The career of the football player Valery Lazarev came out atypical. It seems to be a young serving player, then an approach to the basis of a major league club. And suddenly a member of a scientific group. Then the coach. Then again the player! Then again the coach. And in the end, an assistant professor at all!
Youthful love
The native Leningrader Valera Lazarev from childhood had one big love - football. Not deprived of physical data, the young man was invited by coaches of other sports. Even being in the team of masters of the Leningrad “Zenith”, he heard from the coach and the famous football player Stanislav Zavidonov: “Man, you got the section wrong. Would you like to go to athletics or to ski races?” To which Valera always replied: "Nah ... I love football."
Doubler
Physical giftedness helped to enter the Lesgaft Sports Institute, where the well-known future trainer German Zonin worked with the team of this university. Then there was the Leningrad collective of physical education of the Lokomotiv society. There he, tirelessly plowing the edge of the field, and noticed the head coach of the Leningrad “Zenith” Evgeny Goryansky and invited him to the backup team.
Unfortunately, the love of football and excellent physical data alone do not guarantee the presence of football talent. In running training, Lazarev, who served the army outside of any sports company, overtook the team, it happened that he had almost the best test scores, but in football ... Valery Lazarev (Zenit) played just 5 matches in major league, remaining the leading player and full-time penalty kick double.
Scientific approach
During the attempts to break into the main team of “Zenith” the team came to the team coach Yuri Morozov, obsessed with ideas to take chance in football under the bridle. Under him, one of the first such scientific groups in the country began to work under the leadership of Nikolai Lyukshinov.
Sensors, tonometers, stopwatch, rocking chairs, tables and all sorts of different things, which had no place in Valery’s dictionary and horizons, interested the young football player. And the scientists themselves needed their own, solid experimental. Not a scumbag and a teasing, not always fulfilling the requirements and tasks of a footballer, but an ally thinking, attentive to himself and to experiments. Because Lazarev was included in the group. Actually, the science began in parallel with football ... In addition, Valery began to understand more and more that God had deprived him of his football talent.
Eleven Hopes
Valery Lazarev never lost hope of being useful to big football. By the way, it can be seen in the Soviet film "Eleven Hopes." The role of the head coach of the USSR national team in it was played by Anatoly Papanov, and most of his football players were Zenit players. In a few frames where the game and training takes place, Valery Lazarev flickers.
Physiologist trainer
Nevertheless, Lazarev was so fond of football that he still did not leave attempts to play in the masters. Hence the business trips to Kuibyshev (now Samara) and Ustinov (now Izhevsk). However, there, in fact, nothing happened like a football player. But with the coaching everything turned out much better. He was everywhere, rather, a physiologist-analyst. The successes of the teams of Valery Lobanovsky, even the latest skeptics, forced to listen to sports science.
Only time in Khimki
Perhaps the greatest benefit was the work of Lazarev “Khimki”, which during his work at the club burst into the elite of domestic football. In addition, once during the illness of the head coach of “Khimki” Vladimir Kazachenko even brought the team to play with “Zenith” (2: 2).
Vladimir Alexandrovich was also involved in working with the youth team of Russia, which was led by Igor Kolyvanov. The one that unexpectedly won the European Championship. Already in 2011, Lazarev was headed by Peter, a team created under the alma mater of Vladimir Alexandrovich.
Last years
Unfortunately, the good health of Lazarev somehow abruptly ended, and he was confined to a wheelchair. A variety of diseases fell on him. Vladimir Alexandrovich was not very lucky in arranging his personal life. In 2016, a lawsuit over an apartment with an ex-civil wife cost him considerable nerves and vitality. However, until the last days, Lazarev tried to stay alert and faithful to his first love - football, which he never ceased to be keenly interested in until the very end of his life.
Vladimir Alexandrovich died on March 2 this year. Lazarev was buried in the South cemetery of St. Petersburg.
Dossier
- Valery Alexandrovich Lazarev (Russia / USSR).
- Born November 18, 1951 in Leningrad. Died March 2, 2018 in St. Petersburg.
- Soccer player
- Ampoule: midfielder, coach.
Player career:
- 1969 - Lokomotiv (Leningrad);
- 1972-1973, 1975-1977 - “Zenith” (Leningrad) - 5 games;
- 1977-1978 - Dynamo (Leningrad);
- 1981 - “Wings of the Soviets" (Kuibyshev) - 4 games;
- 1985 - “Zenith” (Ustinov) - 16 games.
Trainer career:
- 1983 - SKA (Rostov-on-Don);
- 1984 - "Wings of the Soviets" (Kuibyshev);
- 2011 - "Peter" (St. Petersburg).
Scientist career:
- 1985-1986 - Lecturer at the Department of Football and Hockey at the Lesgaft Institute (Leningrad);
- 2006-2008 - Head of the Khimki research group;
- 2010-2018 - Associate Professor, Department of Methodology and Theory of Football, Lesgaft University (Leningrad).