Bessonov, Vladimir Vasilievich. Midfielder. Master of Sports of the USSR of international class (1977). Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1986).
Pupil of Kharkov football school No. 7, Kharkov sports boarding school. The first coach is Mikhail Nasedkin.
He played for the teams Metalist Kharkov (1975), Dynamo Kyiv (1976 - 1990), Maccabi Haifa, Israel (1990 - 1991).
USSR Champion 1977, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1990 Winner of the USSR Cup 1978, 1985, 1987, 1990. Winner of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1986
Played 79 matches for the USSR national team, scored 4 goals.
(Played 6 matches for the USSR Olympic team, scored 1 goal. * )
Vice-champion of Europe in 1988. Participant in the world championships in 1982, 1986 and 1990. Bronze medalist at the 1980 Olympics
European Youth Champion 1976 World Youth Champion 1977 (was recognized best player championship).
Head coach SKA Kyiv (1993). Head coach of the Borisfen club Kyiv (1994). Head coach of CSKA Kyiv (1997 - 2000, 2001). Head coach of the Turkmenistan national team (2002 - 2003). Head coach of the Niva club Vinnitsa (2004 - 2005). Head coach of the Zarya club Lugansk (2006). Head coach of the Kharkov club Kharkov (2006 - 2008). Head coach of the Dnepr club Dnepropetrovsk (2008 - 2010).
A PLAYER WHO CAN DO LITERALLY EVERYTHING
He has been visible in football since childhood, since he still lived in Kharkov. In the youth national team of the country, Volodya was already distinguished by high technique, amazing performance, constant focus on the opponents’ goal, and the ability to fight to the end. The last, perhaps, is his most valuable quality... At the age of 17, he became the world champion among youth.
What has he achieved recently? A lot. In my opinion, Bessonov personifies the modern type of football player who can play in any position and in any formation. Moreover, I would even call him one of our first football players of the future, meaning football in which all players can do literally everything on the field that this game consists of. He not only now knows how to do everything, but also continues to polish this ability. He is only 23 years old and has not yet reached his full potential as a player. I have no doubt at all that Bessonov will play more and more effectively over the years, because he fully possesses such an important quality as the ability to quickly perceive everything new. Volodya grasps any tactical tasks instantly, as he can immediately mentally recreate the image of the actions entrusted to him. This is very difficult and not for everyone. And one more thing. He is one of the few of our players who makes the most of the entire field of play.
Bessonov is still scoring fewer balls, than I could and what others are doing. In every game he works selflessly, does everything the team needs, but I would like him to show his individual qualities more often when attacking the opponents’ goal directly.
This is how the coach of both teams, Valery Lobanovsky, described the captain of Dynamo Kyiv, the midfielder of this club and the USSR national team, Vladimir Bessonov.
The characteristics, as we see, are quite complete, but purely sporting.
Well, what kind of person is Vladimir Bessonov? I will give several statements about him by his teammates, deliberately not naming their names, since I understood that they expressed the opinion of the entire team.
“Despite his youth, Bessonov has been the captain of the team for two years. And why? It’s simple: he knows how to find a common language with people. A variety of people. He knows how to give in if necessary, but he also knows how to demand when necessary.”
“The interests of the team are everything for him. Sometimes the team is given a task for a particular match that does not allow him personally to show off his skills to the fullest. For a football player, especially a young one, this is always unpleasant and difficult. But not for Bessonov.”
"Very kind by nature, sympathetic and generous in spirit. He always comes to the aid of a friend, especially a beginner..."
“It’s interesting to watch him at meetings. In general, he is a man of few words, but when a “thorny issue” arises, he always speaks up and knows how to clearly put everything in order. They always listen to what he says. And not only because he was delegate to the XVIII Komsomol Congress, although this in itself already says a lot."
“An extremely diligent student. This is the one with whom the teachers of the Kyiv Institute of Physical Education never have any trouble.”
So, it turns out that Vladimir Bessonov is a man without flaws? Of course not. But they involuntarily retreat into the shadows under the pressure of those undeniable high human virtues with which this young and already famous athlete. Advantages that are given not only by nature...
G. BORISOV
Newspaper " Soviet sport", 02/06/1982
VLADIMIR BESSONOV'S FAVORITE WOMEN
This cozy Kyiv apartment smells of flowers on holidays (and not only). The owner of the house knows the tastes of his beloved women well: he gives roses to his wife, and tulips to his daughter.
STANDARD FOR A SPORTS FAMILY
Marriages, they say, are made in heaven. Well, star marriages - even more so. Famous football player Dynamo Kyiv and the USSR national team Vladimir Bessonov and world champion in rhythmic gymnastics Victoria Bessonova (whom connoisseurs of this sport remember under her maiden name Serykh) have been together for 18 years. At the same time, dad and mom Bessonov raised not one, but two “selves”: the “artist” daughter Anya and the tennis player son Sasha. It is almost impossible to find them all together at home. Consider us lucky: when we came to visit the Bessonovs, the family was three-quarters complete. Only 17-year-old Sasha was absent. As it turned out, he is in Barcelona, at the tennis academy of Luis Brugueira, the father and coach of the famous Spanish player Sergi Brugueira.
FOOTBALL-GYMNASTICS NOVEL
- For some reason, football and gymnastics marriages have always been popular at Dynamo Kiev. Blokhin - Deryugina, Buryak - Vasyura, Bessonov - Serykh, Berezhnoy - Yevtushenko, Khlus - Zakharova... For example, where and when did you meet?
VLADIMIR: We were officially introduced to each other at Oleg Blokhin’s wedding in December 1980. We found ourselves next to each other at the table. Although I first saw Vika when she was 12 years old. And this is the backstory. At the Dynamo training base, my roommate was Alexander Hapsalis, and his wife worked as a choreographer for Albina Nikolaevna Deryugina. When Hapsalis went to meet his wife after training, I often accompanied him. Naturally, when entering the hall, I did not close my eyes. Hapsalis once again told me, pointing to Vika: “Look, what a pretty girl.”
VICTORIA: This was their hobby - spying on us (laughs). Especially at the base in Novogorsk, when training camp deadlines football team The USSR coincided with ours. In my opinion, most football and gymnastics novels began there.
How long did it take you from the day you “officially” met at someone else’s wedding to your own wedding?
VLADIMIR: A year and four months - we signed in April 1982. Vika then lived with her parents in Fastov, and studied at the Kiev sports boarding school. Every day by train there and back - almost two and a half hours. I walked her home if time allowed. But much more often I had to mentally praise the inventor of the telephone.
Were the children raised strictly? VLADIMIR: You mean with a belt on the ass? Never. I saw them infrequently: all the time - either training camps, then matches, then Dynamo, then the national team.
VICTORIA: When Vladimir was still playing, I took the children and went with them even to the reserve matches that took place in Kyiv. Because the first team players were necessarily brought to Dynamo for such games. And we had two whole hours to see dad and walk with him in the park.
Probably the biggest everyday problem that arises in a family like yours is constant separation?
VICTORIA: What's true is true. Of the 18 years that we have been married, I’m afraid we haven’t spent even half of that time together. My children and I especially don’t like winter: our dad is at endless training camps during this time - first as a football player, now as a coach. Previously, when I saw children with their fathers somewhere at the skating rink, tears of envy would well up in my eyes.
VLADIMIR: We always have someone’s sports bag ready in the hallway: either mine, or Anin’s, or Sasha’s. And Vika doesn’t stay at home - she often goes to competitions as the leading coach of the State Sports Committee of Ukraine.
SCARS DECORATE A MAN
- Vladimir Bessonov remained in the memory of millions of fans as an outstanding football player, winner of numerous titles and... the bearer of one not very pleasant nickname - Trauma Man. The latter circumstance somehow complicated your family life?
VICTORIA: Perhaps my judgment will seem paradoxical, but for some reason I am sure: the football adversities that befell my husband at one time objectively contributed to the strengthening of the family. Firstly, almost all of Volodin’s injuries were the result of his sporting nature- strong-willed and unyielding. On the field he behaved like a real man, always got into the thick of things, never put his foot down, as, according to my observations, many other football players did. Well, how can you not love such a man? And secondly, when once again he, “wounded,” found himself at home on crutches, I, like a complete egoist, even quietly rejoiced: well, finally, we will be together longer! I remember his first operation for the meniscus coincided with the period when our Sashka was just starting to walk. And Volodya amusingly hobbled around the apartment with his son - he was working on his sore leg. Well, I really got scared when they brought him home one day with such a massive corset around his neck. Consequences of a fracture cervical vertebra could be the saddest, even to the point of paralysis. It worked out, thank God.
VLADIMIR: Well, why only God - and Vika too. We can say that with me my wife found a new profession - a nurse. Even if this sounds trivial, but thanks to the super-reliable support that my family turned out to be, I played for Dynamo Kiev for 15 years, was the champion of the Union six times, held the Cup Winners' Cup in my hands, and participated in three world championships. So it’s a sin for me to complain about my fate, despite all the hardships I’ve experienced.
MOM DREAMED OF SEEING ANYA ON THE BALLET STAGE
Was there any doubt that your daughter should follow her mother’s path?
VICTORIA: To be honest, at first I saw Anya on the ballet stage, and not on the gymnastics mat. She started dancing at the age of three, and we took her to the choreographic studio of a regular House of Culture. Then Anya ended up in the children's ensemble "Kiyanochka", and it seemed to me that her fate was predetermined. But at the age of 7 she suddenly changed her mind and decided to become a gymnast. It was difficult to object to this, you understand.
Isn’t it too late to start at 7 years old?
VICTORIA: By modern times, of course, it's too late. But Anya already had good choreographic training, which made her prospects in the sport real. I brought her to Albina Nikolaevna, who said that she didn’t have a group of that age at her school now. And she suggested: “Get such a group yourself, look for a hall - and go ahead.” Which is what I did. We can say that it was for Anya’s sake that she returned to the gym as a coach. And three years ago, she transferred her daughter to the Deryugin school - Galina Beloglazova, a former absolute world champion, began working with her there.
