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Eduard Streltsov

Eduard Anatoliyevich Streltsov (Эдуард Анатольевич Стрельцов) (July 21, 1937 - July 20, 1990) was a Soviet football (soccer) player, who was nicknamed Russian Pelé. He scored 100 times for Torpedo Moscow in 222 appearances and scored 25 in 38 for the USSR.

Streltsov played for Torpedo Moscow in the Soviet Elite League. In 1958, as the Soviet national team qualified for its first World Cup, he was ordered to join either the Soviet Army's CSKA or KGB's Dynamo Moscow, but refused (even when Lev Yashin was sent to persuade him). As a result, Streltsov was kicked off the national team and was sent to seven years in a labor camp. The world's press wrote that two teams had been seriously weakened for that World Cup, England after the Munich air disaster and the USSR due to the loss of Streltsov. He came back to Torpedo in 1965, and promptly led them to the Soviet Championship. He was incredibly important to both the USSR national football team and Torpedo Moscow. He was an highly skilled player in all aspects of his game. He was also a great passer and arguably the most loyal of all one-club men.

Allegations of rape

Refusing to sign for the two Soviet-influenced teams was merely one contributing factor to his time in the labour camp. It is noted that at a party, he made an offensive remark about the daughter of a leading member of the Soviet cabinet, which greatly offended the person in question and probably contributed to the allegations being placed upon him. Also, his 'boyish' looks and hairstyle were starting to incite the young Soviet teenagers, bringing ideas of freedom and the notion of not living under a strict rule. The Soviet government saw this as a threat.

Eventually, he was charged with the rape of a young woman. The records of the trial seem to suggest ludicrous bias on the count of the judge, with 12 witness reports being ignored saying they had not seen the event take place or anything leading to it. Reports claim that one KGB interrogator entered the cell and said that if he confessed to the charges then he would make it to the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden. The young and naive Streltsov believed this and so was charged and imprisoned for the offence.

After the labour camp

A reporter at the time remarked that he "lacked the pace he once had, but the natural skill was still there," after his return from the labour camp. He never spoke about his time in the labour camp and remained silent on the issue of whether he was guilty or innocent, except on his death bed, where he called his wife over and professed his innocence. This is rumoured to be because the entire Soviet government had threatened Streltsov with the murder of his entire family if he ever spoke the truth about his trial.

Legacy

Even now in Russia, they claim that there have only ever been two superstars in their country’s football history – Lev Yashin and Eduard Streltsov. Torpedo Moscow have a statue outside the stadium, and renamed their old stadium after him: Eduard Streltsov Stadium.

Currently, there are people fighting to have the charges of rape posthumous over-turned to clear his name.

Streltsov played 38 times for the Soviet national team, scoring 24 goals. In Russian football, the back-heel pass still bears his name.

A sign of how valuable he was to his national team's success can be found by comparing the times they played Sweden with and without him. With Streltsov, they cruised to a 6-0 thrashing against them, but in the World Cup (still with Yashin) they lost 2-0.