His former club Spartak Moscow announced the death of the former striker on its website. “Sad news came this morning. After a long illness, at the age of 77, the legendary striker of Spartak and the USSR national team, Alexander Martynyuk, died,” the statement reads.
Martynyuk won the title of world champion twice, and three times won the title of champion of the Soviet Union with Spartak. He played a total of 410 games and scored 212 goals in the highest league competition there. In 1973, he created a still valid Russian record for the number of goals scored, when he scored eight goals in one match for the West German team at the World Cup. The match then ended in an 18:2 debacle for Germany.
Sad news came this morning. After a long illness, Alexander Akimovich Martynyuk died at the age of 77. https://t.co/mUG7tGa1z4 pic.twitter.com/UULCKMPB0r
— Spartak Moscow (@spartak_hc) November 16, 2022
Even at an advanced age, he did not say goodbye to his favorite game. He still started in the selections of veterans of Spartak and legends of the USSR. Before Wednesday’s match with Čerepovec, Spartak honored their former legendary player with a minute of silence.
