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Top 10 Fascinating Facts About Eduard Streltsov

Eduard Anatolyevich Streltsov was a Soviet footballer representing Torpedo Moscow and the Soviet national team as a striker.

Eduard Streltsov was born on 21^st July, 1937 in Perovo district in Moscow. He was the son of Anatoly Streltsov and Sofia Frolovna

Eduard Streltsov is one of the greatest footballers that the Soviet Union ever produced. With his ability to dictate play and thread sumptuous passes, he was a joy to watch on the field. 

Here are the top 10 fascinating facts about Eduard Streltsov

1. Eduard Streltsov Was a Convict 

In 1958 as Eduard Streltsov was preparing to represent his country in the football world cup finals. He was accused of Rape after spending a night out partying with his teammates.

Eduard was accused raping 20 years old Marina Lebedeva, at a friend’s house where they were having a party. Eduard was arrested the following morning.

He confessed his crime to the authorities after he was promised he would keep his place in the Soviet 1958 world cup team.

To his surprise, Eduard was sentenced to twelve years in prison and was taken to the Gulag System of forced labor camp to serve his sentence. Eduard was later released after serving five years of his sentence.

A strong debate still continues in Russia concerning the accusations and his conviction, many of his supporters do not believe in the rape story.

2. Eduard Streltsov was  ‘The Russian Pele’

Photo by EduardStreltsov from Wikimedia

Eduard Streltsov, a legendary forward for Torpedo Moscow and the Soviet National team was compared to Pele in the 1950s and 1960s.

Edison Arantes Do Nascimento nick-named Pele is a Brazillian Legendary footballer who played as a striker for Brazil national team that won the 1958 world cup.

Pele went ahead to win the 1962 and 1970 world cups with Brazil’s football national team. He is one of the most successful football players of the 20^th century

3. Eduard Streltsov had a Stadium Named After Him

Photo by UMNICK from

Eduard Streltsov Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Moscow, Russia. It was used for football matches and was the home ground of Torpedo Moscow.

The stadium was named Eduard Streltsov, in his honor shortly after his death in 1990. Streltsov had played for Torpedo Moscow for 8 seasons, making 237 appearances and scoring 105 goals for the team.

The stadium was built in 1959 and was used as a training ground by Torpedo Moscow. It was demolished in 2002 to rebuild; it is due to be completed in 2024 with a capacity to accommodate 15,076 people.

4. Eduard Streltsov won the Gold Medal in Melbourne Olympics

 The 1956 Olympics was the second competitive tournament entered by the Soviet Union. Only 11 countries participated in this tournament, making it the smallest soccer tournament since the 1908 & 1912 Summer Games.

The Soviets prevailed, and won their first Olympic football gold medal, after defeating Yugoslavia in the finals. Streltsov was a star player and he scored two goals in the competition.

The Olympic men’s football competition was inaugurated in the 1908 London Olympic Games, and it is one of the main field events at the Olympics games, held every after four years.

5. Eduard Streltsov Returned to his Football Career after Imprisonment

Photo by EduardStreltsov from

Two years after Streltsov was released from prison, the new leader of the USSR, Leonid Brezhnev, rescinded the ban on him from playing professional football.

Streltsov returned to the field, playing again for Torpedo Moscow. Once again he quickly became their star player.

 He spent another six years playing for Torpedo Moscow and the Soviet National team until his retirement in 1970. He was recognized as the best player in the Soviet Union for the 1967 and 1968 seasons.

6. Eduard Streltsov had a Reckless Lifestyle

Growing up without a father, young Streltsov was never a disciplined footballer. He drank too much and sometimes was late for football practice sessions.

In February 1958, the Streltsov spent several days in a police station for a drunken fight. He was forgiven and was allowed back into the national team squad.

As a young man, Streltsov was heavily involved with too many women which distracted his total concentration on his football career. One he was late for an important international match involving his national team.

His reckless behavior led to his rape conviction and 12 years sentence in the Gulag system of forced labor camps.

7.  Eduard Streltsov Started his Football Career at age of Sixteen

photo by EduardStreltsov from Wikimedia

Eduard Streltsov was born in 1937 in Perovo district. His parents separated shortly after his birth, and Eduard and his mother went to live in Torpedo, while his father opted to live alone in Kyiv.

Eduard started playing for the factory team where his mother worked at a very young age. At the age of 13 years, he became the youngest player on the team.

Aged 16, Streltsov made his professional debut for Torpedo during the 1954 season, appearing in every league game Torpedo played that season. He scored four goals and the team that finished in the ninth position at the of the league season

8 Eduard Streltsov Became a Football Coach after his Playing Career

After his retirement from his professional football career, Eduardo Joined the Institute of Physical Culture in Moscow, to study as a football coach.

His former team Torpedo Moscow funded his studies in football coaching. He returned to Torpedo in the capacity of youth team manager after his qualification as a football coach.

Streltsov also spent a brief spell as manager of the first team before returning to the youth team in 1982. He also took part in matches contested by former professional players.

9. Eduard Streltsov Story Inspired a Movie

The story Streltsov movie was released on 24 September 2020; it was directed by Llya Uchitel, a successful Russian film director. The film is with English subtitles.

The movie is about the life of Soviet football legend Eduard Sreltsov, from his days as a young boy to winning an Olympic Gold medal in Melbourne with the soviet football national team.

Eduard is presented as a young rising professional footballer with talent, fame, and money. He is framed for rape two days before his national team departs for the 1958 world cup, and he is sent to prison for 5 years.

After his release, he overcomes all the odds to prove that he is a champion and a great athlete who deserves true national love.

10. Eduard Streltsov Died from Throat cancer

Photo by EduardStreltsov from

Eduard Streltsov died from throat cancer in 1990. Throat cancer refers to cancer of the voice box, vocal cords, and other parts of the throat.

Today, Eduard Streltsov is a legend, counted among the most talented Soviet players ever. But he could have achieved much more, if not for his reckless behavior.