Background and career
Valentin Kozmich Ivanov (Russian: Валентин Козьмич Иванов, 19 November 1934 – 8 November 2011) was a Russian footballer who played as a midfielder. He was the co-leading scorer at the 1962 World Cup, and the co-1960 European Nations' Cup top scorer.
Ivanov appeared 59 times for the Soviet Union, scoring 26 goals. He is the Soviet national football team's third-highest goalscorer of all time, behind only Oleg Blokhin and Oleg Protasov. One of the finest Russian players ever, Ivanov was noted for his pace, dribbling quality and technical ability.
Ivanov's four goals in the 1962 World Cup saw him named the tournament's top-scorer, along with five other players; he also scored one in the 1958 edition. He spent most of his club career with Torpedo Moscow, scoring 124 goals in 286 appearances in the Soviet Championship, the 9th all-time best record.
