Valentin Nikolaev is a famous Soviet football player and coach. He played for the metropolitan team of TsDKA and the USSR national team. He spent his entire career in the position of a right-wing insider.
Native of Vladimir
Valentin Nikolaev was born in the Vladimir region on August 16, 1921, in the small village of Erosovo, which has not survived to this day. His father worked on the railroad. Soon the family moved to Moscow, there were more opportunities for parents and young Valentine.
He began to play football for the Kazanka team, which was based at the railway depot where his father worked. The depot was located near the Kazan station. Later, this team was transformed into the Lokomotiv football club.
In the camp of the "army"
After graduating from school, Nikolaev Valentin went to serve in the army. Soon, his sporting successes were noticed by the army authorities, he was attracted to playing for the CDKA team. It was the main club in the life of Nikolaev, he spent 12 years in it.
In the first season, the young striker entrenched in the main team. In the very first championship after the end of World War II, he demonstrated a brilliant game, becoming one of the top scorers of the season. In 1946, he won the USSR championship, CDKA by 4 points that season beat Moscow and Tbilisi Dynamo.
In 1947, this success was repeated in the dramatic ending of the championship. Before the last round, the CDKA and the metropolitan Dynamo had equal points. They had to take turns to play away with the Volgograd “Tractor”, which was in the middle of the standings. The first to play “blue and white”, won 2-0 and came out on top.
For the “army” “Tractor” was a difficult opponent, the game of the first round ended in a draw 2: 2. However, when the championship’s gold medal was at stake, the CDKA confidently defeated 5-0.
Nikolaev Valentin was one of the most striking strikers of the post-war Soviet championships, he is known as a member of the famous attacking five of the CDKA, which also included Bobrov, Fedotov, Grinin and Demin.
Dissolution of CDCA
The key role in the career of Nikolaev was played by the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki. The Soviet leaders decided for the first time to send a football team to this tournament. Its backbone was made up of the CDKA players, led by coach Boris Arkadiev, and Nikolaev Valentin Aleksandrovich joined the command.
Already in the 1/16 finals, the USSR national team had problems. The weak team of Bulgaria was beaten with great difficulty - 2: 1. In the next round, the Yugoslavs went to the rivals. The match was given great importance, including political. The leader of Yugoslavia Tito led the country out of the socialist camp, so relations with the USSR were tense. Valentin Nikolaev left in the starting lineup, but did not score goals. And for the break, the Soviet players completely lost 0: 3.
By the end of the hour of the game Vsevolod Bobrov played one ball, but the Yugoslavs scored twice - 1: 5. At the end of the meeting, the USSR national team accomplished a sporting feat, reducing the game to a draw. Bobrov made a hat-trick, Trofimov and Petrov scored a goal. According to the rules, a replay was appointed. This time the game was more successful for the Soviet football players. Bobrov opened the score already in the 6th minute. However, then the Yugoslavs seized the initiative and won 3: 1.
After that, the leadership decided to disband the team. Valentin Nikolaev played 187 matches for the CDKA, in which he scored 79 goals. Since then, he has not played for the Olympic team of the USSR. Two games with the Yugoslavs were the only ones in his career.
Life after a team of lieutenants
After the dissolution of the native club, Nikolaev Valentin decided to try himself in other teams. The footballer played for the team of the city of Kalinin, spent several matches in the team of the Moscow military district. However, soon after the CDKA all military teams ceased to exist. Nikolaev decided to end his career. At 32 years old.
He began serving as an officer. Until 1963, he commanded various army units in Germany and Belarus. After that, he became a football coach. He started with work in the Khabarovsk SKA, then returned to CSKA, with whom he won the USSR championship. In 1974 he headed the youth team, with which he won two European championships.
At the head of the first team
In 1970, Valentina Nikolaev was appointed head coach of the USSR national football team. The first meeting, ironically, was a friendly game with the Yugoslavs. Thanks to the goals of Shevchenko, Fedotov, Kolotov and Nodia, the team confidently won - 4: 0.
Nikolaev worked in this post until May 1971, demonstrating a unique result. The national team has never lost with him.
The team spent 13 matches, 9 of which won. With a goal difference of 31-7.
True, these were mainly friendly matches. There were only two official games. The qualifying meetings for the European Championship away with Cyprus (victory - 3: 1) and the final match for Nikolaev in the status of the head coach of the national team - at home with Spain. Victory - 2: 1.
Valentin Nikolaev died in Moscow in 2009, at the age of 88.