managerclubs = U19 Russia assistant
U17 Russia (former U15)
U19 Russia

Igor Kolyvanov is a Russian football player and coach. He was the coach of Russia when it won the UEFA U-17 Championship in 2006. During his playing career he started for Dynamo Moscow, U.S. Foggia, and Bologna F.C. 1909, as well as playing as a Russian international regular.

Youth

He began playing organized football at the age of 9, when he was approached by Viktor Abayev. After training with Abaev for a year with children a year older than himself, Kolyvanov moved to the youth team Soviet Region, coached by Igor Shvykov. He attributes the core development of many of his skills to this stage. At the age of 14 he moved to another youth team, called Football Youth School, and after a 2 year stint with it, he was picked up by the famous Spartak Moscow youth system. Although Spartak was one of the leading teams in the Soviet Union at that time, Kolyvanov did not see a chance in breaking into the starting line-up, and when Dynamo Moscow called him in 1986, at the age of 17, he agreed to a move.

Professional Career

Soviet Union & Russia

After transferring to Dynamo Moscow, Kolyvanov was injured in his very first game for the reserve team. However, after a recovery that took 2 months, he almost immediately began playing for the main team. In the same season, Dynamo almost won the Soviet Top League, being passed by Dynamo Kiev at the last second. While Dynamo Moscow would never achieve the level of that season, Kolyvanov improved his game significantly over the next few years, scoring 11 goals in the 1989 season of the Soviet Top League. It was then that he received his first call up for the Soviet national team, while still being a member of the Soviet U21 national team. One of his biggest triumphs came for the latter of the two - in 1990 he won the European Under-21 Football Championship, scoring 9 goals in 7 matches and winning the best scorer award en route. He followed up this performance by scoring 18 goals in 27 matches for Dynamo Moscow in 1991. The same year, his playing at a national team tournament caught U.S. Foggia's attention, and after Dynamo reached the third-round of the UEFA Cup, he was allowed to transfer to Italy.

Italy

U.S. Foggia

After his transfer to U.S. Foggia, Kolyvanov was initially overwhelmed by the emphasis placed on conditioning, by then coach Zdenek Zeman. The 4-3-3 system also took adjustment because Kolyvanov was used to playing as a center forward, while he had to assume a more pulled-back role now. During the time it took for these adjustments, coupled with slight injuries, Kolyvanov did not start for the team, but rather came on as a substitute. However starting with his second season he became a cornerstone of Foggia's attack, consistently placing in the middle of the Seria A until the 1994-1995 season. At that time, he experienced another injury (right before a planned transfer to Inter Milan which consequently fell through), and Foggia slumped to the bottom of the Seria A, in the end being relegated to Seria B. Although Kolyvanov was convinced to stay by the management of the club, at the promise of being relegated up again next season, he transferred to Bologna F.C. 1909 when this did not actually occur.

Bologna F.C. 1909

At Bologna, Kolyvanov was able to play as a pure striker once again, without having responsibilities across the entire field like in Foggia. This immediately reflected on his goal scoring, and he was Bologna's top striker in his first season, with 11 goals in 27 games. The next few years he continued to score consistently, until the 1999-2000 season where a back problem resurfaced and he was forced to undergo an operation, essentially missing almost the entire season. An attempted comeback in mid-2000 was hampered by further injuries, and in 2001 Kolyvanov retired from professional football.

Coaching Career

After a brief stint as the U19 Russian national team assistant coach in 2002, and enrollment in a football coaching institute, Kolyvanov took over the U15 Russian national team as the head coach. He took a number of tours throughout the country to select the players, who eventually became the U17 Russian national team that won the 2006 UEFA U-17 European Championship. Kolyvanov's achievement as a coach was exemplified by the very organized and consistent tactical play of the team, especially for players of that age, along with extereme motivation. Although never listed amongst the tournament's favorites, and without star players, Russia was able to win because of these traits. After the victory, Kolyvanov was offered an extension to his contract, along with a salary raise. He remains the head coach of the same age group national team, but it will effectively turn into the U19 team after this summer.

Summary of Achievements

Team Achievements

* U21 European Champion in 1990 as a player
* U17 European Champion in 2006 as a coach
* Soviet Top League runner-up in 1986
* Soviet Top League 3rd place in 1991

Individual Achievements

* Best Footballer of Soviet Top League in 1991
* Top scorer of UEFA U-21 Championship in 1990 (9 goals in 7 games)
* Top scorer of Soviet Top League in 1991 (18 goals in 27 games)
* Top scorer of Bologna F.C. 1909 in 1996/1997 season (11 goals in 27 matches)
* Member of Grigoriy Fedotov Club: 117 goals in professional competition
* Co-holder of Soviet Top League record for goals in 1 match - 5

Links

* Extensive Interview in Russian
* UEFA.com profile as U-17 Coach
* International Appearance Statistics
* Playing Career Statistics
* UEFA.com news article after victory in UEFA U-17 Championship

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Igor Kolyvanov: Encyclopedia BETA

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Igor Kolyvanov