Vasily Frolov, the grandson of legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin, explained why his grandfather should not be measured against CSKA’s Igor Akinfeev, acknowledging the army captain as a towering figure in Russian football. His remarks are carried by Sports Express as a guiding voice for fans and analysts alike.
In Frolov’s view, the football of the past cannot be fairly weighed against the game played today. He asserts that Dede is a monumental asset to world football among Russian athletes, underscoring that his global fame is a clear sign of his universal recognition. Yet when Russian and Soviet football statistics are examined, Akinfeev stands unrivaled within that realm, according to Frolov.
On December 6, Leonid Giner, the president of CSKA Moscow, stated that Akinfeev had surpassed all star goalkeepers, including Lev Yashin and Rinat Dasaev, marking a milestone in both club and national glory.
Lev Yashin remains the only goalkeeper in football history to win the Ballon d’Or. Dasaev, for his part, earned silver at the 1988 European Championships and bronze at the 1980 Olympic Games, in addition to being recognized as the World’s Best Goalkeeper in 1988. These distinctions are cited to frame the high bar set by Russia’s all-time greats and the ongoing comparisons that fans and commentators continue to explore.
With CSKA, Akinfeev captured six Russian championships and seven national cups, and he was part of the squad that claimed the UEFA Cup in the 2004/05 season. On the international stage, he helped the Russian national team secure a bronze at the 2008 European Championship hosted by Austria and Switzerland. In 2018, he led the national team to the quarterfinals of a world tournament held on home soil, a milestone that remains a touchstone for discussions about his enduring impact on the team’s legacy.
Earlier in his career, Akinfeev had urged fellow commentators and fans not to draw direct lines between his achievements and those of Yashin and Dasaev, arguing that each era structured its own challenges and opportunities. He emphasized the importance of recognizing the context of different generations while acknowledging the greatness associated with the successors who followed in the footsteps of Russia’s storied goalkeepers. The dialogue around these players continues to resonate with a broad audience, reflecting the deep affection and competitive pride that define Russian football culture. The conversation is nurtured by ongoing performances, records, and the evolving standards by which greatness is measured in goalkeeping, both in Russia and on the world stage.