WHO IS THE BOSS IN THE HOUSE?
It is generally accepted that two self-sufficient and strong individuals sometimes cannot get along together. In particular, the recent collapse star couple Many explain Blokhin - Deryugin precisely by this. How was the leadership problem solved in your family?
VICTORIA: Definitely, once and for all: the head of the house is Vladimir.
VLADIMIR: I beg you: do not delete these words from the interview. I'll cut them out of newspaper and hang them on the front door. No, it’s better in the living room in a very visible place (laughs).
What could cause a quarrel between you?
VICTORIA: Husband's silence. He comes home from work, buries himself in the newspapers and remains silent. This irritates me terribly, I want to talk.
VLADIMIR: Yes, I’ve already yelled so much during two training sessions that I have no strength
Who then takes the first step towards a truce?
VLADIMIR: Well, in this regard, we are both “leaders,” God forbid! Stubborn to the point of impossibility. However, any disagreement between us resolves on its own at exactly 6.45. At this time, the alarm clock rings in the house, which means: life goes on. By 7.30 you need to take Anya to the gym to warm up, then Vika to work and go to training yourself. There is no time to sulk at each other anymore.
Can't take the whole family on vacation?
VICTORIA: B last time The four of us were on vacation about five years ago. And even then not for long and not far away - on the Sea of Azov in Berdyansk. This summer, Anya and I escaped to Alushta for four days. Podgadili under tennis tournament, in which Sasha played, and off we went. But they still didn’t lie on the beach, but had an active holiday with their daughter: they ran in sneakers, swam, and cheered for Sasha. That's all our family vacation.
VLADIMIR: By the way, I have a funny story connected with Alushta. During my football years, Dynamo Kyiv often held training camps there. And then one summer the whole team was lying on the beach after training, and I was starving in the sun. And through my slumber I hear Lobanovsky’s voice: “You turn it over more often, otherwise redheads, you can believe me, don’t tan, but immediately burn in the sun.” After all, Lobanovsky and I are both redheads.
In a family where there are two gymnasts at once, starting a conversation about gluttony may not be very appropriate. However, the presence of two healthy men in the house makes the culinary topic still quite relevant.
VLADIMIR: I don’t think so, because I don’t consider myself a gourmet. I, and Sasha too, when he’s at home, are quite happy with instant convenience foods. And there are a lot of them in stores now.
VICTORIA: Who of us really has to suffer from “malnutrition” is Anya. Ice cream, candy, cake - none of this is allowed. And when they prohibit it, I especially want it - I went through this myself. Then, when everything is possible, such a desire will no longer exist.
THE POPE IS OFFENSE AT THE JUDGES. BUT NOT AT FOOTBALL
VICTORIA: No, I don’t risk it. My understanding of football is still at the fan level. Although this game is much simpler and more understandable to understand than our sport. In football there is more specificity: score a goal - win, miss - lose. Like two and two are four.
And you, Vladimir, can you argue about rhythmic gymnastics with the leading coach of the State Sports Committee of Ukraine Victoria Bessonova?
VLADIMIR: Yes. Consider me a professor in this sport. However, as a matter of principle, I don’t like to argue with anyone; I prefer to always stick to my own opinion. True, for some reason it almost never coincides with the judges’ assessments. Look: all the girls seem to do the same thing with these ribbons, hoops, balls and clubs, but the grades are so different. It’s especially offensive when your daughter gets few points.
Which sporting achievements Can 15-year-old Anya be considered the most significant?
VICTORIA: Bronze last championship world championship in Japan in the senior gymnast team. Silver at the 1997 World Cup in the all-around among juniors. And, probably, third place among juniors in the all-around at the World youth games in Moscow, where Anya won five more medals in individual exercises.
FOOTBALL GENES REMAINED UNCALLED
If the daughter’s sports choice was influenced by her mother’s example, then it would be logical to assume that the son would inherit his father’s football genes. Why didn't this happen?
VLADIMIR: Sasha did not escape the temptations of football; he studied at the Dynamo school until he was 13 years old. But one day I fell awkwardly into gym, received a severe concussion, which we treated for two months. Doctors advised him to try some other sport, less traumatic. Well, he didn’t agree to play chess right away, but he fell in love with tennis at first sight. I became a fan of the racket and, to Vika’s and my joy, parted with it completely painlessly. soccer ball. Of course, he came onto the court a little late and is now trying to make up for lost time. In the classification of 17-year-olds it ranks 8th in Ukraine.
By the way, the sons of Sergei Bubka also sometimes train in Barcelona at the Brugueira Tennis Academy.
VICTORIA: I heard about it, but our paths did not cross there. True, I cannot pretend to be a tennis mom like Liliya Bubka. Otherwise, I would have to be torn between Anina rhythmic gymnastics, which is naturally closer to me, and Sasha’s tennis. But in this case, we have a tennis grandfather who takes care of his grandson on all trips. I also grew up in sports family: my father and mother are masters of sports and were quite famous road cyclists in Ukraine. True, I never learned to ride a bicycle myself.
VLADIMIR: In February I was with the team at a training camp in Spain - there I was able to see my son at the same time. He says he misses home. But what to do - this is sports life.
For football coach Vladimir Bessonov is now in a busy time: the Ukrainian championship will soon resume, and CSKA is intensively preparing for it. But even earlier - from March 10 to 12 - a serious exam awaits Anya Bessonova: the traditional international gymnastics tournament “Deriugin Cup” will be held in Kyiv. Despite being super busy, dad will probably try to get out to the Sports Palace for an hour or two to cheer for his daughter. It is possible that he will need tulips again.
Yuri YURIS
Newspaper "Sport-Express", 03/09/2000
I WOULD LIKE TO WIN MANY TOURNAMENTS WITH THE TURKMENISTAN TEAM
For several months, the country's main team was left without its mentor. As usual in such cases, there was no shortage of forecasts for the vacant position.
Only the main forecast was confirmed: the team was headed by an outside specialist, widely known in the world of football. It's about famous player Dynamo Kyiv, a legendary team of the 70-80s. Vladimir Bessonov, who became the head coach of the national team of Turkmenistan.
We met with Bessonov at the office of FC Nisa, where his office is located, and until the daily meeting began coaching staff team, we talked, naturally, about football, about the plans of the team, and remembered the past.
Vladimir Vasilyevich, how did you come to football?
I was born in Kharkov, a city of glorious football traditions and, unlike the Odessa wits, I can safely say that football was born in Kharkov, it is so loved in this city. The names of Ugraitsky, Krotov, the Fomin brothers, Privalov are the pride of Kharkov football. Lived not far from KhTZ, next to the stadium and, of course, everything free time spent outside with a ball. It was on the street that my journey into football began. Then he studied with coaches Panov and Nasedkin.
Soon I received an invitation to a sports boarding school in Kyiv. Yes, I can also say that as boys we didn’t focus only on football. In winter, ice hockey was popular with us. But football was beyond competition! In general, I am inclined to believe that our system for selecting and training young players has been streamlined. Young football players went through all stages of selection - street, sports school, boarding school, teams of various levels, double, the basis of a team of masters. And that's right!
When were you invited to Dynamo Kiev?
Mikhail Mikhailovich Coman invited me to the Dynamo team in 1975. And, if you remember, “Dynamo” 75 is Blokhin, Troshkin, Fomenko, Reshko, Muntyan... What else should I name? Then Hapsalis, Berezhnoy, Baltacha joined the team. This is how we came under the watchful eye of Valery Vasilyevich Lobanovsky, may he rest in heaven, for which I can only thank fate!
Yes, as I understand it, it’s impossible to forget this... Were you very worried?
You know, there was no feeling of fear, a little timidity, and, well, excitement. And, to be honest, there was no time for emotions, there was work, working up a sweat, and we, along with the “old people,” “plowed.” I even remember how Khapsalis, Berezhny, and I were given an apartment - one room each in a three-room apartment. And they didn’t grumble, and there was no thought of going somewhere, demanding something... I remember that my debut took place in 1976 in Kyiv, we hosted Dynamo Moscow and lost 0:1.
In short, what does Dynamo Kiev mean to you?
It doesn’t work out that way, in short... “Dynamo” for me is also a school, I mean not only a football school, it’s also universities, again, not only football ones. This is, if you like, a window into a larger life, a world. These are the brightest pages of my football biography, and I have something to remember. This is the 1973 European Championship and we are the champions! And what guys were nearby - Khidiyatullin, Kaplun, Bondar, Hapsalis... Or 1977 - we are world champions among young teams, Sergei Mikhailovich Mosyagin led us to victory. Do not take it as bragging, but I was awarded the title of best player of the championship and was awarded the Golden Ball! In 1977, for the first time as part of Dynamo Kyiv, I became the CCCP champion! Is it possible to forget the first invitation to the CCCP team? It was in 1977, Nikita Pavlovich Simonyan invited me...
In 1985-86. The people of Kiev put on a series of unbeaten matches; we went undefeated for 45 games! And the Cup Winners' Cup final in France: in all respects we beat the Spanish Atlético Madrid 3:O...
And, of course, this is a brilliant galaxy of players, etched in the memory of fans for the rest of their lives. And what kind! - Blokhin, Onishchenko, Kolotov, Veremeev, Fomenko, Baltacha, Troshkin, Berezhnoy, Belanov...
What do you see as the secret or reasons for such brilliant victories?
I am convinced that, first of all, work, work and more work. And, of course, this is Lobanovsky’s coaching genius, he knew everything, saw everything, knew how to set the guys up for big victories. He infected us with some special ambition. After all, to be honest, we were all young people, and we wanted to go for a walk, but there were many temptations, but we managed to subordinate ourselves to football, we lived by football... Let me give you an example, Lobanovsky tells us: “We will play this season when we are tired.” Can you imagine? Someone objects, they say, I would like it to be easier. Vasilich replies: “Okay, who will explain to us what lightness is?” That's it, no more questions arose.
