Dynamo Moscow has been a leader in Russian football since its inception. It's no surprise that the team has always had a large fan base, including a celebrity following. In honor of the club's anniversary, we decided to remember them in a piece prepared with the support of the creative team at RAFL Studio.
One of the most passionate fans who carried his love for Dynamo throughout his life was the beloved circus and film performer Yuri Nikulin. Even as a schoolboy, he was a fierce fan of the white-and-blues, despite his father's ardent support of Spartak. Their arguments about teams were good-natured but irreconcilable.
In seventh grade, he and a friend received an official stadium pass and would touch the players in the tunnel as they entered the field with bated breath. And after seven years of military service, including the Soviet-Finnish War and the Great Patriotic War, the first thing he did upon returning home was rush to a match between Dynamo and Spartak. Nothing more to say.
In 1945, Dynamo's legendary British tour brought a new wave of fans to the white-blues. One of them was future Nobel Prize nominee in literature Yevgeny Yevtushenko. His first poem, written at age 15, was dedicated to sports and published in Sovetsky Sport. He dreamed of devoting his life to football, played in goal for Burevestnik, and could have even joined his favorite team, but ultimately became an outstanding literary figure.
As the poet himself admitted, he learned poetry from Soviet football—and Yevtushenko carried this sincere love for sport through the years: both in his 2009 collection of poems, "Futboliada" (which he began working on forty years before its publication!), and outside of his literary work.
Like Yevtushenko, Nikolai Dobronravov maintained an absolutely sincere and enthusiastic attitude toward sports in general and football in particular. Nikolai Nikolayevich was a devoted Dynamo fan and drew inspiration from the team's performances when writing legendary poems for such works as "The Team of Our Youth," "A Coward Doesn't Play Hockey," and "The Stands Are Getting Quieter," which was played during the closing ceremony of the 1980 Olympics.
And a poem, albeit slightly altered, by another famous Dynamo fan, Yuri Entin, still resounds beneath the arena in Petrovsky Park. The words "There is nothing better in the world" begin not only the most famous song from "The Bremen Town Musicians," but also the old chant of the white-blues' fans.
On Dynamo's birthday, we can't help but remember another song from a fan of our team – the anthem written by singer and composer Nikolai Arutyunov, which has opened every game at VTB Arena since 2019. At the stadium's opening, the anthem was performed by the composer's son, Sergei Arutyunov, who followed in his father's footsteps not only professionally but also in his fandom.
When it comes to Dynamo dynasties, the first thing that comes to mind are the People's Artists of Russia Yuri and Dmitry Malikov. Even before founding the VIA "Samotsvety," Yuri Fedorovich was a member of the Dynamo Society and admired the play of his favorite footballer, Igor Chislenko. Naturally, he instilled his love for the club in his son Dmitry, and now they can often be seen together at our stadium.
The legendary singer Lev Leshchenko also rarely misses the white-blues' home matches. His love for the club was formed in childhood, when his family lived on Voykovskaya Street in the famous Dynamo athletes' home, neighbors with Arkady Chernyshev, Alekper Mamedov, Boris Kuznetsov and many others.
Lev Valeryanovich himself played in Dynamo's basketball section and, from a young age, absorbed the atmosphere of the stadium, where the white and blue colors became a symbol of an entire era and a way of life for him.
Many of Leshchenko's compositions were written by Vyacheslav Dobrynin, another passionate Dynamo fan. His love for the club began in childhood, when he first saw the team play on television and immediately took notice of legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin. Dobrynin didn't just follow the games – he befriended the coaches and players, and in 1976, at the request of Alexander Sevidov, he wrote a "lifting" song that became the team's unofficial anthem.
Around this time, Armen Grigoryan, the future leader of the band "Crematorium," was training at the Dynamo school. There, he had the privilege of interacting with the great Dynamo players and absorbing the spirit of the winners. "Our idols talked not only about football but also about art. Sometimes we listened to classical music, took historical digressions, and all of this broadened our horizons. It was the right approach. After all, a footballer can't just be an athlete. They must be a multifaceted individual. Only a team of individuals can achieve greatness," he recalled.
