Century of Honor: Nikita Simonyan said goodbye to a Sinatra song

No one has scored more goals for Spartak than he, who finished his career 66 years ago. An outstanding career: four-time champion of the Soviet Union, two-time National Cup winner, Olympic champion, winner of the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR. All the decades after he hung up his boots, he did not quit football, twice making his native team the champion of the USSR already as a coach. On November 27, the farewell ceremony for the legend of Russian football Nikita Pavlovich Simonyan took place at the home arena of the red-whites. His life ended at the age of 100. Officials, athletes, coaches and fans from all over the country gathered at the capital's stadium.

A sign of respect

Simonyan's last journey was conducted under the arches of Spartak's home arena, which had been his home since 1949 (!) He gave his whole life to the club, becoming the top scorer in the history of the red and white - 160 goals. The day before, Spartak held a match in memory of the legendary football player in the quarterfinals of the Russian Cup against Lokomotiv. The players of both teams, as well as the refereeing team, took to the field in T-shirts with Nikita Simonyan's portrait and his name on the back. Spartak won a beautiful, branded victory, showing the game for which it once received the unofficial title of "people's team". The fans on the podium unfurled a large commemorative banner: "Nikita Pavlovich Simonyan. 99 years of loyalty and honor."

As a coach, he led the team to the championship title in 1962 and 1969, in the second case receiving the title of Honored Coach of the USSR. Four years later, Simonyan managed to make Ararat Yerevan the champion of the Soviet Union — neither before nor after Mkrtich Pogosovich (Simonyan's Armenian name), the club from the Armenian capital did not climb to such a height.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a wreath to Simonyan's farewell ceremony. Earlier, the head of state expressed his condolences over the death of the legend. Putin noted that a bright, extraordinary man, infinitely devoted to his chosen cause, a true legend of Russian and world football, had passed away.

"Nikita Simonyan was appreciated by his Spartak and national team teammates for his skill, fortitude and loyalty to the team, respected by his rivals, and sincerely loved by millions of fans, for whom he was a recognized idol. The bright memory of Nikita Pavlovich Simonyan will forever remain in the hearts of relatives and friends, friends and students, and all fans of the "number one game" in Russia," the telegram of the President of the Russian Federation says.

A wreath also came from FIFA President Gianni Infantino. He also expressed his condolences over the death, and the Russian flag was lowered at the organization's headquarters in Zurich.

During the ceremony, many shared their memories of Nikita Pavlovich. RFU President Alexander Dyukov said that Simonyan had earned national love for his talent, hard work, human qualities, good-naturedness and directness.

— Nikita Pavlovich lived a bright life, he was a legend, — the RFU president emphasized. — He will remain in our memory as the greatest player, coach and leader. We will always remember the joyful moments that he brought to our country. Nikita Pavlovich's fate was inextricably linked with the history of our country. He was with her in moments of joy and in moments of sorrow. He was always devoted to his team, fighting for it and his country. He will be an example of service to football and the country for all of us. A bright memory.

And Olympic champion

Spartak Sports Director Francis Cahigao expressed his condolences to Simonyan's family and friends, recalling one of the main achievements in the history of Russian sports.

"I know him as a Spartak legend, a legendary football player," the functionary emphasized to Izvestia. — He won Olympic gold as a member of the USSR national team, where, in my opinion, there were ten Spartak players, as well as Lev Yashin— the Black Panther. Simonyan was a legendary coach, as well as a man who devoted his whole life to Spartak. For me, this is an indicator, he is a legend! The memory of Simonyan at Spartak will live forever.

Spartak CEO Sergey Nekrasov added:

— We recently congratulated Nikita Pavlovich on his 99th birthday. On the one hand, these figures command respect, but on the other, they do not surprise. He took part in every meeting of Spartak veterans. The last time was two weeks ago. Yesterday, the team reacted and saluted Nikita Pavlovich's memory with a brilliant victory and a game against Lokomotiv. With his service to Spartak, he showed the way to the younger generations. Eternal memory of the legend.

Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev called the 1956 Olympic champion a generous man.:

— I managed to communicate with Nikita Pavlovich personally several times. He left the impression of a generous man who always exuded love. I know that he worked until the last days, sharing his knowledge and experience. He gave high-quality and wise advice. His memory will always remain in our hearts.

The red and White man: who is grateful to Nikita Simonyan and for what

When he appeared in the House of Football, it was possible to check Swiss watches.

Nikita Pavlovich said goodbye to applause and Frank Sinatra's song My way. "The choice of this particular composition was the last will of the legendary red and white striker," the RFU explained. Nikita Pavlovich was later buried at the Vagankovsky Cemetery in Moscow.

"I knew Nikita Pavlovich well when I saw him," Rashid Rakhimov, an ex—Spartak football player and now Rubin's head coach, told Izvestia. — Everyone knows what he has achieved in this life. We understand that death awaits us all. But in any case, the departure of such a person is always painful. For me personally, he was a mentor and a Spartacist. During meetings, he gave a lot of good advice and shared his experience. When a person leaves, you remember all these moments.

Simonyan passed away on November 23. As a football player, he played for Dynamo (Sukhumi), Moscow Krylia Sovetov and Spartak. He still remains the top scorer in the history of the Red and white (160 goals) and a member of Grigory Fedotov's Club (183 goals).

With Spartak, Simonyan became a four-time champion of the USSR (1952, 1953, 1956, 1958) and twice won the National Cup (1950, 1958). In 1956 Nikita Pavlovich became the Olympic champion in the USSR national team in Melbourne. In total, he scored 10 goals in 20 matches in the national team.

In his coaching career, Simonyan won the USSR championship twice with Spartak (1962, 1969) and won the USSR Cup three times (1963, 1965, 1971). In 1973, Ararat Yerevan, under the leadership of Simonyan, won the championship and the Cup of the country. Simonyan also led the USSR national team and Chernomorets Odessa.