Disappointment and a thief: Europe's top star flopped in Bundesliga
This transfer coup was achieved by Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1989 when they signed Igor Belanow. The winger not only won the European Cup with Dynamo Kyiv in 1986 but was also named Europe's Footballer of the Year.
"I can only congratulate on this transfer," said Günter Netzer at the time (quote via 'goal.com'). According to media reports, Borussia paid two million marks to Dynamo Kyiv in 1989 to lure Belanow to Gladbach. Peanuts compared to the astronomical sums paid in football today.
📸 IMAGO
But back to Belanow: It was his first stint in Germany, and accordingly, he reportedly found it difficult to adapt. Moreover, the start of the hopeful's season was significantly delayed. Because he wanted to finish the season in his homeland, the former USSR, he missed the first ten matchdays.
When he finally arrived, the newcomer promised to "score ten more goals this season." However, due to an injury, he missed further matches and only made his debut for the Foals on the 16th matchday.
At the start of the second half of the season, the Foals fans were allowed to hope briefly, as the striker scored a goal in four consecutive matches. However, his promised ten goals were not to be, as he went goalless in eight more games. His record for Borussia: 24 appearances, four goals, and three assists.
Instead of making further (positive) headlines on the pitch, more came off the pitch. At the end of January 1990, four Soviet citizens were arrested for shoplifting in a department store in Düsseldorf. Igor Belanow and his wife were two of them. As reported retrospectively by the 'Rheinische Post', Irina and her two companions insisted that the footballer had nothing to do with the theft.
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They allegedly stole clothing worth 2000 marks. Because they could not identify themselves, Igor Belanow and his wife spent a night in police custody. Ultimately, he had to pay a fine of 24,000 marks.
The once hopeful player disappointed more and more and let his frustration run free on the 30th matchday when he received a red card for a heavy kick against HSV after 16 minutes. He was then suspended until the end of the season.
Belanow stayed for another half season before moving to second-division club Eintracht Braunschweig in the winter of 1990. By then, he was far from his performances as Europe's Footballer of the Year.
📸 IMAGO / WEREK
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.
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