Igor Belanov’s 1986 Ballon d’Or win remains only the third time in which a player from the Soviet Union has claimed Europe’s most illustrious individual prize.
His victory joined that of Dynamo Kyiv forward Oleg Blokhin in 1975 and legendary Dynamo Moscow goalkeeper Lev Yashin twelve years earlier.
Belanov’s Ballon d’Or success was perhaps a recognition of his quality in big game moments for both club and country – showcasing the striker’s timely talent on the European and beyond.
1986 was the year to celebrate a Soviet Superstar.
European Prowess
A certain Gary Lineker might well have felt aggrieved at missing out on the 1986 Ballon d’Or having enjoyed an immense year full of individual successes.
The Englishman ended the 1985/86 campaign with Everton having scored an incredible 40 goals in 57 games across all competitions. The year 1986 even included his high-profile move to Barcelona.
Lineker played a total of five games at the 1986 World Cup. He was the tournament’s top scorer with six goals and won the Golden Boot – making him the first English player to achieve the feat. Throughout 1986, he scored a career-best eight goals in ten international appearances.
However, Belanov’s domestic success during the calendar year was equally noteworthy. He scored 14 times in 32 appearances as Dynamo Kyiv won the Soviet League title. Yet his performances on the continent propelled them into the upper echelons of the European game and in particular the Cup Winners Cup.
He scored during the second round second leg vs Universitatea Craiova, three times in Dynamo Kyiv’s quarter-final clash with Rapid Wein and once in the semi-final against Dukla Prague.
The Soviet side beat Atletico Madrid 3-0 in the final as Belanov finished the competition’s top scorer with five goals in eight games.
But there were even greater things to come for the forward with the 1986 World Cup sharply on the horizon.
International Quality
Belanov’s overall performance at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico likely secured him the slightly surprising Ballon d’Or win over his closest rivals.
His tournament started very well. Belanov converted a penalty in the opening game of group C vs Hungary as the Soviets won 6-0 and would go on to qualify for the next stage as group winners.
In the round-of-16, Belanov gave his standout display. The striker hit a hat-trick against Belgium but the Soviets lost 4-3 after extra time. In just four tournament games Belanov scored four times yet most remarkable were his six assists!
He ended the year with six international goals in eight caps. Belanov played 33 matches for the Soviet Union in total and netted nine times.
His performance at the World Cup, coupled with Dynamo Kyiv’s Cup Winners’ Cup success, saw Belanov named European Footballer of the Year – and ultimately sealed his 1986 Ballon d’Or triumph.
1986 Ballon d’Or Top 20
| Rank | Name | Club(s) | Nationality | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Igor Belanov | Dynamo Kyiv (Soviet Union) | Soviet Union | 84 |
| 2 | Gary Lineker | Everton (England), Barcelona (Spain) | England | 62 |
| 3 | Emilio Butragueño | Real Madrid (Spain) | Spain | 59 |
| 4 | Manuel Amoros | Monaco (France) | France | 22 |
| Preben Elkjær | Hellas Verona (Italy) | Denmark | ||
| 6 | Ian Rush | Liverpool (England) | Wales | 20 |
| Oleksandr Zavarov | Dynamo Kyiv (Soviet Union) | Soviet Union | ||
| 8 | Helmuth Duckadam | Steaua București (Romania) | Romania | 10 |
| Marco van Basten | Ajax (Netherlands) | Netherlands | ||
| 10 | Alessandro Altobelli | Internazionale (Italy) | Italy | 9 |
| 11 | Jean-Marie Pfaff | Bayern Munich (West Germany) | Belgium | 8 |
| Michel Platini | Juventus (Italy) | France | ||
| 13 | Jan Ceulemans | Club Brugge (Belgium) | Belgium | 7 |
| Søren Lerby | Monaco (France) | Denmark | ||
| 15 | Morten Olsen | Anderlecht (Belgium), 1. FC Köln (West Germany) | Denmark | 6 |
| 16 | Rinat Dasayev | Spartak Moscow (Soviet Union) | Soviet Union | 5 |
| 17 | Luis Fernández | Paris SG (France), RC Paris (France) | France | 4 |
| Paulo Futre | Porto (Portugal) | Portugal | ||
| Ruud Gullit | PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) | Netherlands | ||
| Harald Schumacher | 1. FC Köln (West Germany) | West Germany | ||
Trivia
Despite playing for seven different teams across the Soviet Union, Ukraine and Germany, over a twenty-year career Igor Belanov never won a domestic honour outside of his home nation.
Gary Lineker was named English First Division top scorer on three separate occasions in 1984/85, 1985/86 and 1989/90.
Emilio Butragueño won the Silver Boot at World Cup 1986 – awarded to a player second on the list of the tournament’s top scorers – a prize he shared with Brazil’s Careca and Argentine legend Diego Maradona.