Then add a wonderful selection, because Dynamo got the best of the best from all over Ukraine. All this taken together gave grounds to talk about the “Kyiv school” as a direction in football. After all, there were Georgian and Moscow schools...
And most importantly. There are legal laws, life laws, and so on. And there are also football ones. So we lived according to these football, Dynamo laws, which were not discussed or contested. I am against any pressure and pressure, but I accepted and accept the dictate, the supremacy of such a law.
And life has proven the validity of such a law. Judge for yourself, Slobodyan, Yuran, Yurchishin, Baran never played for Dynamo, and God did not deprive them of talent... They were outside this law. And also, I almost forgot, it would be unfair on my part. I would like to note that it is a great happiness to have such grateful and at the same time discerning and demanding fans as Dynamo’s! We played for the sake of these people who were most devoted to football and we had no right to betray their love!
Do you remember the then Union Championship?
I remember... I feel extremely nostalgic for that championship! Unforgettable matches with Moscow Spartak, Tbilisi Dynamo, Yerevan Ararat... Different schools, interesting players- all this developed creative competition, there was struggle, and there was growth of the teams. This is exactly what Ukrainian football is terribly lacking now. There are very few matches in which the Kiev team needs to strain their skills and abilities. Fortunately, Shakhtar Donetsk appeared, but this is not enough! Is it possible to put up with the fact that Kharkov Metalist is now in penultimate place in the table?! Apparently, this is typical now not only of the Ukrainian championship.
Vladimir Vasilyevich, what would you not like to remember?
Honestly? This is the 1988 European Championship in Germany. More than ever, we were one step away from medals, I mean gold. Why am I worried like this? Yes, because I really wanted to fight the Dutch in the final, but in the semi-final with Italy I was injured and could not play. Kuznetsov also did not take the field due to too many cards. In a word, the squad was modernized, Belanov did not score a penalty, in addition, Dasaev missed an absurd goal from Van Basten, the “gold” went to Holland. Although, to be honest, beating the Dutch twice in such a fast-paced tournament is an extremely difficult task, but still, it’s a shame...
Do you regret that you stopped playing early?
How can I say... Of course, I could have played more, but I was tormented by injuries. Tired of playing through the pain.
What then?
Then I tried to play in Maccabi Haifa, but the football there was so uninteresting plus wearing a gas mask... And I finally left in 1990, hanging up my boots.
Didn't you feel drawn to "abroad"?
It didn’t appeal, but there was an invitation to Roma in 1988, but Lobanovsky asked me to stay until 1990 to help the team, I couldn’t refuse him. I’ll tell you frankly, I don’t quite understand the desire of young players to quickly leave for a foreign club. It doesn’t matter where, it doesn’t matter whether you play or sit on the bench, but leave. You only need to leave for good club, to a club with a name, to leave when you know for sure that the club needs you... Well, Nigmatullin left for Verona, well, what did he win? So I have no regrets, and in general, what can you regret, playing for one of the strongest clubs in Europe, and that was Dynamo Kiev, and playing in one of the strongest championships.
How did your coaching career develop?
In 1991, he took over the Dynamo Kyiv team and worked with them for two years. Then I was invited to the post of head coach of the Borysfen team Boryspil. Everything was going well, but the club went bankrupt and in 1995, together with Lozinsky, Kuznetsov, and Litovchenko, I began working at CSKA Kiev. Well, this year the leadership of the National Football Center of Turkmenistan invited me to lead the country’s national team.
How did you perceive this turn in your life?
Well, turnaround, that's a big word. I accepted the invitation with interest. I had contacts with some football functionaries of your country, I also knew about the existence of such strong clubs as “Kopetdag” and “Nisa”. Here at CSKA he performs very promising footballer Guvanch Ovekov. So I came here to work, already having an idea about football in Turkmenistan.
Where did you start?
As you know, the national team is preparing for the Asian Games, which will be held in Korea, and the peculiarity of the games is that the national team should consist of players no older than 1979. and only three players can be older. I watched a lot of matches first, National Leagues. Our coaching staff, which included Rakhim Kurbanmamedov and Bayram Durdyev, drew up a work plan and a preliminary list of players. I can report that invitations have been sent to Kharchik, Ovekov, Bordolimov, Lebedintsev, Urazov, Bayramov, who play for foreign clubs, and consent to play for the national team has been received from them.
Who will be given preference when compiling the final list of the national team?
Those who want to play for the national team, and those who will be better in terms of playing. You see, in general, I am amazed at the timing of the Games, I think that they were unsuccessful. After all, both Nisa and Kopetdag will have to play in the Asian Champions League; the final of the National Cup will be played on the 28th month of Garashsyzlyk. So the timing is clearly ill-considered.
Who are our rivals?
On the 27th month of Ruhnama, we meet with the Chinese team in Busan, then we play with the Indian team, then with the Bangladesh team. The team that takes first place has the right to continue the fight. The teams that take second place in the subgroups, but the best ones, also have a chance to advance to the next round of the tournament.
I think the group is difficult, but passable. We have certain hopes that the players will not need time to play each other; they know each other quite well. We also hope that the invitees - Kharchik, Urazov Didar, Lebedintsev, Bordolimov, Ovekov - have sufficient playing practice in their clubs, and our coaching task is to find the combination of players that will be optimal for that period of time. Based on the availability of players, the tactical option for a particular game.
By the way, I am very grateful to you for not asking me what place you plan to occupy in Korea, etc. Forecasts are not my genre, my job is to work. I’ll just say that there are always chances, as well as hope... So, let’s go play and fight.
Vladimir Vasilievich, what is your criterion for a national team player?
And not only. In general, I think that universalism is the main quality in general great player. The more all-rounders there are in a team, the more difficult it is to beat it.
You are the owner of many ranks and titles. You have been awarded numerous awards and honors, by the way. What more would you like?
I would like to win many tournaments with the Turkmenistan national team. And, by and large, we all - those who have achieved and won something, and young players - owe it to football. Regardless of rank and title, we owe this great game. So, as long as I live, I will continue to pay back my debts to football, and it would be nice for young players to remember this too...
Of course, we weren’t able to talk about everything with Vladimir Vasilyevich; in particular, we haven’t talked much about Turkmen football so far. It is understandable: Bessonov has been working in Turkmenistan for just over a month. So we have a conversation about this ahead, Vladimir Vasilyevich promised... The coaching staff of our renewed team has big plans, Bessonov has a desire to work and help Turkmen football. So we just have to wait, hope and believe.
E. IVANNIKOV
Weekly “Sport of Turkmenistan”, 09/07/2002
| FIRST | OLYMPUS | NON OFFICER | DATE | MATCH | FIELD | |||
| And | G | And | G | And | G | |||
| 1 | 28.07.1977 | GDR - USSR - 2:1 | G | |||||
| 2 | 07.09.1977 | USSR - POLAND - 4:1 | d | |||||
| 3 | 05.10.1977 | HOLLAND - USSR - 0:0 | G | |||||
| 4 | 08.10.1977 | FRANCE - USSR - 0:0 | G | |||||
| 5 | 26.02.1978 | MOROCCO - USSR - 2:3 | G | |||||
| 6 | 05.04.1978 | USSR - FINLAND - 10:2 | d | |||||
| 7 | 14.05.1978 | ROMANIA - USSR - 0:1 | G | |||||
| 8 | 06.09.1978 | IRAN - USSR - 0:1 | G | |||||
| 9 | 1 | 20.09.1978 | USSR - GREECE - 2:0 | d | ||||
| 10 | 05.10.1978 | Türkiye - USSR - 0:2 | G | |||||
| 11 | 11.10.1978 | HUNGARY - USSR - 2:0 | G | |||||
| 12 | 19.11.1978 | JAPAN - USSR - 1:4 | G | |||||
| 13 | 23.11.1978 | JAPAN - USSR - 1:4 | G | |||||
| 14 | 2 | 26.11.1978 | JAPAN - USSR - 0:3 | G | ||||
| 15 | 28.03.1979 | USSR - BULGARIA - 3:1 | d | |||||
| 16 | 19.04.1979 | USSR - SWEDEN - 2:0 | d | |||||
| 17 | 27.06.1979 | DENMARK - USSR - 1:2 | G | |||||
| 18 | 04.07.1979 | FINLAND - USSR - 1:1 | G | |||||
| 19 | 31.10.1979 | USSR - FINLAND - 2:2 | d | |||||
| 20 | 26.03.1980 | BULGARIA - USSR - 1:3 | G | |||||
| 21 | 29.04.1980 | SWEDEN - USSR - 1:5 | G | |||||
| 22 | 23.05.1980 | USSR - FRANCE - 1:0 | d | |||||
| 23 | 15.06.1980 | BRAZIL - USSR - 1:2 | G | |||||
| 24 | 12.07.1980 | USSR - DENMARK - 2:0 | d | |||||
