One of the best goalkeepers the game has seen and the sole custodian awarded the Ballon d'Or, Yashin claimed that trophy in 1963 after winning a sixth Soviet Top League title with his only club, Dinamo Moskva. Always dressed in black, he was imposing and extraordinarily agile. The UEFA European Championship contributed considerably to his legend and he was in especially brilliant form against Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia as the USSR lifted the inaugural title in 1960. He was greatly mourned, both inside and outside Russia, when he died in 1990.
Djurković excelled as a 22-year-old at the first UEFA European Championship, offering defensive solidity and attacking penetration at right-back. Although Yugoslavia missed out in France, he collected a gold medal at the Rome Olympics that September. Djurković played with Crvena zvezda before making a name for himself with St-Étienne, landing three French titles and the Coupe de France twice. He died tragically when mistakenly shot by a policeman in Sion, Switzerland, in June 1972 at the age of 36.
Captain of Czechoslovakia in 71 of the 75 internationals he played, Novák was leader of the talented team that finished third at the 1960 UEFA European Championship and runners-up at the 1962 FIFA World Cup. Especially strong in the air, he was a commanding presence on the domestic scene too, securing eight Czechoslovak titles with Dukla Praha. He won the championship with Dukla as a coach in 1982 and took charge of a number of Belgian clubs during the 1970s and 1980s as well as the Czech national side. He died in March 2011.
Netto helped his country to glory at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne and the first UEFA European Championship in France. An inspirational leader and exceptional footballer, he is probably best remembered for an extraordinary act of sportsmanship at the 1962 World Cup when he told the referee to disallow a goal against Uruguay in the group stage as the ball had entered the net from the wrong side. Netto's devotion to Spartak Moskva brought him five USSR championships and three domestic cups. He passed away in March 1999.
The first player from the former Communist Bloc to receive the Ballon d'Or, in 1962, Masopust was a midfield general of the highest order. The 1962 World Cup was his finest hour as he masterminded his team's run to the final against holders Brazil – where he opened the scoring only to end on the losing side after a 3-1 defeat. He notched ten goals in 63 outings for his country, despite often having to curb his attacking instincts. A serial champion with Dukla Praha, Masopust later coached the club and also took the national-team job during the mid-1980s. He died in June 2015.
A loyal servant to Torpedo Moskva, Ivanov twice picked up the Soviet title but was probably more renowned for his international exploits. He hit 26 goals in 59 games for the USSR, including four at the 1962 World Cup in Chile, where he was joint-leading scorer. He won the inaugural UEFA European Championship in 1960, registering twice in the 3-0 semi-final defeat of Czechoslovakia, and was again on form four years later as the USSR reached another final. He coached Torpedo four times, landing one league crown and two domestic cups. He died in November 2011.
A pacy right-winger, Metreveli made his mark on the 1960 UEFA European Championship – and Soviet Union football history – by scoring the equaliser in the final against Yugoslavia. It was his fourth goal in an international career that would last for another decade, earning him trips to the 1962, 1966 and 1970 World Cups. The Georgian played for Torpedo Moskva from 1956 to 1962, acquiring two championships and one Soviet Cup, before going home to join Dinamo Tbilisi. He passed away in January 1998 at the age of 61.
With 37 goals in 51 matches for Yugoslavia, Galić stands second in the country's all-time scoring charts, one behind 1950s icon Stjepan Bobek. Both were star strikers for Partizan, with Galić playing for the club in the 1966 European Champion Clubs' Cup final, yet it was in the blue, white and red of Yugoslavia that they established worldwide reputations. Galić was on target in every round of the 1960 UEFA European Championship and repeated the trick in claiming a gold medal at the Rome Olympics. He ended his career with spells at Standard Liège and Stade de Reims and died in September 2014.
The first player called up to the Soviet Union national team while representing a second division side (SKA Rostov-on-Don), Ponedelnik justified the selection by netting a hat-trick on his debut in a 7-1 thrashing of Poland in May 1960. A few weeks later he became the toast of the Soviet Union by heading in the winning extra-time goal in the UEFA European Championship final. Ponedelnik (which translates as Sunday) amassed a total of 20 goals in his 29 internationals before being forced into premature retirement at 29.
A maverick inside-forward whose showman skills made him a celebrity footballer in Yugoslavia through the 1950s and 1960s, Šekularac spent the bulk of his career with Belgrade giants Crvena zvezda (he is one of five individuals in their hall of fame) before exporting his talents to West Germany and Colombia. The 1960 UEFA European Championship proved a particular highlight for a player who made his debut at 18, though he also featured at the World Cups of 1958 and 1962. His popularity was such that he starred in the 1962 movie Šeki snima, pazi se.
Kostić did not get his name on the scoresheet at the 1960 UEFA European Championship finals but the predatory forward was responsible for getting Yugoslavia to France with three of their six strikes in the quarter-final against Portugal. He further enhanced his reputation with seven in five games at the Rome Olympics that year, including one in the final against Denmark. He was no less prolific with Crvena zvezda, for whom he remains the all-time leading marksman with 158 top-flight goals. He died in January 2011.