Belarus is the only country still playing in Europe, as the coronavirus situation continues.
According to reports, matches are being played due to a decision by President Alexander Lukashenko, who said: "I am convinced that we could suffer more from panic than from the virus itself."
The authoritarian President could feel proud as the Minsk derby on Saturday will be the only derby in the world, and the league enjoys an increased interest from gamblers. This weekend, the national team was supposed to play in the Euro playoffs for the first time, but their semi-final match was cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis. With only domestic league matches, let's discover the Belarusian football scene with the 5 greatest footballers the country has produced throughout its history.
Alexander Hleb
Probably one of the best Belarusian players in history. He played in three top European leagues, starting his career abroad in Stuttgart. In 2005 he left for Arsenal and spent three years in England, participating in the 2006 UEFA Champions League final against Barcelona. Eventually, Hleb will become the first and only Belarusian to win the Champions League in 2009, as a Barcelona player. In that legendary season, he also won the La Liga and the Copa del Rey.
In addition, Hleb won the English League Cup as a Birmingham City player in 2011 and six Belarusian championships with BATE Borisov. He made 80 international caps for Belarus, the second most capped player in the history of the national team.
Sergey Aleinikov
In the Soviet Union era, the national team was composed mainly of Russian and Ukrainian players. One of the few Belarusian players to be selected for the squad was Sergey Aleinikov, who was part of Dinamo Minsk’s golden generation in the 1980’s. He played for the club in its only Soviet championship in 1982. In 1989 he transferred to Juventus, and in his debut season he won the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup. He also played for Lecce and the Japanese side Gamba Osaka.
He made 73 international caps for the Soviet Union and scored 6 goals. Moreover, he participated in two World Cups, in 1986 and 1990, and played in the Euro 1988 final, where the Soviets lost 2-0 against the Netherlands. In 1992 he was also chosen to play in the post-Soviet CIS team in the Euro 1992. After the formation of the Belarusian national team, he played 4 more games before retiring from international football. Aleinikov was chosen in 2004 to be Belarus' Golden Player as part of the UEFA 50th anniversary.
Andrei Zygmantovich
Another Belarusian player that capped for the Soviet Union team in Andrei Zygmantovich. He also played for Dinamo Minsk in the 1980’s. Zygmantovich was part of the USSR squad in the 1990 World Cup and scored his only World Cup goal in the 4-0 win against Cameroon. In 1991 he became the first Belarusian player in the Dutch Eredivise after he signed for Groningen.
His most significant spell abroad was in Racing Santander, also becoming the first Belarusian to play in Spain. He gained promotion with the club to La Liga in his debut season and spent three more years in the Spanish top tier. After his retirement, Zygmantovich began a coaching career. He barely coached abroad, and his major roles were the U-17 national team for five years and a short spell in the senior national team as a caretaker.
Alexander Khatskevich
After the USSR has been dissolved, the leading club in the area was Dynamo Kyiv, who made decent campaigns in the Champions League. Playing alongside top Ukrainian guns such as Serhiy Rebrov and Andriy Shevchenko, and also fellow countryman Valentin Belkevich, the Kyiv captured the hearts of football fans. After winning five championships in Belarus with Dynamo Minsk, Khatskevich signed for the Ukrainian club and won another seven championships. He also made 38 international caps and scored 4 goals for Belarus.
After his retirement, Khatskevich became a manger. In his coaching career, he came back to all the teams he played for, especially Dinamo Minsk and Dynamo Kyiv, but failed to repeat his success. He also managed the Belarusian national team during the Euro 2016 qualifiers.
Vitali Rodionov
Rodionov is one of the biggest names of Belarusian football in the last decade. He played for BATE Borisov when the team became the dominant club in the domestic league. Besides winning 12 consecutive championships, he was part of BATE's best moments. He scored in the team's first-ever Champions League group stage win against Lille in 2012, and also in the sensational 3-1 win against Bayern München at the same season.
Rodionov is one of the most prolific goalscorers in Belarus. Since 2012, he is the all-time top scorer in the Belarusian top tier with 134 goals. He also scored 20 goals in European competitions, more than any other Belarusian player. In the national team, he made 48 caps and scored 10 goals.
Honorary Mention
Maxim Tsigalko
He might not be one of those players who had a glorious career, but Maxim Tsigalko in probably one of the most known Belarusian players in history. In 2001, Tsigalko became famous around the world thanks to the Championship Manager computer game (today known as Football Manager). He was 18 years old, but the game developers predicted he would have a big future - and within the CM world he was a wonder kid who often turned into a world-class player.
In reality, Tsigalko was far from reaching this potential. He had a major role in Dinamo Minsk early in his career, scoring 24 goals in 53 league matches. Unfortunately, he faced a series of injuries that caused him to play less in later years. He played for a while in Kazakhstan and Armenia, but in 2008 he returned to Belarus. Tsigalko tried to play two more years but couldn’t overcome his injuries, and ultimately decided to retire in 2010 at the age of 26.
Thumbnail photo by FIFA official Twitter account.