| 1 | 20.07.1980 | USSR - VENEZUELA - 4:0 | d | |||||
| 2 | 22.07.1980 | USSR - ZAMBIA - 3:1 | d | |||||
| 3 | 1 | 24.07.1980 | USSR - CUBA - 8:0 | d | ||||
| 4 | 27.07.1980 | USSR - KUWAIT - 2:1 | d | |||||
| 5 | 29.07.1980 | USSR - GDR - 0:1 | d | |||||
| 6 | 01.08.1980 | USSR - YUGOSLAVIA - 2:0 | d | |||||
| 25 | 27.08.1980 | HUNGARY - USSR - 1:4 | G | |||||
| 26 | 03.09.1980 | ICELAND - USSR - 1:2 | G | |||||
| 27 | 3 | 15.10.1980 | USSR - ICELAND - 5:0 | d | ||||
| 28 | 30.05.1981 | WALES - USSR - 0:0 | G | |||||
| 29 | 23.09.1981 | USSR - Türkiye - 4:0 | d | |||||
| 30 | 07.10.1981 | Türkiye - USSR - 0:3 | d | |||||
| 31 | 28.10.1981 | USSR - CZECHOSLOVAKIA - 2:0 | d | |||||
| 32 | 03.06.1982 | SWEDEN - USSR - 1:1 | G | |||||
| 33 | 14.06.1982 | BRAZIL - USSR - 2:1 | n | |||||
| 34 | 19.06.1982 | NEW ZEALAND - USSR - 0:3 | n | |||||
| 35 | 22.06.1982 | SCOTLAND - USSR - 2:2 | n | |||||
| 36 | 01.07.1982 | BELGIUM - USSR - 0:1 | n | |||||
| 37 | 04.07.1982 | POLAND - USSR - 0:0 | n | |||||
| 38 | 13.10.1982 | USSR - FINLAND - 2:0 | d | |||||
| 39 | 23.03.1983 | FRANCE - USSR - 1:1 | G | |||||
| 40 | 13.04.1983 | SWITZERLAND - USSR - 0:1 | G | |||||
| 41 | 27.04.1983 | USSR - PORTUGAL - 5:0 | d | |||||
| 42 | 17.05.1983 | AUSTRIA - USSR - 2:2 | G | |||||
| 43 | 22.05.1983 | POLAND - USSR - 1:1 | G | |||||
| 44 | 15.05.1984 | FINLAND - USSR - 1:3 | G | |||||
| 45 | 19.08.1984 | USSR - MEXICO - 3:0 | d | |||||
| 46 | 12.09.1984 | IRELAND - USSR - 1:0 | G | |||||
| 47 | 16.10.1985 | USSR - IRELAND - 2:0 | d | |||||
| 48 | 30.10.1985 | USSR - NORWAY - 1:0 | d | |||||
| 49 | 22.01.1986 | SPAIN - USSR - 2:0 | G | |||||
| 50 | 19.02.1986 | MEXICO - USSR - 1:0 | G | |||||
| 51 | 26.03.1986 | USSR - ENGLAND - 0:1 | d | |||||
| 52 | 23.04.1986 | ROMANIA - USSR - 2:1 | G | |||||
| 53 | 07.05.1986 | USSR - FINLAND - 0:0 |
d | |||||
| 54 | 02.06.1986 | HUNGARY - USSR - 0:6 | n | |||||
| 55 | 05.06.1986 | FRANCE - USSR - 1:1 | n | |||||
| 56 | 15.06.1986 | BELGIUM - USSR - 4:3 | n | |||||
| 57 | 24.09.1986 | ICELAND - USSR - 1:1 | G | |||||
| 58 | 11.10.1986 | FRANCE - USSR - 0:2 | G | |||||
| 59 | 29.10.1986 | USSR - NORWAY - 4:0 | d | |||||
| 60 | 29.04.1987 | USSR - GDR - 2:0 | d | |||||
| 61 | 23.09.1987 | USSR - GREECE - 3:0 | d | |||||
| 62 | 10.10.1987 | GDR - USSR - 1:1 | G | |||||
| 63 | 28.10.1987 | USSR - ICELAND - 2:0 | d | |||||
| 64 | 20.02.1988 | ITALY - USSR - 4:1 | G | |||||
| 65 | 31.03.1988 | ARGENTINA - USSR - 2:4 | n | |||||
| 66 | 27.04.1988 | CZECHOSLOVAKIA - USSR - 1:1 | G | |||||
| 67 | 01.06.1988 | USSR - POLAND - 2:1 | d | |||||
| 68 | 12.06.1988 | HOLLAND - USSR - 0:1 | n | |||||
| 69 | 18.06.1988 | ENGLAND - USSR - 1:3 | n | |||||
| 70 | 22.06.1988 | ITALY - USSR - 0:2 | n | |||||
| 71 | 17.08.1988 | FINLAND - USSR - 0:0 | G | |||||
| 72 | 31.08.1988 | ICELAND - USSR - 1:1 | G | |||||
| 73 | 31.05.1989 | USSR - ICELAND - 1:1 | d | |||||
| 1 | 28.06.1989 | USSR - WORLD STARS - 3:3 | d | |||||
| 74 | 06.09.1989 | AUSTRIA - USSR - 0:0 |
G | |||||
| 75 | 08.10.1989 | GDR - USSR - 2:1 | G | |||||
| 76 | 20.02.1990 | COLOMBIA - USSR - 0:0 | n | |||||
| 77 | 4 | 24.02.1990 | USA - USSR - 1:3 | G | ||||
| 78 | 09.06.1990 | ROMANIA - USSR - 2:0 | n | |||||
| 79 | 13.06.1990 | ARGENTINA - USSR - 2:0 | n | |||||
| FIRST | OLYMPUS | NON OFFICER | ||||||
| And | G | And | G | And | G | |||
| 79 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | | |||
A student of the Kharkov football school No. 7, the Kharkov sports boarding school. The first coach is Mikhail Nasedkin.
He played for the teams Metalist Kharkov (1975), Dynamo Kyiv (1976 - 1990), Maccabi Haifa, Israel (1990 - 1991).
USSR Champion 1977, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1990 Winner of the USSR Cup 1978, 1985, 1987, 1990. Winner of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1986
He played 79 matches for the USSR national team and scored 4 goals. He played 6 matches for the USSR Olympic team and scored 1 goal.
Vice-champion of Europe in 1988. Participant in the world championships in 1982, 1986 and 1990. Bronze medalist of the 1980 Olympics. European champion among youths 1976. World champion among juniors (was recognized as the best player of the championship) 1977.
Head coach of SKA Kyiv (1993). Head coach of the Borisfen club Kyiv (1994). Head coach of CSKA Kyiv (1997 - 2000, 2001). Head coach of the Turkmenistan national team (2002 - 2003). Head coach of the Niva club Vinnitsa (2004 - 2005). Head coach of the Zarya club Lugansk (2006). Head coach of the Kharkov club Kharkov (2006 - 2008). Head coach of the Dnepr club Dnepropetrovsk (2008 - 2010).
A PLAYER WHO CAN DO LITERALLY EVERYTHING
- He has been visible in football since childhood, since he still lived in Kharkov. In the youth national team of the country, Volodya was already distinguished by high technique, amazing performance, constant focus on the opponents’ goal, and the ability to fight to the end. The last, perhaps, is his most valuable quality... At the age of 17, he became the world champion among youth.
What has he achieved recently? A lot. In my opinion, Bessonov personifies the modern type of football player who can play in any position and in any formation. Moreover, I would even call him one of our first football players of the future, meaning football in which all players can do literally everything on the field that this game consists of. He not only now knows how to do everything, but also continues to polish this ability. He is only 23 years old and has not yet reached his full potential as a player. I have no doubt at all that Bessonov will play more and more effectively over the years, because he fully possesses such an important quality as the ability to quickly perceive everything new. Volodya grasps any tactical tasks instantly, as he can immediately mentally recreate the image of the actions entrusted to him. This is very difficult and not for everyone. And one more thing. He is one of the few of our players who makes the most of the entire field of play.
Bessonov still scores fewer goals than he could and than others do. In every game he works selflessly, does everything the team needs, but I would like him to show his individual qualities more often when attacking the opponents’ goal directly.
This is how the coach of both teams, Valery Lobanovsky, described the captain of Dynamo Kyiv, the midfielder of this club and the USSR national team, Vladimir Bessonov.
The characteristics, as we see, are quite complete, but purely sporting.
Well, what kind of person is Vladimir Bessonov? I will give several statements about him by his teammates, deliberately not naming their names, since I understood that they expressed the opinion of the entire team.
“Despite his youth, Bessonov has been the captain of the team for two years. And why? It’s simple: he knows how to find a common language with people. A variety of people. He knows how to give in if necessary, but he also knows how to demand when necessary.”
“The interests of the team are everything for him. Sometimes the team is given a task for a particular match that does not allow him personally to show off his skills to the fullest. For a football player, especially a young one, this is always unpleasant and difficult. But not for Bessonov.”
"Very kind by nature, sympathetic and generous in spirit. He always comes to the aid of a friend, especially a beginner..."
“It’s interesting to watch him at meetings. In general, he is a man of few words, but when a “thorny issue” arises, he always speaks up and knows how to clearly put everything in order. They always listen to what he says. And not only because he was delegate to the XVIII Komsomol Congress, although this in itself already says a lot."
“An extremely diligent student. This is the one with whom the teachers of the Kyiv Institute of Physical Education never have any trouble.”
So, it turns out that Vladimir Bessonov is a man without flaws? Of course not. But they involuntarily retreat into the shadows under the pressure of those undeniable high human virtues that this young and already famous athlete is endowed with. Advantages that are given not only by nature...
G. BORISOV. Newspaper "Soviet Sport", 02/06/1982
VLADIMIR BESSONOV'S FAVORITE WOMEN
This cozy Kyiv apartment smells of flowers on holidays (and not only). The owner of the house knows the tastes of his beloved women well: he gives roses to his wife, and tulips to his daughter.
Marriages, they say, are made in heaven. Well, star marriages - even more so. The famous football player of Dynamo Kyiv and the USSR national team Vladimir Bessonov and world champion in rhythmic gymnastics Victoria Bessonova (whom connoisseurs of this sport remember under her maiden name Serykh) have been together for 18 years. At the same time, dad and mom Bessonov raised not one, but two “selves”: the “artist” daughter Anya and the tennis player son Sasha. It is almost impossible to find them all together at home. Consider us lucky: when we came to visit the Bessonovs, the family was three-quarters complete. Only 17-year-old Sasha was absent. As it turned out, he is in Barcelona, at the tennis academy of Luis Brugueira, the father and coach of the famous Spanish player Sergi Brugueira.
