30 Facts About Oleg Romantsev

Oleg Romantsev is considered by some observers to be the finest coach in the history of Russian football.

Oleg Romantsev was born on 4 January 1954 in the selo of Gavrilovskoye, Spassky District, Ryazan Oblast, situated about 150 miles southeast of Moscow.

The son of a road construction manager, Oleg Romantsev's family led a peripatetic existence, living in various places including the Kola peninsula, Altay, and Kyrgyzstan before settling in Krasnoyarsk in the early 1960s where, at age 12, the young man worked as a loader's assistant at a house-building factory on a salary of 40 roubles.

Oleg Romantsev joined a local youth team named Metallurg where he played as a striker and within two years was appointed the team's captain.

Oleg Romantsev stayed with Avtomobilist after the tournament where he helped them to third place in the USSR Youth Championship.

In 1971, Oleg Romantsev was promoted to the senior team of Avtomobilist, who at the time were competing in the Soviet Second League.

Oleg Romantsev marked his debut for the senior team with a goal and scored twice on his second appearance, later becoming a first team regular.

Oleg Romantsev eventually converted from a striker to a left-back and came to the attention of clubs such as Dynamo Kiev, who had begun to take note of the young defender's abilities.

Oleg Romantsev had not accepted the offer outright and dismissed Beskov's approach but was eventually persuaded after spending time speaking with Beskov, who was the manager of the Soviet Union national team, as part of the squad for the qualifiers for the 1978 World Cup.

Oleg Romantsev would go on to play 180 matches for the club, scoring six goals in the process.

Oleg Romantsev was appointed club captain in 1979, and held the position until injuries brought about the end of his playing career in 1983, at the age of just 29.

Oleg Romantsev made nine appearances for the Soviet Union national team.

Oleg Romantsev played six matches and scored one goal for the bronze-winning team at the 1980 Summer Olympics.

Oleg Romantsev became my father in football, it was thanks to him that I grew into a serious player.

Later that year, Oleg Romantsev returned to the club where he made his name as a player, and where he would spend the bulk of his managerial career, as he took up the post of Spartak Moscow manager.

Under Oleg Romantsev, Spartak pioneered a style of football that was based on "short passing and quick thinking".

Oleg Romantsev began to develop a reputation as a disciplinarian who obsessively analysed and scrutinised the performances of his team and his opponents.

Oleg Romantsev took up the reins of the Russian national football team with the departure of Pavel Sadyrin after Russia's exit from the 1994 World Cup.

Oleg Romantsev was tasked with ensuring qualification for Euro 96, held in England, in two years and combined the role with his post as Spartak manager in a dual capacity.

Oleg Romantsev resisted the temptation to rebuild the squad and instead placed his faith in a great deal of the players who had taken part in the World Cup.

Oleg Romantsev left the post, to be replaced by Boris Ignatyev, and returned to Spartak after the tournament.

The improvement in the team's form and coming so close to qualification having lost their opening three matches was enough to ensure that Oleg Romantsev retained the position for qualification for the 2002 World Cup where Russia were drawn in UEFA qualification Group 1 with Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Switzerland and Yugoslavia.

Russia again finished top of the group under Oleg Romantsev, winning seven, drawing two and losing just one of their ten qualifying games.

Oleg Romantsev made public announcements to the effect that Chervichenko was disrespecting the club and separately criticised UEFA and referees of cheating in order to prevent Russian clubs from progressing in Europe.

Oleg Romantsev stayed away from football for a period of four years before it was announced on 23 April 2009, that Oleg Romantsev had agreed to help the then-manager of Spartak, Valeri Karpin, as a consultant coach.

Oleg Romantsev told that returning to coach activity would require from him full involvement, which has become impossible for him through the years.

Oleg Romantsev was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union as team captain.

Oleg Romantsev spoke of his fatigue from the "eternal Russian mess" and reluctance to participate in political games.

Oleg Romantsev claimed that he was more than once offered to continue his career abroad, where life was calmer and there were no serious political upheavals like those of Russia in the 1990s.

Oleg Romantsev participated in the "Smart Football Academy: Legacy" project and in a number of programs for the development of children's football in Russia, organized on the eve of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.