Graphic from Sport-Express.
CSKA Moscow’s 2-0 victory at home against Ufa wasn’t only important for the club in their chase of the Russian title, it also meant something special for Igor Akinfeev, the experienced goalkeeper of the Army Men. With the 2-0 victory Akinfeev, CSKA’s number one between the posts since his debut in 2003, recorded his clean sheet number 232, which tied him with the legendary Rinat Dasaev as the leader of the prestigious Lev Yashin Club.
The Lev Yashin Club is for all Russian and Soviet goalkeepers with more at least 100 clean sheets for Russian and Soviet clubs as well as the national team. Dinamo Moscow’s Lev Yashin was the first Soviet goalkeeper to reach this remarkable milestone, and so he laid name to the club. Yashin went on to record 203 clean sheets; a number only Rinat Dasaev and Igor Akinfeev has beaten.
Igor Akinfeev has recorded 143 clean sheets in the Russian Premier League, 18 in the cup, one in the Russian Super Cup, one in the Premier League Cup, 28 in European matches and last but not least 41 for the Russian national team.
There are however some controversies surrounding the Lev Yashin Club, and especially Rinat Dasaev as he went to play outside of Russia towards the end of his career. Between 1988 and his retirement in 1991 Dasaev represented Spanish side Sevilla, where he went to record 20 clean sheets. These clean sheets doesn’t count in the Lev Yashin Club ranking, but they will without a doubt continue to be mentioned until Igor Akinfeev once and for all pass Dasaev to become the Russian goalkeeper with the most clean sheets.
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