95 years since the birth of Viktor Tsarev

Viktor Grigorievich was born on June 2, 1931, in Moscow and began playing in the yard, where he preferred to play defense from the very beginning. One day, he found himself in the locker room of a team at the Plamya Stadium on Taganka, where they were about to play a friendly against Dynamo. Tsarev was asked to play on the field, and after the match, he was invited to the white-and-blues' training session. Thus, at the age of 16, his long career with Dynamo began.

A year later, Tsarev was recruited from the youth team to the youth team, coached by Arkady Chernyshev. According to the footballer himself, his interaction with this master coach had a profound impact on him and helped him understand the essence of football. Tsarev played for Dynamo's reserves until the age of 23 and patiently waited for his chance, despite invitations from other clubs.

He made his debut for Dynamo's main squad in the national championship on July 11, 1955. That year was a championship year for the blue-and-whites, and in 12 years, Viktor Grigoryevich won four gold medals in the USSR Championship, three silver medals, and one bronze medal, scored 12 goals in 299 matches.

Tsarev became a true leader for Dynamo – over the course of six seasons, he captained the team in 189 official matches and remains the team's all-time leader.

On the football field, Viktor Grigorievich was distinguished by his reliability, hard work, and fighting spirit. His exceptional tenacity in one-on-one combat and his ability to completely shut down opponents were among the most striking aspects of his multifaceted talent. At the 1958 World Cup, Tsarev even successfully defeated Pelé himself.

"At the start of the match, he made several early plays: the first in the center of the field, the second in the penalty area, from where he shot at goal. I thought to myself that he could have already scored twice because of me, and I began playing even more attentively, following him everywhere. He no longer had any chances to score. When Pelé came to Moscow, Volodya Kesarev joked: 'So what about Pelé? Where was he when Tsarev was playing against him?' After meeting Viktor Grigorievich, he became a footballer," Tsarev recalled.

Viktor Grigorievich played 12 matches for the USSR national team and was part of the team that won the 1960 European Championship.

After finishing his playing career, Viktor Grigorievich remained loyal to the white-and-blues and, after successfully completing coaching training, dedicated himself to coaching – first with the Dynamo main team and then at the youth academy, where he later became director. Tsarev also coached the USSR youth team, which won the European Championship in 1976, for which Viktor Grigorievich was awarded the title of Honored Coach of the USSR.

Later, Viktor Grigorievich served for many years on the Dynamo board of directors, serving as its chairman, and dedicated the last years of his life to working with the veterans of the white-and-blues. He died on January 2, 2017, at the age of 85 and was buried at Troyekurovskoye Cemetery.