Alexander Novikov

Alexander Vasilyevich Novikov was born in Moscow on June 14, 1955. Curiosity and sports passion brought him to Petrovsky Park. In the fall of 1966, he and his friends from the yard decided to try their luck at a tryout at Dynamo. The boys were selected by Konstantin Beskov and Vladimir Fedin, who took him into the Dynamo training group.

Novikov did not train for long in the children's team under Beskov. A year later, the famous coach headed the main team of Dynamo. His group was first transferred to Alexander Nazarov, and then to Evgeny Baykov. It was he who moved Novikov from midfield to the center of defense. And this move later fully justified itself.

Novikov was regularly called up to various youth teams. His high work capacity, amazing jumping ability and desperate courage won over many specialists. At the age of 17, he secured a place in Adamas Golodets' reserve team and immediately became a favorite among fans.

After spending four seasons in the reserve team, in the summer of 1975, Alexander Novikov made his debut in the main team of Dynamo in an international commercial tournament. He proved himself well there, including in the game against Real Madrid. And already from the second round of the USSR championship, he took the position of the white-blues' central defender for many years.

The pair of stoppers Sergei Nikulin and Alexander Novikov was one of the toughest in the USSR Premier League. Coach Vyacheslav Solovyov even came up with the nicknames "Scythe" and "Autogen". Nevertheless, in 13 seasons at Dynamo, Alexander Vasilyevich never seriously injured an opponent. He played extremely tough, but within the framework of football ethics.

It is no coincidence that he earned the fame of one of the strongest defenders of the country in the 80s. His precise choice of position, excellent understanding of the game, courage, determination, and complete dedication always distinguished him on the field.

"Tough - yes, cruel - no! I think that in my entire football career I have never seriously injured anyone. I am a defender, and stopping attackers is my duty. Previously, there was still a tough fight for the ball, but without any rudeness or meanness. Nobody moved their feet, even if they were coming at you feet first. But they saw each other, they were gathered in anticipation of the clash. And in such a situation, the risk of getting injured is not great," Novikov said.

For 13 seasons, Novikov was a regular starter for Dynamo, playing 395 official matches – a record that still stands. During this time, he became the champion of the 1976 spring season, silver medalist of the USSR championship (1986), winner of the USSR Cup (1977 and 1984). Novikov also played a significant role in European competitions, reaching the semi-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup twice with the team (1978 and 1985).

In October 1987, he injured his knee in a match against Dynamo Minsk, which became his last in the white and blue jersey. Then there were two seasons in Dynamo Stavropol and two more in Spartak Vladikavkaz with Valery Gazzaev.

After Gazzaev took over Dynamo Moscow, Novikov took over as head coach of the Ossetian team. His coaching debut was brilliant. In the first Russian championship, he led Spartak to silver medals and led the team to European competitions for the first time.

Later, Alexander Vasilyevich worked as an assistant to the head coach at Dynamo with Adamas Golodets, Alexei Petrushin, Valery Gazzaev and his son Kirill Novikov. From 2001 to 2002, he was the head coach of his native club. He worked a lot with the reserve team, children and youth. At the end of November 2020, he returned to the Dynamo Academy named after Lev Yashin, where he worked as a curator of middle-age teams.

"Dynamo Constellation" is a unique project launched on the day of Alexey Khomich's 100th anniversary in March 2020. Based on the results of the fan vote, the final roster of 11 outstanding Dynamo players was formed. During 2020 and 2021, 11 stars included in the constellation were named after legendary Dynamo football players: Alexey Khomich, Lev Yashin, Mikhail Yakushin, Konstantin Beskov, Mikhail Semichastny, Igor Chislenko, Sergei Solovyov, Valery Maslov, Viktor Tsarev, Igor Dobrovolsky and Alexander Novikov.