Volodymyr Bezsonov

Volodymyr Bezsonov
Volodymyr Vasylyovych Bezsonov (also spelled Vladimir Vasilijević Bessonov from , born 5 March 1958) is a Ukrainian football manager and former player who played for the former Soviet Union national football team. The most recent team he was managing was FC Dnipro in the Ukrainian Premier League.
Club career
Bezsonov's career began in 1976 with Dynamo Kyiv. There, he spent most of his career, except for a short one-season stint in Israeli club Maccabi Haifa F.C. in 1990–91. He was well known as a lightning quick full-back with a powerful shot. Bezsonov was attack-minded and scored a good return for a defender. He ended with 27 goals in the 377 games that he played for Dynamo.
International career
Bezsonov won 79 caps and scored 4 goals for the Soviet Union national team from 1977 to 1990 and was included in three FIFA World Cup squads. He also holds the record for the fifth most appearances for the team. In the 1990 World Cup, he was sent off against Argentina. His team ended up losing the game 2–0 which eventually became his farewell match for the Russian Sbornaya.
In 1979, Bezsonov played a couple of matches for the Ukrainian SSR at the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR.
Managerial career
Most recently, Bezsonov was the head coach of FC Dnipro in the Ukrainian Premier League, but was sacked in September 2010 following the team's elimination from the UEFA Europa League and a number of poor results domestically.
Personal life
Bezsonov is married to Viktoria Serkyh, a former two-time world champion in rhythmic gymnastics. Together they have a daughter, Anna Bessonova, who also competed internationally in rhythmic gymnastics and became world champion in 2007, as well as winning an Olympic bronze in 2004 and 2008.
In February 2022, a photo of Bezsonov on the frontline during the Russian invasion of Ukraine was posted on social media by his daughter.
Career statistics
Club
The statistics in USSR Cups and Europe is made under the scheme "autumn-spring" and enlisted in a year of start of tournaments
International
Score and results list Soviet Union's goal tally first.
Honours
Club
Dynamo Kyiv
Soviet Top League: 1977, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1990
Soviet Cup: 1978, 1982, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1989–90
Soviet Super Cup: 1980, 1985, 1986; runner-up: 1977
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1986
UEFA Super Cup runner-up: 1986
International
Soviet Union
Summer Olympics bronze: 1980
UEFA Euro runner-up: 1988
Individual
FIFA World Youth Championship Golden Ball: 1977
Ukrainian Footballer of the Year: 1989; second place: 1988; third place: 1986
Voted in the Soviet Union's "All-time World Cup team" on planetworldcup.com above other great full-backs, such as Igor Netto and Vasiliy Rats.
References
External links
1958 births
Living people
Footballers from Kharkiv
Soviet expatriate men's footballers
Ukrainian men's footballers
Ukrainian football managers
FC Dynamo Kyiv players
Maccabi Haifa F.C. players
Expatriate men's footballers in Israel
Soviet expatriate sportspeople in Israel
Footballers at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Olympic bronze medalists for the Soviet Union
Olympic footballers for the Soviet Union
1982 FIFA World Cup players
1986 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 1988 players
1990 FIFA World Cup players
Soviet Union men's international footballers
Soviet Top League players
Ukrainian Premier League managers
FC Arsenal Kyiv managers
Ukrainian expatriate sportspeople in Turkmenistan
Expatriate football managers in Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan national football team managers
FC Nyva Vinnytsia managers
FC Zorya Luhansk managers
FC Kharkiv managers
FC Dnipro managers
Ukraine national student football team managers
Olympic medalists in football
Honoured Masters of Sport of the USSR
Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union
Men's association football fullbacks
Ukrainian expatriate football managers
Recipients of the Order of Merit (Ukraine), 2nd class
Ukrainian military personnel of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Soviet men's footballers