Viktor Serebryanikov

Viktor Petrovich Serebryanikov (Russian: Виктор Петрович Серебряников; Ukrainian: Віктор Петрович Серебряников) (29 March 1940, Zaporizhia – 12 November 2014) is a former Soviet Ukrainian footballer. He is the first player to be awarded the Ukrainian Footballer of the Year award.

Serebryanikov was the first coach of the today Nyva Ternopil that started out in the collective farm "Path to the Communism" from Pidhaitsi, Berezhany Raion in Ternopil region in 1978.

Honours

• Soviet Top League winner: 1961, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1971.
• Soviet Cup winner: 1964, 1966.

International career

Serebryanikov made his debut for USSR on 11 October 1964 in a friendly against Austria (he was selected for the 1962 FIFA World Cup squad, but did not play in any games at the tournament). He played in the 1966 and 1970 World Cup tournaments.

He is statistically remembered as the first substituted player in the history of the World Cup, in 1970, the first World Cup where substitutions were allowed. He was substituted at half-time in the opening game of the tournament, between USSR and hosts Mexico, when he was replaced by Anatoliy Puzach.