FOOTBALL-GYMNASTICS NOVEL
- For some reason, football and gymnastics marriages have always been popular at Dynamo Kiev. Blokhin - Deryugina, Buryak - Vasyura, Bessonov - Serykh, Berezhnoy - Yevtushenko, Khlus - Zakharova... For example, where and when did you meet?
VLADIMIR: We were officially introduced to each other at Oleg Blokhin’s wedding in December 1980. We found ourselves next to each other at the table. Although I first saw Vika when she was 12 years old. And this is the backstory. At the Dynamo training base, my roommate was Alexander Hapsalis, and his wife worked as a choreographer for Albina Nikolaevna Deryugina. When Hapsalis went to meet his wife after training, I often accompanied him. Naturally, when entering the hall, I did not close my eyes. Hapsalis once again told me, pointing at Vika: “Look, what a pretty girl.”
VICTORIA: This was their hobby - spying on us (laughs). Especially at the base in Novogorsk, when the training dates of the USSR football team coincided with ours. In my opinion, most football and gymnastics novels began there.
How long did it take you from the day you “officially” met at someone else’s wedding to your own wedding?
VLADIMIR: A year and four months - we signed in April 1982. Vika then lived with her parents in Fastov, and studied at a Kiev sports boarding school. Every day by train there and back - almost two and a half hours. I walked her home if time allowed. But much more often I had to mentally praise the inventor of the telephone.
Were the children raised strictly? VLADIMIR: You mean with a belt on the ass? Never. I saw them infrequently: all the time - either training camps, then matches, then Dynamo, then the national team.
VICTORIA: When Vladimir was still playing, I took the children and went with them even to the reserve matches that took place in Kyiv. Because the first team players were also required to be brought to Dynamo for such games. And we had two whole hours to see dad and walk with him in the park.
Probably the biggest everyday problem that arises in a family like yours is constant separation?
VICTORIA: What's true is true. Of the 18 years that we have been married, I’m afraid we haven’t spent even half of that time together. My children and I especially don’t like winter: our dad is at interminably long training camps during this time - first as a football player, now as a coach. Previously, when I saw children with their fathers somewhere at the skating rink, tears of envy would well up in my eyes.
VLADIMIR: We always have someone’s sports bag ready in the hallway: either mine, or Anin’s, or Sasha’s. And Vika doesn’t stay at home - she often goes to competitions as the leading coach of the State Sports Committee of Ukraine.
Vladimir Bessonov in a match with the Dutch national team at the 1988 European Championship
SCARS DECORATE A MAN
- Vladimir Bessonov remained in the memory of millions of fans as an outstanding football player, winner of numerous titles and... the bearer of one not very pleasant nickname - Trauma Man. Did the last circumstance somehow complicate your family life?
VICTORIA: Perhaps my judgment will seem paradoxical, but for some reason I am sure: the football adversities that befell my husband at one time objectively contributed to the strengthening of the family. Firstly, almost all of Volodin’s injuries were a consequence of his athletic character - strong-willed and unyielding. On the field, he behaved like a real man, he always got into the thick of things, and never put his foot down, as, according to my observations, many other football players did. Well, how can you not love such a man? And secondly, when once again he, “wounded,” found himself at home on crutches, I, like a complete selfish person, even quietly rejoiced: well, finally, we will be together longer! I remember his first operation for the meniscus coincided with the period when our Sashka was just starting to walk. And Volodya amusingly hobbled around the apartment with his son - he was working on his sore leg. Well, I really got scared when they brought him home one day with such a massive corset around his neck. The consequences of a fracture of the cervical vertebra could be the most tragic, even paralysis. It worked out, thank God.
VLADIMIR: Well, why only God - and Vika too. We can say that with me my wife found a new profession - a nurse. Even if this sounds trivial, but thanks to the super-reliable support that my family turned out to be, I played for Dynamo Kiev for 15 years, was the champion of the Union six times, held the Cup Winners' Cup in my hands, and participated in three world championships. So it’s a sin for me to complain about my fate, despite all the hardships I’ve experienced.
MOM DREAMED OF SEEING ANYA ON THE BALLET STAGE
- Was there any doubt that your daughter should follow her mother’s path?
VICTORIA: To be honest, at first I saw Anya on the ballet stage, and not on the gymnastics mat. She started dancing at the age of three, and we took her to the choreographic studio of a regular House of Culture. Then Anya got into the children's ensemble "Kiyanochka", and it seemed to me that her fate was predetermined. But at the age of 7 she suddenly changed her mind and decided to become a gymnast. It was difficult to object to this, you understand.
Isn’t it too late to start at 7 years old?
VICTORIA: By these times, of course, it’s a little late. But Anya already had good choreographic training, which made her prospects in the sport real. I brought her to Albina Nikolaevna, who said that she doesn’t have a group of that age at her school now. And she suggested: “Get such a group yourself, look for a hall - and go ahead.” Which is what I did. We can say that it was for Anya’s sake that she returned to the gym as a coach. And three years ago, she transferred her daughter to the Deryugin school - Galina Beloglazova, a former absolute world champion, began working with her there.
WHO IS THE BOSS IN THE HOUSE?
- It is generally accepted that two self-sufficient and strong personalities sometimes cannot get along together. In particular, many explain the recent breakup of the star couple Blokhin - Deryugin precisely by this. How was the leadership problem solved in your family?
VICTORIA: Definitely, once and for all: the head of the house is Vladimir.
VLADIMIR: I beg you: do not delete these words from the interview. I'll cut them out of newspaper and hang them on the front door. No, it’s better in the living room in a very visible place (laughs).
What could cause a quarrel between you?
VICTORIA: Husband's silence. He comes home from work, buries himself in the newspapers and remains silent. This irritates me terribly, I want to talk.
VLADIMIR: Yes, I’ve already yelled so much during two training sessions that I have no strength
Who then takes the first step towards a truce?
VLADIMIR: Well, in this regard, we are both “leaders,” God forbid! Stubborn to the point of impossibility. However, any disagreement between us resolves on its own at exactly 6.45. At this time, the alarm clock rings in the house, which means: life goes on. By 7.30 you need to take Anya to the gym to warm up, then Vika to work and go to training yourself. There is no time to sulk at each other anymore.
Can't take the whole family on vacation?
VICTORIA: The last time the four of us went on vacation was about five years ago. And even then not for long and not far away - on the Sea of Azov in Berdyansk. This summer, Anya and I went to Alushta for four days. We arranged it for a tennis tournament in which Sasha was playing, and off we went. But they still didn’t lie on the beach, but had an active holiday with their daughter: they ran in sneakers, swam, and cheered for Sasha. That's all our family vacation.
VLADIMIR: By the way, I have a funny story connected with Alushta. In my football years Dynamo Kyiv often held training camps there. And then one summer the whole team was lying on the beach after training, and I was starving in the sun. And through my slumber I hear Lobanovsky’s voice: “You turn it over more often, otherwise redheads, you can believe me, don’t tan, but immediately burn in the sun.” After all, Lobanovsky and I are both redheads.
In a family where there are two gymnasts at once, starting a conversation about gluttony may not be very appropriate. However, the presence of two healthy men in the house makes the culinary topic still quite relevant.
VLADIMIR: I don’t think so, because I don’t consider myself a gourmet. I, and Sasha too, when he’s at home, are quite happy with instant convenience foods. And there are a lot of them in stores now.
VICTORIA: Who of us really has to suffer from “malnutrition” is Anya. Ice cream, candy, cake - none of this is allowed. And when they prohibit it, I especially want it - I went through this myself. Then, when everything is possible, such a desire will no longer exist.
THE POPE IS OFFENSE AT THE JUDGES. BUT NOT AT FOOTBALL
- You give some practical recommendations head coach of a top football team Ukrainian League CSKA (Kyiv) to Vladimir Bessonov?
VICTORIA: No, I don’t risk it. My understanding of football is still at the fan level. Although this game is much simpler and more understandable to understand than our sport. In football there is more specificity: score a goal - win, miss - lose. Like two and two are four.
And you, Vladimir, can you argue about rhythmic gymnastics with the leading coach of the State Sports Committee of Ukraine Victoria Bessonova?
VLADIMIR: Yes. Consider me a professor in this sport. However, as a matter of principle, I don’t like to argue with anyone; I prefer to always stick to my own opinion. True, for some reason it almost never coincides with the judges’ assessments. Look: all the girls seem to do the same thing with these ribbons, hoops, balls and clubs, but the grades are so different. It’s especially offensive when your daughter gets few points.
What sporting achievements of 15-year-old Anya can be considered the most significant?
VICTORIA: Bronze at the last world championship in Japan in the team of adult gymnasts. Silver at the 1997 World Cup in the all-around among juniors. And, probably, third place among juniors in the all-around at the World Youth Games in Moscow, where Anya won five more medals in individual exercises.
FOOTBALL GENES REMAINED UNCALLED
- If the daughter’s sports choice was influenced by her mother’s example, then it would be logical to assume that the son would inherit his father’s football genes. Why didn't this happen?
VLADIMIR: Sasha did not escape the temptations of football; he studied at the Dynamo school until he was 13 years old. But one day I fell awkwardly in the gym and received a severe concussion, which we treated for two months. Doctors advised him to try some other sport, less traumatic. Well, he didn’t agree to play chess right away, but he fell in love with tennis at first sight. I became a fan of the racket and, to Vika’s and my joy, parted with the soccer ball completely painlessly. Of course, he came onto the court a little late and is now trying to make up for lost time. In the classification of 17-year-olds it ranks 8th in Ukraine.
- By the way, the sons of Sergei Bubka also sometimes train in Barcelona at the Brugueira Tennis Academy.
