets and Moscow Spartak died. The presumptive cause of death was heart disease.
December 30, Ilya was buried in his hometown at the Tairovsky cemetery. Before the burial at the stadium "Chernomorets" a requiem and lithium took place. Not only his friends and relatives came to say goodbye to the great football player, but also loyal fans of the Odessa team, and just those who admired him in life. Arrived at the memorial service and his comrades from Spartak.
Ilya’s death came as a surprise to the entire post-Soviet football community.