Arseniy Naydenov Soviet football player, coach Date of Birth: 12.08.1941 Country: Russia

Biography of Arseniy Naidenov

Arseniy Naidenov was a Soviet football player and coach. He was born in a train somewhere between Kharkiv and Poltava, while his mother was being evacuated to Kazakhstan during World War II. They returned to Kyiv two years later.

As a teenager, Arseniy played for football teams in Kyiv, Tallinn, and Andijan, primarily as a midfielder on the right side. However, his career was cut short due to a knee injury. He continued his involvement in sports by enrolling in a sports university in Kyiv.

In 1965, Arseniy began his football career as a coach for the Cheboksary team "Energiya." He later coached several other low-level teams before achieving success as the coach of "Zhemchuzhina" Sochi. Under his leadership, the team won the second division of the USSR and earned a spot in the top league.

Arseniy's coaching style was known for its rigid tactics, without much room for improvisation. Despite this, his team held their own against the best teams of the time in the top division. During his time at "Zhemchuzhina," he coached notable players like Gochi Gogrichiani.

In 1998, due to health reasons, Arseniy stepped down as the coach of the team. However, when the team began to struggle under new coaches, he returned to rebuild the team. He led them to an eighth-place finish in the league.

After a few unsuccessful seasons in the second division and financial troubles, the team was disbanded. It was revived in 2007, with Arseniy once again serving as the head coach. The team, named "Zhemchuzhina-A," quickly earned promotion to the second division.

Aside from his club coaching career, Arseniy also achieved success as the coach of the Russian student national team, winning the World Championship in 2005. He also guided the South Russian State University of Economics and Service team to a successful performance in the Russian Championship.

Arseniy chose to change his last name after getting married, as he believed it would be easier to avoid anti-Semitic attacks in his further sports career. He passed away on June 7, 2010, after a prolonged illness.