Viktor Onopko is an excellent coach and a wonderful football player. He was the captain of Spartak, the national team. Three-time champion of the country was awarded the Cup of Russia, is the owner of the Cup of Champions of the Commonwealth and the Cup of Legends.
Among the talents of Viktor Savelyevich Onopko is both grass playing and ability to lead. Not a single trifle could escape from his attention.
Childhood and youth
An outstanding athlete was born on October 14 in Lugansk in 1969. His father worked at an engineering plant. Mom worked in the factory cafeteria.
Victor's elder brother Sergey and sister Daria were already growing up in a large family. The head of the family idolized football.
He told his sons about the outstanding athletes of the past, explained the subtleties of skill. The father was glad that the children were carried away by his favorite sport.
At the age of nine, Vitya enrolled in the Zarya sports school. Famous world-famous football players came out of its walls. From there, a young promising athlete, by invitation, ended up in Shakhtar Donetsk.
Only there Onopko realized that he wanted to forever connect fate with this particular sport.
During the passage of military service, a novice soccer player moved to Dynamo. Due to the injury he had to miss the whole sports season.
For a short while Victor returned to Shakhtar. The promising defender tried to keep the coach, “Dynamo” Valery Lobanovsky, but according to the promise given to his native team, Victor had to return.
The composition of the Pitmen during the perestroika years turned out to be strong and talented. The team would be able to adequately perform at the national championship. However, with the collapse of the Union, difficult times came for spot.
Difficulties also came to Onopko, but Oleg Romantsev invited him to the capital's Spartak.
The beginning of a sports career
Dreaming of the European Championship, the Ukrainian decided to move to Moscow.
However, Romantsev’s idea did not find understanding: the playing skills of Lobanovsky’s pupils differed too much from those adopted by the “red-white”. But the Spartak mentor was not mistaken.
Tall and strong guy fit perfectly into the team. In the first season, Onopko was recognized as the best domestic player. Soon Victor received a captain's armband.
Played in the Spartak Victor four seasons. He recalled the friendly atmosphere in her for a long time. After the victory of Muscovites in 1995 in six games of the Champions League.
Young players began to receive offers from foreign clubs. Atletico and Chelsea wanted to see him. As a result, Onopko chose the Spanish “Real Oviedo”.
Very quickly, a talented athlete became a leader and captain there. Victor scored a little goal, but as the central defender did an excellent job. The magazine "Don Balon" twice called him the best player in defense.
For two years Onopko did not pay salaries. The debt exceeded a million and a half euros, but the athlete continued to play. For the first time in his career, the defender scored an own goal.
Games at home and abroad
In 2002, players were leased to “Rayo Vallecano” by Fernando Vazquez. The club hoped to stay in the sports elite, but he did not succeed. After transferring to the third division due to financial problems, Victor terminated the contract with Oviedo.
Onopko returned to Russia. Immediately he was invited to Spartak Alania. This transfer was recognized the loudest in 2003. The Vladikavkaz club provided the athlete with a T-shirt with a lucky number seventy-seven.
Victor met expectations and helped the team stay in the Premier League. The last of the clubs for which Onopko played was the Saturn from Ramensky near Moscow.
2006 was the final year in the sports career of a football player. The talented player turned out to be in demand among the national team mentors
He became a mentor in three games for the Olympic team of the Union, played in the CIS team and more than a hundred times went on the field as part of the Russian team with a captain's armband. This indicator for a long time no one could surpass.
Onopko scored nine goals for the national team. In 1992, the CIS team drew with the Germans at the European Championships. At that time, the latter were European champions.
The more offensive was the loss to a rather weak Scotland team. In a strange championship, Victor outplayed Ruud Gullit.