VICTORIA: I heard about it, but our paths did not cross there. True, I cannot pretend to be a tennis mom like Liliya Bubka. Otherwise, I would have to be torn between Anya’s rhythmic gymnastics, which is naturally closer to me, and Sasha’s tennis. But in this case, we have a tennis grandfather who takes care of his grandson on all trips. I, too, grew up in a sports family: my father and mother, masters of sports, were quite famous road cyclists in Ukraine. True, I never learned to ride a bicycle myself.
VLADIMIR: In February I was with the team at a training camp in Spain - there I was able to see my son at the same time. He says he misses home. But what to do - such is sports life.
It’s a busy time for football coach Vladimir Bessonov: the Ukrainian championship will soon resume, and CSKA is intensively preparing for it. But even earlier - from March 10 to 12 - a serious exam awaits Anya Bessonova: the traditional international gymnastics tournament “Deriugin Cup” will be held in Kyiv. Despite being super busy, dad will probably try to get out to the Sports Palace for an hour or two to cheer for his daughter. It is possible that he will need tulips again.
He played 79 matches for the USSR national team and scored 4 goals. He played 6 matches for the USSR Olympic team and scored 1 goal. Also played for the USSR national team in 1 unofficial match.
Vice-champion of Europe in 1988. Participant in the world championships in 1982, 1986 and 1990. Bronze medalist of the 1980 Olympics. European champion among youths in 1976. World champion among juniors (was recognized as the best player of the championship) in 1977.
Head coach of SKA Kyiv (1993). Head coach of the Borisfen club Kyiv (1994). Head coach of CSKA Kyiv (1997 - 2000, 2001). Head coach of the Turkmenistan national team (2002 - 2003). Head coach of the Niva club Vinnitsa (2004 - 2005). Head coach of the Zarya club Lugansk (2006). Head coach of the Kharkov club Kharkov (since 2006).
This cozy Kyiv apartment smells of flowers on holidays (and not only). The owner of the house knows the tastes of his beloved women well: he gives roses to his wife, and tulips to his daughter.
STANDARD FOR A SPORTS FAMILY
Marriages, they say, are made in heaven. Well, star marriages - even more so. The famous football player of Dynamo Kyiv and the USSR national team Vladimir Bessonov and world champion in rhythmic gymnastics Victoria Bessonova (whom connoisseurs of this sport remember under her maiden name Serykh) have been together for 18 years. At the same time, dad and mom Bessonov raised not one, but two “selves”: the “artist” daughter Anya and the tennis player son Sasha. It is almost impossible to find them all together at home. Consider us lucky: when we came to visit the Bessonovs, the family was three-quarters complete. Only 17-year-old Sasha was absent. As it turned out, he is in Barcelona, at the tennis academy of Luis Brugueira, the father and coach of the famous Spanish player Sergi Brugueira.
FOOTBALL-GYMNASTICS NOVEL
- For some reason, football and gymnastics marriages have always been popular at Dynamo Kiev. Blokhin - Deryugina, Buryak - Vasyura, Bessonov - Serykh, Berezhnoy - Yevtushenko, Khlus - Zakharova... For example, where and when did you meet?
Best of the day
VLADIMIR: We were officially introduced to each other at Oleg Blokhin’s wedding in December 1980. We found ourselves next to each other at the table. Although I first saw Vika when she was 12 years old. And this is the backstory. At the Dynamo training base, my roommate was Alexander Hapsalis, and his wife worked as a choreographer for Albina Nikolaevna Deryugina. When Hapsalis went to meet his wife after training, I often accompanied him. Naturally, when entering the hall, I did not close my eyes. Hapsalis once again told me, pointing at Vika: “Look, what a pretty girl.”
VICTORIA: This was their hobby - spying on us (laughs). Especially at the base in Novogorsk, when the training dates of the USSR football team coincided with ours. In my opinion, most football and gymnastics novels began there.
- How long did it take you from the day you “officially” met at someone else’s wedding to your own wedding?
VLADIMIR: A year and four months - we signed in April 1982. Vika then lived with her parents in Fastov, and studied at a Kiev sports boarding school. Every day by train there and back - almost two and a half hours. I walked her home if time allowed. But much more often I had to mentally praise the inventor of the telephone.
- Were the children raised strictly? VLADIMIR: You mean with a belt on the ass? Never. I saw them infrequently: all the time - either training camps, then matches, then Dynamo, then the national team.
VICTORIA: When Vladimir was still playing, I took the children and went with them even to the reserve matches that took place in Kyiv. Because the first team players were also required to be brought to Dynamo for such games. And we had two whole hours to see dad and walk with him in the park.
- Probably the biggest everyday problem that arises in a family like yours is constant separation?
VICTORIA: What's true is true. Of the 18 years that we have been married, I’m afraid we haven’t spent even half of that time together. My children and I especially don’t like winter: our dad is at interminably long training camps during this time - first as a football player, now as a coach. Previously, when I saw children with their fathers somewhere at the skating rink, tears of envy would well up in my eyes.
VLADIMIR: We always have someone’s sports bag ready in the hallway: either mine, or Anin’s, or Sasha’s. And Vika doesn’t stay at home - she often goes to competitions as the leading coach of the State Sports Committee of Ukraine.
SCARS DECORATE A MAN
- Vladimir Bessonov remained in the memory of millions of fans as an outstanding football player, winner of numerous titles and... the bearer of one not very pleasant nickname - Trauma Man. Did the last circumstance somehow complicate your family life?
VICTORIA: Perhaps my judgment will seem paradoxical, but for some reason I am sure: the football adversities that befell my husband at one time objectively contributed to the strengthening of the family. Firstly, almost all of Volodin’s injuries were a consequence of his athletic character - strong-willed and unyielding. On the field, he behaved like a real man, he always got into the thick of things, and never put his foot down, as, according to my observations, many other football players did. Well, how can you not love such a man? And secondly, when once again he, “wounded,” found himself at home on crutches, I, like a complete selfish person, even quietly rejoiced: well, finally, we will be together longer! I remember his first operation for the meniscus coincided with the period when our Sashka was just starting to walk. And Volodya amusingly hobbled around the apartment with his son - he was working on his sore leg. Well, I really got scared when they brought him home one day with such a massive corset around his neck. The consequences of a fracture of the cervical vertebra could be the most tragic, even paralysis. It worked out, thank God.
VLADIMIR: Well, why only God - and Vika too. We can say that with me my wife found a new profession - a nurse. Even if this sounds trivial, but thanks to the super-reliable support that my family turned out to be, I played for Dynamo Kiev for 15 years, was the champion of the Union six times, held the Cup Winners' Cup in my hands, and participated in three world championships. So it’s a sin for me to complain about my fate, despite all the hardships I’ve experienced.
MOM DREAMED OF SEEING ANYA ON THE BALLET STAGE
- Was there any doubt that your daughter should follow her mother’s path?
VICTORIA: To be honest, at first I saw Anya on the ballet stage, and not on the gymnastics mat. She started dancing at the age of three, and we took her to the choreographic studio of a regular House of Culture. Then Anya got into the children's ensemble "Kiyanochka", and it seemed to me that her fate was predetermined. But at the age of 7 she suddenly changed her mind and decided to become a gymnast. It was difficult to object to this, you understand.
- Isn’t it too late to start at 7 years old?
VICTORIA: By these times, of course, it’s a little late. But Anya already had good choreographic training, which made her prospects in the sport real. I brought her to Albina Nikolaevna, who said that she doesn’t have a group of that age at her school now. And she suggested: “Get such a group yourself, look for a hall - and go ahead.” Which is what I did. We can say that it was for Anya’s sake that she returned to the gym as a coach. And three years ago, she transferred her daughter to the Deryugin school - Galina Beloglazova, a former absolute world champion, began working with her there.
WHO IS THE BOSS IN THE HOUSE?
- It is generally accepted that two self-sufficient and strong personalities sometimes cannot get along together. In particular, many explain the recent breakup of the star couple Blokhin - Deryugin precisely by this. How was the leadership problem solved in your family?
VICTORIA: Definitely, once and for all: the head of the house is Vladimir.
VLADIMIR: I beg you: do not delete these words from the interview. I'll cut them out of newspaper and hang them on the front door. No, it’s better in the living room in a very visible place (laughs).
- What could cause a quarrel between you?
VICTORIA: Husband's silence. He comes home from work, buries himself in the newspapers and remains silent. This irritates me terribly, I want to talk.
VLADIMIR: Yes, I’ve already yelled so much during two training sessions that I have no strength
- Who then takes the first step towards a truce?
VLADIMIR: Well, in this regard, we are both “leaders,” God forbid! Stubborn to the point of impossibility. However, any disagreement between us resolves on its own at exactly 6.45. At this time, the alarm clock rings in the house, which means: life goes on. By 7.30 you need to take Anya to the gym to warm up, then Vika to work and go to training yourself. There is no time to sulk at each other anymore.
- Can’t you go on vacation with your whole family?
VICTORIA: The last time the four of us went on vacation was about five years ago. And even then not for long and not far away - on the Sea of Azov in Berdyansk. This summer, Anya and I went to Alushta for four days. We arranged it for a tennis tournament in which Sasha was playing, and off we went. But they still didn’t lie on the beach, but had an active holiday with their daughter: they ran in sneakers, swam, and cheered for Sasha. That's all our family vacation.
VLADIMIR: By the way, I have a funny story connected with Alushta. During my football years, Dynamo Kyiv often held training camps there. And then one summer the whole team was lying on the beach after training, and I was starving in the sun. And through my slumber I hear Lobanovsky’s voice: “You turn it over more often, otherwise redheads, you can believe me, don’t tan, but immediately burn in the sun.” After all, Lobanovsky and I are both redheads.
- In a family where there are two gymnasts at once, starting a conversation about gluttony may not be very appropriate. However, the presence of two healthy men in the house makes the culinary topic still quite relevant.
