On Monday, the former defender of Dynamo, Olympic champion Igor Sklyarov celebrates his anniversary.
A product of Taganrog football, he began his career with his native Torpedo, later rising to SKA Rostov, and moved to Moscow before the 1987 season. With the arrival of Anatoly Byshovets as head coach, he secured a place in the starting lineup for the white-and-blues and, in September 1988, traveled with the national team to the Seoul Olympics. There, Sklyarov played two matches, including a substitute appearance in the legendary final victory against Brazil.
"Sklyarov is a man of exceptional football ability and exceptional talent," noted Byshovets, who combined his time with Dynamo and the national team. "By 'heroic achievement,' I mean the patience, the incredible workload he and the team endured before and during the Olympics. It's hard to imagine how we managed to go through the entire cycle without losing a single match. This is all thanks to the incredible desire of players like Sklyarov to win and bring joy to our fans".
During his seven years at Dynamo, Igor Evgenievich played 162 matches and scored eight goals. He won three bronze medals in the national championship with the team, and in 1992, he was named one of the 33 best football players in Russia.
In February 1993, he made his debut for the Russian national team, but in April, he suffered a severe cruciate ligament injury, which prevented him from returning to his previous level.
After retiring, he and his wife, world champion gymnast Natalia Yurchenko, moved to the United States, where he co-owned a children's football school. In 2009, he briefly returned to Russia, serving as the sporting director of Novosibirsk's Sibir, before heading overseas again.