Aleksey Paramonov

Aleksey Paramonov debuted at the senior level with Stroitel Moscow in 1944 and moved to VVS Moscow in 1946. After only nine appearances, however, he joined FC Spartak Moscow and never looked back, playing 264 games with them over the course of 12 years. During that time, he won the Soviet Top League four times (1952, 1953, 1956, and 1958) and the Soviet Cup twice (1950 and 1958). He also had a 13-cap stint with the national team from 1954 through 1957, with his most notable tournament being the 1956 Summer Olympics, where the Soviet Union won the gold medal. Paramonov played in two of the squad’s five matches at the Games. He also played in a qualifier for the 1958 World Cup, but did not attend the tournament ultimately.

Following his retirement from active competition, Paramonov became a manager, beginning with a stint from 1960 through 1965 as head of the Soviet youth team. He later ran the youth team from 1967 through 1969 and 1979 through 1984, winning the 1980 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He was also an assistant manager of the senior team from 1969 through 1971 and again from 1973 through 1974. He was also twice manager of Tunisia’s Étoile Sportive du Sahel, from 1965 through 1967 and again from 1976 through 1977. He also had numerous administrative appointments in Soviet Football, as well as UEFA, and has won many awards both at home and abroad for his work in this field.