On Sunday, the famous defender of Dynamo Alexander Novikov turns 71 years old.
Alexander Vasilyevich was born in Moscow and played for the Dynamo youth team from the age of 11. Novikov progressed quickly and was regularly called up to various youth teams, and at the age of 17, he became a regular for the Dynamo reserves. In the summer of 1975, he made his debut for the Dynamo senior team in an international commercial tournament, and in early autumn, he played his first official match in the USSR Championship.
Over the next 12 seasons, Novikov was an indispensable member of the starting lineup, playing a total of 395 matches for our club, becoming a record-holder for that figure. During this time, he won the USSR Championship, won the USSR Cup twice, and played in two Cup Winners' Cup semifinals.
Novikov was one of the country's strongest defenders, and his partnership with Sergei Nikulin was one of the most formidable in the USSR. After retiring as a footballer, Alexander Vasilyevich became a coach and worked for a time at his hometown club, Dynamo, where he also worked extensively with children and youth. In 2020, he returned to the Lev Yashin Dynamo Academy, where he served as a mentor for the middle-age teams.