The Olympic champion, record-breaking striker of Moscow’s Spartak, and one of the key figures in Soviet football, Nikita Simonyan, has passed away at the age of 99. The news was reported by Alexander Mirzoyan, president of the Russian Football Veterans Union.
According to Mirzoyan, on November 20 Simonyan began feeling unwell and was hospitalized. He passed away today.
Simonyan is a figure without whom it is impossible to imagine the history of Moscow’s Spartak, Yerevan’s Ararat, or all of Soviet football. His contribution is truly foundational.
Born in 1926 in Armavir, Simonyan began his football path in Sukhumi, and by the late 1940s had become a leading forward for Krylia Sovetov. He later moved to Spartak, where he played more than 230 matches and scored 133 goals. He became a six-time USSR champion and won the Soviet Cup five times — both as a player and as a coach.
For the USSR national team, Simonyan appeared in 20 matches, scoring 10 goals, becoming an Olympic champion in 1956, and serving as team captain at the 1958 World Cup.
As a coach, he led Spartak and Yerevan’s Ararat to major victories. Of particular note is Ararat’s historic 1973 “golden double” — winning both the USSR Championship and the USSR Cup, a landmark achievement in Armenian football history.
After completing his coaching career, Simonyan held leadership positions for many years in the Russian Football Union, remaining an authoritative and respected figure for several generations.
He was recently awarded the title Hero of Labor in recognition of his exceptional contribution to national sports.
His passing is a profound loss for the entire football world.