VLADIMIR: I don’t think so, because I don’t consider myself a gourmet. I, and Sasha too, when he’s at home, are quite happy with instant convenience foods. And there are a lot of them in stores now.
VICTORIA: Who of us really has to suffer from “malnutrition” is Anya. Ice cream, candy, cake - none of this is allowed. And when they prohibit it, I especially want it - I went through this myself. Then, when everything is possible, such a desire will no longer exist.
THE POPE IS OFFENSE AT THE JUDGES. BUT NOT AT FOOTBALL
VICTORIA: No, I don’t risk it. My understanding of football is still at the fan level. Although this game is much simpler and more understandable to understand than our sport. In football there is more specificity: score a goal - win, miss - lose. Like two and two are four.
- And you, Vladimir, can you argue about rhythmic gymnastics with the leading coach of the State Sports Committee of Ukraine Victoria Bessonova?
VLADIMIR: Yes. Consider me a professor in this sport. However, as a matter of principle, I don’t like to argue with anyone; I prefer to always stick to my own opinion. True, for some reason it almost never coincides with the judges’ assessments. Look: all the girls seem to do the same thing with these ribbons, hoops, balls and clubs, but the grades are so different. It’s especially offensive when your daughter gets few points.
- What sporting achievements of 15-year-old Anya can be considered the most significant?
VICTORIA: Bronze at the last world championship in Japan in the team of adult gymnasts. Silver at the 1997 World Cup in the all-around among juniors. And, probably, third place among juniors in the all-around at the World Youth Games in Moscow, where Anya won five more medals in individual exercises.
FOOTBALL GENES REMAINED UNCALLED
- If the daughter’s sports choice was influenced by her mother’s example, then it would be logical to assume that the son would inherit his father’s football genes. Why didn't this happen?
VLADIMIR: Sasha did not escape the temptations of football; he studied at the Dynamo school until he was 13 years old. But one day I fell awkwardly in the gym and received a severe concussion, which we treated for two months. Doctors advised him to try some other sport, less traumatic. Well, he didn’t agree to play chess right away, but he fell in love with tennis at first sight. I became a fan of the racket and, to Vika’s and my joy, parted with the soccer ball completely painlessly. Of course, he came onto the court a little late and is now trying to make up for lost time. In the classification of 17-year-olds it ranks 8th in Ukraine.
- By the way, the sons of Sergei Bubka also sometimes train in Barcelona at the Brugueira Tennis Academy.
VICTORIA: I heard about it, but our paths did not cross there. True, I cannot pretend to be a tennis mom like Liliya Bubka. Otherwise, I would have to be torn between Anya’s rhythmic gymnastics, which is naturally closer to me, and Sasha’s tennis. But in this case, we have a tennis grandfather who takes care of his grandson on all trips. I, too, grew up in a sports family: my father and mother, masters of sports, were quite famous road cyclists in Ukraine. True, I never learned to ride a bicycle myself.
VLADIMIR: In February I was with the team at a training camp in Spain - there I was able to see my son at the same time. He says he misses home. But what to do - such is sports life.
It’s a busy time for football coach Vladimir Bessonov: the Ukrainian championship will soon resume, and CSKA is intensively preparing for it. But even earlier - from March 10 to 12 - a serious exam awaits Anya Bessonova: the traditional international gymnastics tournament “Deriugin Cup” will be held in Kyiv. Despite being super busy, dad will probably try to get out to the Sports Palace for an hour or two to cheer for his daughter. It is possible that he will need tulips again.
Graduated from the Kyiv Institute of Physical Education.
Biography
He lived with his parents in the area of the Kharkov Tractor Plant, on April 12 Street. My father worked as a steelworker and was an avid fan of the local Metalist.
Vladimir s early childhood I became interested in football and spent hours in vacant lots, where I kicked the ball around with other boys. Later he was sent to Kharkov football school No. 7, and then to a local sports boarding school. The first coach is Mikhail Nasedkin. He was taken to Metalist's reserve team, but never played for the main team.
Soon the breeders of Dynamo Kyiv drew attention to the young talent. Almost without a doubt, Bessonov agreed to move to the main team of Ukraine.
From 1976 to 1990 he played for Dynamo Kiev. He made it into the main roster almost immediately. This was partly facilitated by the departure of Dynamo leaders as part of the national team to the Olympic football tournament in Montreal. The debut took place in Kyiv, Dynamo hosted Moscow teammates and lost 0:1.
Bessonov was recruited to join the USSR youth team. Together with the team, he won the 1976 European Youth Championship (scoring the team's only goal in the final against the Hungarian national team) and the 1977 Junior World Championship. Moreover, at the Junior World Championship in Tunisia he was recognized as the best football player of the championship. FIFA President Joao Havelange presented the footballer with the Golden Ball tournament prize.
WITH early years Bessonov was distinguished by his versatility - he could play in almost any position except goalkeeper. Moreover, Bessonov himself highlighted this quality and spoke about it to Lobanovsky.
In 1980 he played for the USSR Olympic team at football tournament Olympics-80, played 6 matches and scored 1 goal.
In the USSR national team - 79 matches, scored 4 goals.
There are 33 on the lists the best football players USSR 11 times, of which No. 1 (1978-1982, 1985-1987, 1989) - 9 times, No. 2 (1977) and No. 3 (1988).
After the 1988 European Championship he left the CPSU..
In 1988, Bessonov was invited to the Italian Roma, but Lobanovsky asked him to stay with the team until 1990. In 1990, after failure at the World Championships, he went to Israel and played for Maccabi (Haifa). He didn’t stay at the Israeli club for long and already new season 1991 began as coach of Dynamo Kyiv.
In 1993, Bessonov was invited to the post of head coach of the CSKA-Borysfen Kyiv team. However, the club soon went bankrupt and in 1995 he, together with Lozinsky, Kuznetsov and Litovchenko, began working at CSKA (Kyiv). From 1996 to March 1998 he worked as the team's 2nd coach, and from March 1998 - head coach.
The first serious success for Bessonov was the club’s reaching the final of the 1997/98 Ukrainian Cup and participation in the 1998/99 Cup Winners’ Cup.
In 2000 he left this post. Since June 2001 - again head coach of CSKA (Kyiv).
Since September 2002 he has headed the national football team of Turkmenistan. At the same time he supervised the Olympic and youth teams of the country. In addition, he worked part-time as a coach-consultant at Nisa Ashgabat.
In October 2003 before the start qualifying tournament The Asian Cup terminated its contract with the Turkmen Football Federation because its management did not fulfill its financial obligations. It’s interesting that under Bessonov, the adult team never played a single official game (at 14 Asian Games football players under 23 played).
In 2006 he headed FC Kharkov. In May 2008 he left the club.
In July 2008, he was appointed sports director of Dnepr Dnepropetrovsk. On August 29, 2008, after being eliminated from the UEFA Cup, Oleg Protasov resigned as head coach of the at will, and Vladimir Bessonov was appointed acting head coach of the team. Since December 1, 2008, head coach.
On September 18, 2010, after another elimination from the UEFA Cup and a series of defeats in the national championship, he resigned from the post of head coach of FC Dnepr.
A student of the Kharkov football school No. 7, the Kharkov sports boarding school. The first coach is Mikhail Nasedkin. He played for the teams Metalist Kharkov (1975), Dynamo Kyiv (1976 - 1990), Maccabi Haifa, Israel (1990 - 1991). USSR Champion 1977, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1990 Winner of the USSR Cup 1978, 1985, 1987, 1990. Winner of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1986
He played 79 matches for the USSR national team and scored 4 goals. He played 6 matches for the USSR Olympic team and scored 1 goal. Also played for the USSR national team in 1 unofficial match.
Vice-champion of Europe in 1988. Participant in the world championships in 1982, 1986 and 1990. Bronze medalist of the 1980 Olympics. European champion among youths in 1976. World champion among juniors (was recognized as the best player of the championship) in 1977.
Head coach of SKA Kyiv (1993). Head coach of the Borisfen club Kyiv (1994). Head coach of CSKA Kyiv (1997 - 2000, 2001). Head coach of the Turkmenistan national team (2002 - 2003). Head coach of the Niva club Vinnitsa (2004 - 2005). Head coach of the Zarya club Lugansk (2006). Head coach of the Kharkov club Kharkov (since 2006).
This cozy Kyiv apartment smells of flowers on holidays (and not only). The owner of the house knows the tastes of his beloved women well: he gives roses to his wife, and tulips to his daughter.
STANDARD FOR A SPORTS FAMILY
Marriages, they say, are made in heaven. Well, star marriages - even more so. The famous football player of Dynamo Kyiv and the USSR national team Vladimir Bessonov and world champion in rhythmic gymnastics Victoria Bessonova (whom connoisseurs of this sport remember under her maiden name Serykh) have been together for 18 years. At the same time, dad and mom Bessonov raised not one, but two “selves”: the “artist” daughter Anya and the tennis player son Sasha. It is almost impossible to find them all together at home. Consider us lucky: when we came to visit the Bessonovs, the family was three-quarters complete. Only 17-year-old Sasha was absent. As it turned out, he is in Barcelona, at the tennis academy of Luis Brugueira, the father and coach of the famous Spanish player Sergi Brugueira.
FOOTBALL-GYMNASTICS NOVEL
- For some reason, football and gymnastics marriages have always been popular at Dynamo Kiev. Blokhin - Deryugina, Buryak - Vasyura, Bessonov - Serykh, Berezhnoy - Yevtushenko, Khlus - Zakharova... For example, where and when did you meet?
VLADIMIR: We were officially introduced to each other at Oleg Blokhin’s wedding in December 1980. We found ourselves next to each other at the table. Although I first saw Vika when she was 12 years old. And this is the backstory. At the Dynamo training base, my roommate was Alexander Hapsalis, and his wife worked as a choreographer for Albina Nikolaevna Deryugina. When Hapsalis went to meet his wife after training, I often accompanied him. Naturally, when entering the hall, I did not close my eyes. Hapsalis once again told me, pointing at Vika: “Look, what a pretty girl.”
