Life Stories
Anatoliy Banishevskiy
Beginnings
Anatoly Banishevsky (1946-1997) was a Soviet footballer of Russian descent who spent most of his career playing in Azerbaijan. He has often been described as the greatest-ever player in Azerbaijan’s football history. He was born in Baku and played for PYC Neftichi Baku from the age of 16. He made a great impression with his speed, technical skill and scoring ability.
Star of the Soviet Union
Banishevsky first played for the USSR against Brazil in 1965, aged 19. His career coincided with the most successful period in Soviet football history: a World Cup semi-final against West Germany in 1966; third place in the European Championship in 1968; and second in 1972. Defeat by West Germany in the 1972 final was Banishevsky’s last international game.
Legacy
Banishevsky had a difficult life after retiring as a player in 1977. He coached Neftchi Baku and went to Africa to coach the Burkina Faso youth team; but he suffered from ill-health and personal problems. He had diabetes from 1987. He died in 1997, aged 51. But his name is still well remembered. FK Masalli now plays at Anatoly Banishevsky stadium. At the 2003 UEFA Jubilee, he was nominated Azerbaijan’s “Golden Player”.
Thinking points
Anatoly Banishevskiy would probably have regarded himself as a Soviet citizen; his identity was shaped by playing for the Soviet Union, not Azerbaijan. But he lived his whole life in Azerbaijan, long enough to see Azerbaijan reach independence, and see his grandson, Ali Babayev Banishevskiy start a football career there.
Educators could look at the life story of Anatoly Banishevsky and work with young people to consider this question:
- What does Banishevsky’s story tell us about how players are remembered?
Find out more
You can find an interesting article about Banishevsky on Eurasia Diary.
COVER Image
Banishevskiy in the USSR team in Rotterdam on 29 November 1967 against The Netherlands (photo: Jac. de Nijs / Anefo, Nationaal Archief).
Life Story
32
LIFE STORIES To discover now
Do you wanna know more?
HISTORY CAN BE EXPLORED THROUGH THE LIVES OF INDIVIDUALS
Stories
Browse our collection of stories about football history and inclusion. With the history of football being made up of millions of stories, of individuals and communities, of movements and processes, we offer stories that can inspire our cultural conversations today.
Videos
Get to know untold stories where individuals are making history with football. When faced with insurmountable challenges, individuals past and present can use football as a cultural force to foster positive change in society. We honour these individuals and tell their ‘untold’ stories in short videos.
Educational Resources
Explore our innovative educational resources that use football’s history, heritage and legacy to engage young people. The resources include ready-made lesson plans and historical source collections for school history education as well as toolkit with activities for non-formal settings.
Trending Stories
Refugees
In the wake of the 2015 migration peak, activists and volunteers across Europe have been involved in supporting refugees, sometimes with the simple act of offering space and friendship to participate in football through grassroots clubs to help newcomers integrate.
FC Union Berlin: A rebellious football club in a rebellious city
BBC Sport’s Football Focus visits Bundesliga side FC Union Berlin, a “rebellious” football club from East Berlin with a special set of fans, playing their first season in Germany’s top flight 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
LATEST POST You may also be interested in

Formation for Human Rights
A class of high school history students in Oslo was asked to create an ideal starting XI line-up based on Human Rights. Find out why and how it went.

Pass, Shoot, Goal! Football in the Jazz Age – a review
A loving fan and musician put together his two passions and created this compilation of tunes from the Jazz Age.

Mo Salah’s Song to Integration
Prayer days on stadiums, faith rooms and inclusive chants: here is how English football is adapting to a changing world.

Engage young people with football history
Engage young people through Football Makes History’s own Guidebook and Toolkit for promoting social inclusion in formal education or Non-formal settings

21 short stories of football in Amsterdam
Telling the history of a city through football stories: a celebration of Amsterdam.

Angel City FC: An in-vitro football sensation
Angel City FC, the brand new women-majority owned and run club in Los Angeles