Third-generation Dynamo player Alexei Yashin, frontman of the band Casual, was not accepted into the Dynamo school, but this didn't stop him from remaining loyal to the white and blue colors, becoming a regular at Petrovsky Park, and even performing several times at the renovated VTB Arena.
Igor "Cash" Lobanov, founder of the band Slot and a 1992 Olympic luge competitor, has also appeared on its stage on numerous occasions. Recently, the lifelong friends participated in the recording of a musical tribute to Lev Yashin – the song "Football Star."
A large Dynamo family gathered at the studio, including the famous actor Kamil Larin. He said he was destined to become a Dynamo fan, as he was born on Police Day. As a child in Volgograd, he practiced judo and swimming at the Dynamo club and immediately became enamored with the legendary letter "D," and it was only in Moscow that he became a true fan of our club.
The white and blue colors have always been revered in the acting community. The great theater and film actor Lev Durov, a Dynamo fan since before the war, loved to tell stories of how, as a boy, he would sneak into the stadium without a ticket to watch his favorite team. In August 2012, he became one of the first guests at the Dynamo TV studio.
Another People's Artist of the USSR, Vasily Lanovoy, also supported the White-Blues his entire life, and, according to him, no matter how hard they tried to lure him away to other teams, he could never forget the miracle they witnessed in London, referring to the British tour of 1945. The love formed by the courage displayed by the Dynamo players is something that has lasted for years and left its mark on the actor's entire life.
The great Yevgeny Leonov was also an avid fan of our club, and it's no coincidence that he became a participant in the mini-dialogue "So, is Dynamo running? Everyone's running!" in the cult Soviet comedy "Gentlemen of Fortune."
Now, from the stands of our stadium, People's Artist of the Russian Federation Alexander Lazarev, who is also a member of our football club's advisory board, constantly watches the Dynamo players run.
Pavel Derevyanko is also closely involved in the life of the white-blues. He has appeared in numerous club videos, attended team training camps, taught Konstantin Tyukavin acting, and even chose VTB Arena as the venue for his marriage proposal. Incidentally, he will be waiting for all the fans at the upcoming game against Rubin for an autograph session.
Children's idol Vlad A4 has also held numerous meetings with fans before the white-blues' games and always enjoys visiting our stadium. He can certainly say that he has been a Dynamo fan since childhood, having played hockey at the age of four at the school of our Minsk teammates.
In the centenary year, the blogger participated in the web series "100 Years of Dynamo" about the milestones of our club's formation and development. Also taking part in the filming were two-time world figure skating champion Evgenia Medvedeva, beloved by fans for her interviews with the team's players; popular chef Konstantin Ivlev, who has cooked with the Dynamo team on numerous occasions; and television commentator Viktor Gusev, the voice of an entire generation. Incidentally, it was his father, a devoted Dynamo fan, who first brought Viktor Mikhailovich to the stands.
And recently, another Dynamo dynasty was added to its ranks: popular artist and lead singer of the band "BIS," Vlad Sokolovsky, brought his three-year-old son, David, to a football match, who was inspired by the atmosphere of top-tier sport and enthusiastically supported the team.
Vlad knows Dynamo firsthand, as an interest in football has been passed down in his family from generation to generation. The foundation of the Dynamo tradition was laid by Vlad's grandfather, Vadim Milrud. Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, artistic director and director of the State Creative Center "Tsirkkontsert," and deputy chairman of the Creative Union of Circus Workers of Russia, he was a regular and devoted fan back in the years when matches were held at the old Dynamo Stadium.
As you can see, people from completely different backgrounds have supported Dynamo throughout history. But their love of football and the letter "D" united them, making them one big Dynamo family!