VICTORIA: This was their hobby - spying on us (laughs). Especially at the base in Novogorsk, when the training dates of the USSR football team coincided with ours. In my opinion, most football and gymnastics novels began there.
- How long did it take you from the day you “officially” met at someone else’s wedding to your own wedding?
VLADIMIR: A year and four months - we signed in April 1982. Vika then lived with her parents in Fastov, and studied at a Kiev sports boarding school. Every day by train there and back - almost two and a half hours. I walked her home if time allowed. But much more often I had to mentally praise the inventor of the telephone.
- Were the children raised strictly? VLADIMIR: You mean with a belt on the ass? Never. I saw them infrequently: all the time - either training camps, then matches, then Dynamo, then the national team.
VICTORIA: When Vladimir was still playing, I took the children and went with them even to the reserve matches that took place in Kyiv. Because the first team players were also required to be brought to Dynamo for such games. And we had two whole hours to see dad and walk with him in the park.
- Probably the biggest everyday problem that arises in a family like yours is constant separation?
VICTORIA: What's true is true. Of the 18 years that we have been married, I’m afraid we haven’t spent even half of that time together. My children and I especially don’t like winter: our dad is at interminably long training camps during this time - first as a football player, now as a coach. Previously, when I saw children with their fathers somewhere at the skating rink, tears of envy would well up in my eyes.
VLADIMIR: We always have someone’s sports bag ready in the hallway: either mine, or Anin’s, or Sasha’s. And Vika doesn’t stay at home - she often goes to competitions as the leading coach of the State Sports Committee of Ukraine.
SCARS DECORATE A MAN
- Vladimir Bessonov remained in the memory of millions of fans as an outstanding football player, owner of many
numbered titles and... the bearer of one not very pleasant nickname - Trauma Man. Did the last circumstance somehow complicate your family life?
VICTORIA: Perhaps my judgment will seem paradoxical, but for some reason I am sure: the football adversities that befell my husband at one time objectively contributed to the strengthening of the family. Firstly, almost all of Volodin’s injuries were a consequence of his athletic character - strong-willed and unyielding. On the field, he behaved like a real man, he always got into the thick of things, and never put his foot down, as, according to my observations, many other football players did. Well, how can you not love such a man? And secondly, when once again he, “wounded,” found himself at home on crutches, I, like a complete selfish person, even quietly rejoiced: well, finally, we will be together longer! I remember his first operation for the meniscus coincided with the period when our Sashka was just starting to walk. And Volodya amusingly hobbled around the apartment with his son - he was working on his sore leg. Well, I really got scared when they brought him home one day with such a massive corset around his neck. The consequences of a fracture of the cervical vertebra could be the most tragic, even paralysis. It worked out, thank God.
VLADIMIR: Well, why only God - and Vika too. We can say that with me my wife found a new profession - a nurse. Even if this sounds trivial, but thanks to the super-reliable support that my family turned out to be, I played for Dynamo Kiev for 15 years, was the champion of the Union six times, held the Cup Winners' Cup in my hands, and participated in three world championships. So it’s a sin for me to complain about my fate, despite all the hardships I’ve experienced.
MOM DREAMED OF SEEING ANYA ON THE BALLET STAGE
- Was there any doubt that your daughter should follow her mother’s path?
VICTORIA: To be honest, at first I saw Anya on the ballet stage, and not on the gymnastics mat. She started dancing at the age of three, and we took her to the choreographic studio of a regular House of Culture. Then Anya got into the children's ensemble "Kiyanochka", and it seemed to me that her fate was predetermined. But at the age of 7 she suddenly changed her mind and decided to become a gymnast. It was difficult to object to this, you understand.
- Isn’t it too late to start at 7 years old?
VICTORIA: By these times, of course, it’s a little late. But Anya already had good choreographic training, which made her prospects in the sport real. I brought her to Albina Nikolaevna, who said that she doesn’t have a group of that age at her school now. And she suggested: “Get such a group yourself, look for a hall - and go ahead.” Which is what I did. We can say that it was for Anya’s sake that she returned to the gym as a coach. And three years ago, she transferred her daughter to the Deryugin school - Galina Beloglazova, a former absolute world champion, began working with her there.
WHO IS THE BOSS IN THE HOUSE?
- It is generally accepted that two self-sufficient and strong personalities sometimes cannot get along together. In particular, many explain the recent breakup of the star couple Blokhin - Deryugin precisely by this. How was the leadership problem solved in your family?
VICTORIA: Definitely, once and for all: the head of the house is Vladimir.
VLADIMIR: I beg you: do not delete these words from the interview. I'll cut them out of newspaper and hang them on the front door. No, it’s better in the living room in a very visible place (laughs).
- What could cause a quarrel between you?
VICTORIA: Husband's silence. He comes home from work, buries himself in the newspapers and remains silent. This irritates me terribly, I want to talk.
VLADIMIR: Yes, I’ve already yelled so much during two training sessions that I have no strength
- Who then takes the first step towards a truce?
VLADIMIR: Well, in this regard, we are both “leaders,” God forbid! Stubborn to the point of impossibility. However, any disagreement between us resolves on its own at exactly 6.45. At this time, the alarm clock rings in the house, which means: life goes on. By 7.30 you need to take Anya to the gym to warm up, then Vika to work and go to training yourself. There is no time to sulk at each other anymore.
- Can’t you go on vacation with your whole family?
VICTORIA: The last time the four of us went on vacation was about five years ago. And even then not for long and not far away - on the Sea of Azov in Berdyansk. This summer, Anya and I went to Alushta for four days. We arranged it for a tennis tournament in which Sasha was playing, and off we went. But they still didn’t lie on the beach, but had an active holiday with their daughter: they ran in sneakers, swam, and cheered for Sasha. That's all our family vacation.
VLADIMIR: By the way, I have a funny story connected with Alushta. In my football years, Dynamo Kyiv cha
We held training camps there a little. And then one summer the whole team was lying on the beach after training, and I was starving in the sun. And through my slumber I hear Lobanovsky’s voice: “You turn it over more often, otherwise redheads, you can believe me, don’t tan, but immediately burn in the sun.” After all, Lobanovsky and I are both redheads.
- In a family where there are two gymnasts at once, starting a conversation about gluttony may not be very appropriate. However, the presence of two healthy men in the house makes the culinary topic still quite relevant.
VLADIMIR: I don’t think so, because I don’t consider myself a gourmet. I, and Sasha too, when he’s at home, are quite happy with instant convenience foods. And there are a lot of them in stores now.
VICTORIA: Who of us really has to suffer from “malnutrition” is Anya. Ice cream, candy, cake - none of this is allowed. And when they prohibit it, I especially want it - I went through this myself. Then, when everything is possible, such a desire will no longer exist.
THE POPE IS OFFENSE AT THE JUDGES. BUT NOT AT FOOTBALL
VICTORIA: No, I don’t risk it. My understanding of football is still at the fan level. Although this game is much simpler and more understandable to understand than our sport. In football there is more specificity: score a goal - win, miss - lose. Like two and two are four.
- And you, Vladimir, can you argue about rhythmic gymnastics with the leading coach of the State Sports Committee of Ukraine Victoria Bessonova?
VLADIMIR: Yes. Consider me a professor in this sport. However, as a matter of principle, I don’t like to argue with anyone; I prefer to always stick to my own opinion. True, for some reason it almost never coincides with the judges’ assessments. Look: all the girls seem to do the same thing with these ribbons, hoops, balls and clubs, but the grades are so different. It’s especially offensive when your daughter gets few points.
- What sporting achievements of 15-year-old Anya can be considered the most significant?
VICTORIA: Bronze at the last world championship in Japan in the team of adult gymnasts. Silver at the 1997 World Cup in the all-around among juniors. And, probably, third place among juniors in the all-around at the World Youth Games in Moscow, where Anya won five more medals in individual exercises.
FOOTBALL GENES REMAINED UNCALLED
- If the daughter’s sports choice was influenced by her mother’s example, then it would be logical to assume that the son would inherit his father’s football genes. Why didn't this happen?
VLADIMIR: Sasha did not escape the temptations of football; he studied at the Dynamo school until he was 13 years old. But one day I fell awkwardly in the gym and received a severe concussion, which we treated for two months. Doctors advised him to try some other sport, less traumatic. Well, he didn’t agree to play chess right away, but he fell in love with tennis at first sight. I became a fan of the racket and, to Vika’s and my joy, parted with the soccer ball completely painlessly. Of course, he came onto the court a little late and is now trying to make up for lost time. In the classification of 17-year-olds it ranks 8th in Ukraine.
- By the way, the sons of Sergei Bubka also sometimes train in Barcelona at the Brugueira Tennis Academy.
VICTORIA: I heard about it, but our paths did not cross there. True, I cannot pretend to be a tennis mom like Liliya Bubka. Otherwise, I would have to be torn between Anya’s rhythmic gymnastics, which is naturally closer to me, and Sasha’s tennis. But in this case, we have a tennis grandfather who takes care of his grandson on all trips. I, too, grew up in a sports family: my father and mother, masters of sports, were quite famous road cyclists in Ukraine. True, I never learned to ride a bicycle myself.
VLADIMIR: In February I was with the team at a training camp in Spain - there I was able to see my son at the same time. He says he misses home. But what to do - such is sports life.
It’s a busy time for football coach Vladimir Bessonov: the Ukrainian championship will soon resume, and CSKA is intensively preparing for it. But even earlier - from March 10 to 12 - a serious exam awaits Anya Bessonova: the traditional international gymnastics tournament “Deriugin Cup” will be held in Kyiv. Despite being super busy, dad will probably try to get out to the Sports Palace for an hour or two to cheer for his daughter. It is possible that he will need tulips again.
