Igor Netto

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Aleksandrovich and the family name is Netto.

Igor Aleksandrovich Netto (Russian: Игорь Александрович Нетто; 9 January 1930 – 30 March 1999) was a Russian footballer, considered one of the country's greatest 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.

Igor Netto

Igor Netto in 1997
Personal information
Full name	Igor Aleksandrovich Netto
Date of birth	(1930-01-09)9 January 1930
Place of birth	Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Date of death	30 March 1999(1999-03-30) (aged 69)
Place of death	Moscow, Russia
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
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

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, but stopped playing to avoid the risk of an injury affecting his football career.

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

International career

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

He was the captain of the USSR national football team from 1952 to 1965. 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 scored four goals.

During the 1962 FIFA World Cup match against Uruguay, with the score at 1–1, Igor Chislenko managed to strike through the net, and the resulting goal was mistakenly counted by the referee who had 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. Russia still won the game 2–1.

Managerial career

After retiring in 1966, Netto began a career as a coach, training AC Omonia, FC Shinnik Yaroslavl, Iran, Panionios and Neftchi Baku. He was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1957 for his achievements at the Olympics. The stadium of Spartak Moscow reserves team is named after him.

Personal life

Netto was of Estonian and Italian descent, with his Italian lineage traced to an Italian gardener who emigrated to the Governorate of Estonia in the 18th century. His father Aleksander Netto (1885–1956) was originally a carpenter from Valga, Governorate of Livonia, and his mother Juuli (née Tamm; 1894–1977) was from Vaimastvere, Tartu County. Aleksander left Livonia for Soviet Russia with Red Latvian Riflemen in 1918. Aleksander was a fervent Communist, who acted as a Bolshevik Councilman in Moscow. During the 1930s and Joseph Stalin's Great Purge, the family did not dare to speak Estonian, and Igor learned only Russian. Igor's brother Lev Netto (1925–2017), who spoke Estonian and was named after Lev Trotsky, was a Soviet prisoner for eight years in the Norilsk Gulag. as was also Aleksander's brother Sergei.

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.

Career statistics

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	16 September 1955	Dynamo Stadium, Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union	India	11–1	Win	Friendly
2.	2 December 1956	Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne, Australia	Indonesia	4–0	Win	1956 Summer Olympics
3.	27 July 1957	Dynamo Stadium, Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union	Finland	2–1	Win	1958 World Cup qual.
4.	15 August 1957	Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland	Finland	0–10	Win	1958 World Cup qual.
Correct as of 7 March 2016

Honours

Spartak Moscow

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

Soviet Union

• UEFA European Football Championship (1): 1960
• Soviet national team at the Olympics: 3 games in 1952 and 5 games in 1956, with 1 goal and gold medal in 1956.
• Soviet national team at the World Cup: 54 caps, 4 goals; participant and quarter-finalist in the 1958 and 1962 World Cups, playing in 6 matches in total

Individual

• UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1960
• UEFA Jubilee Poll (2004): #71
• The best 33 football players of the Soviet Union (13): No. 1 (1950, 1952-1963), No. 2 (1951)