Valentin Ivanov was a skilful inside-right who could both
make goals and score them. He spent his entire career with FC Torpedo
Moskva, for whom he scored what was then a club record 124 league goals
in 287 matches. Won two league championships and one domestic cup whilst
at Torpedo.
He also scored a then-record 26 goals in 59 appearances for the Soviet
Union with whom he won the Olympic Games title at Melbourne in 1956. Ivanov
played in the 1958 and 1962 FIFA World Cup finals and was joint top scorer
at the latter tournament in Chile with four goals.
He also helped the Soviet Union with the first European Championship in
1960. More than 100,000 fans turned out to pay tribute at his farewell
match in 1966.
