Mikhail Pavlovich Ogonkov (Russian: Михаил Павлович Огоньков; 24 June 1932 in Moscow – 14 August 1979, Moscow) was a Russian footballer of the 1950s and 1960s.[1] He played as a left-back for Spartak Moscow. According to the footballer Nikita Simonyan Mikhail Ogonkov was the best Soviet Full Back of all times[2]

Olympic medal record
Representing  Soviet Union
Men's Football
Gold medal – first place 1956 Melbourne Team Competition
Mikhail Ogonkov
Personal information
Full name Mikhail Pavlovich Ogonkov
Date of birth (1932-06-24)24 June 1932
Place of birth Moscow, USSR
Date of death 14 August 1979(1979-08-14) (aged 47)
Place of death Moscow, USSR
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
Krasny Proletariy Moscow
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1953–1958 FC Spartak Moscow
1961 FC Spartak Moscow
International career
1955–1958 USSR 23 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ogonkov was a member of the USSR team that won the 1956 Olympic gold medal. His main attributes were his positioning, exceptional fitness and strong tackling.[3]

In 1958 he was arrested, along with Eduard Streltsov and Boris Tatushin, over an alleged rape. The resulting indefinite ban later reduced to three-year ban from football deprived him of playing at his peak. Soon after his return from suspension in 1961 he was badly injured (his kidney was removed) and forced to retire from playing football. He then worked as a children coach in Spartak Moscow.[1]

In 1979 his dead body was found in his Moscow apartment apparently two weeks after the death. The cause of the death was not properly investigated although murder was rumored.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Gennady Larchikov Artist on the Field and in Life, Sovetsky Sport N109, 2002 "СПАРТАК'70 - официальный юбилейный сайт" (in Russian). Archived from the original on 19 July 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2008.
  2. ^ Spartak's Hall of Fame (in Russian)
  3. ^ "Mikhail Ogonkov". Olympedia. Retrieved 1 December 2021.