Russian Empire national football team facts for kids
| to 1910–1914 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Association | All-Russian Football Union (VFS) Всероссийский футбольный союз |
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| Most caps | Vasily Zhitarev (7) | ||
| Top scorer | Vasily Zhitarev (4) | ||
| FIFA code | RUS | ||
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| First international | |||
Unofficial Russia 5–4 Bohemia  (Saint Petersburg, Russia; 16 October 1910) Official  Finland 2–1 Russia (Stockholm, Sweden; 30 June 1912) |
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| Biggest win | |||
| Russia 5–4 Bohemia (Saint Petersburg, Russia; 16 October 1910) Russia 1–0 Bohemia (Moscow, Russia; 23 October 1910) |
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| Biggest defeat | |||
 Germany 16–0 Russia (Stockholm, Sweden; 1 July 1912) |
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| Summer Olympics | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 1912) | ||
| Best result | Quarter-finals in 1912 | ||
The Russian Empire national football team was a football team that played for the Russian Empire between 1910 and 1914. This team represented Russia in international football matches before the Soviet Union was formed. They played several games, including at the Summer Olympics.
Contents
History of the Team
How Russian Football Began
The Russian Empire football team played its very first unofficial international match in October 1910. They played against the Bohemia national team from the Czech Republic. Russia won this exciting game 5–4.
Joining the World Stage
The All-Russian Football Union was created in January 1912. In the same year, this organization became a member of FIFA. FIFA is the main international group that organizes football worldwide.
The team's first official international game was at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. They played against the Finland national team. Even though Finland was part of Russia at that time, they competed as a separate team. Russia lost this first official match 2–1.
End of an Era
The growth of football leagues in Russia slowed down when the First World War started in 1914. Matches that were planned for 1915 against teams like Germany and France had to be cancelled.
Many players from the team were lost during the war. Others left the country after the October Revolution in 1917. The Soviet Union national football team was later formed in August 1923. FIFA recognized this new team as the successor to the Russian Empire team. Today, the team is known as the Russia national football team, which started in 1992.
Team Managers
The Russian Empire national football team had two main managers during its short history:
- Georges Duperron (1910–1913)
- Robert Fulda (1914)
Olympic Games Record
The Russian Empire team participated in the Olympic Games once.
| Olympic Games Record | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | |
 1896 |
No football tournament was held | |||||||||
 1900 |
Did not enter | |||||||||
 1904 |
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 1908 |
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 1912 |
Second round | 11th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 18 | Squad | |
| Total | Second round | 1/4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 18 | — | |
International Matches Played
The Russian Empire national football team played a total of 8 official and 8 unofficial international matches. These games took place between October 1910 and July 1914.
| Date | Location | Venue | Competition | Opponent | Score (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 October 1910 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | Sport Stadium | Unofficial match | Bohemia |
5–4 |
| 23 October 1910 | Moscow, Russia | ZKS Stadium | Unofficial match | Bohemia |
1–0 |
| 2 September 1911 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | Nevsky Stadium | Unofficial match |  England Amateurs |
0–14 |
| 3 September 1911 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | Nevsky Stadium | Unofficial match | England Amateurs |
0–7 |
| 4 September 1911 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | Nevsky Stadium | Unofficial match | England Amateurs |
0–11 |
| 6 May 1912 | Moscow, Russia | Union Golf Club | Unofficial match | Finland |
1–1 |
| 30 June 1912 | Stockholm, Sweden | Olympic Stadium | Summer Olympics | Finland |
1–2 |
| 1 July 1912 | Stockholm, Sweden | Olympic Stadium | Summer Olympics | Germany |
0–16 |
| 3 July 1912 | Stockholm, Sweden | Tranebergs Idrottsplats | Friendly match |  Norway |
1–2 |
| 12 July 1912 | Moscow, Russia | Sokolniki Park | Unofficial match |  Hungary |
0–9 |
| 14 July 1912 | Moscow, Russia | Sokolniki Park | Friendly match | Hungary |
0–12 |
| 29 April 1913 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | Nevsky Stadium | Unofficial match | Sweden |
1–5 |
| 4 May 1913 | Moscow, Russia | Sokolniki Park | Friendly match | Sweden |
1–4 |
| 14 September 1913 | Moscow, Russia | Sokolniki Park | Friendly match | Norway |
1–1 |
| 5 July 1914 | Stockholm, Sweden | Olympic Stadium | Friendly match | Sweden |
2–2 |
| 12 July 1914 | Christiania, Norway | Bislett | Friendly match | Norway |
1–1 |
(1) The Russian Empire's score is always listed first.
Player Records
These records only include official international matches.
Players with Most Games
These players played the most official matches for the Russian Empire team.
| Rank | Name | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vasily Zhitarev | 8 | 4 | 1912–1914 |
| 2 | Nikita Khromov | 6 | 0 | 1912–1913 |
| 3 | Vasily Butusov | 5 | 1 | 1912–1913 |
| 4 | Andrei Akimov | 4 | 1 | 1912–1913 |
| Pyotr Sokolov | 0 | 1912 | ||
| 6 | Nikolai Denisov | 3 | 0 | 1913–1914 |
| Lev Favorsky | 0 | 1912 | ||
| Dmitri Matrin | 0 | 1912–1913 | ||
| Aleksandr Filippov | 0 | 1912–1914 | ||
| Fyodor Rimsha | 0 | 1912 | ||
| Sergei Romanov | 0 | 1913–1914 | ||
| Mikhail Nikolayevich Smirnov | 0 | 1912 | ||
| Ivan Vorontsov | 0 | 1913–1914 | ||
| Mikhail Yakovlev | 0 | 1912–1913 |
Top Goal Scorers
These players scored the most goals for the Russian Empire team in official matches.
| Rank | Name | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vasily Zhitarev | 4 | 8 | 0.5 | 1912–1914 |
| 2 | Valentin Vasilyevich Sysoyev | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1913 |
| Aleksandr Krotov | 1 | 1 | 1914 | ||
| Andrei Akimov | 4 | 0.25 | 1912–1913 | ||
| Vasily Butusov | 5 | 0.2 | 1912–1913 |
See also
In Spanish: Selección de fútbol del Imperio Ruso para niños
