At the Olympic Games in Melbourne in 1956 when international football fans discovered Lev Yashin’s extraordinary skills, the legendary goalkeeper of Russia (at that time Soviet Union) had already been the idol of the Muscovite supporters for several years. He was particularly admired by the Dynamo Moscow fans, as he played for this club for more than twenty years, from 1949 to 1970. Born near Moscow on October 22nd, 1929, he got into the Dynamo team when he was very young, and with them he won six championships and three domestic cups.

Internationally, the Black Spider, as he was nicknamed for his distinctive all-black outfit and for his talent to attract the ball into his cobweb (but among his nicknames there were also “Black Panther” and “Eiffel Tower”), became popular at the Olympics in 1956 and at the European championship in 1960. In 1963 he was awarded (only goalkeeper in football history) the Ballon d’Or, as European Footballer of the year.

Heir of great Zamora, who remains his competitor for the academic title of best goalkeeper ever together with Dino Zoff, Lev Yashin always showed a complete repertoire, but he proved to be unbeatable above all between the posts for his legendary and elegant athleticism, even if he also liked kicking the ball also outside the penalty area. He was the first one who studied scientifically the characteristics of his opponents, in order to anticipate their intentions (during his career with Dynamo Moscow and with the national selection he saved some 86 penalty kicks). In the final to get the third position at the 1966 World Cup, Yashin saved a penalty kicked by great Eusebio, who hastened to shake the Lion’s hand (in Russian "Lev" means lion). Within his 78 appearances with the national selection he played three World Championships as a regular player (1958, 1962 and 1966) and one as a reserve (1970).

In 1971, when he was 41, there was his farewell match between the Soviet Union squad and the Rest of the World squad (in front of 100,000 people). Many great forwards, who had been the protagonists with Yashin of unforgettable challenges, played the match. Yashin died of an incurable disease on March 21st, 1990, shortly after his sixtieth birthday.