Taking one’s pace between the posts at the magnificent VTB Arena is one thing; doing so in the shadow of the most legendary goalkeeper in Soviet football history is quite another. Outside the enormous venue is a bronze statue that pays homage to Lev Yashin, who remains the only goalkeeper to be awarded the Ballon D’Or, and who represented Dynamo Moscow for his entire career.

Not many goalkeepers could come close to matching his legacy or showing the same constancy and assurance, but in his own way Anton Shunin has assumed the mantle of Dynamo’s leader.

The story so far

Like Yashin, Anton Shunin has only played for Dynamo Moscow his whole career. Comparisons between the pair were always going to be inevitable given the length of their connections to the same club, and Shunin himself has had to field questions about the link for some time. He is now just 12 clean sheets away from joining the Yashin Club - the exclusive group of goalkeepers to have accumulated at least 100 clean sheets for Russian clubs and the national team - and admits that his ambition is to join the elite group before he hangs up his gloves.

“Of course, people flatter me, because Lev Yashin is a world-class goalkeeper, the best of the best. I still have a lot to strive for in order to compare me with Lev Ivanovich. But to some extent there are parallels. I play for this club and Lev Ivanovich played here all his life; there are comparisons. And I'm very happy about it. But again, I repeat that this is an advance.”

It hasn’t always been as smooth as discussing links to a legend of the game. In fact, over the 33-year-old’s whole career, he has only been a regular starter for seven seasons before the 2020/21 campaign, and one of them was in the second tier when Dynamo were relegated for the first time in their entire history in 2016. 

He joined the Dynamo academy system all the way back in 1995, and once he had a sniff of senior action his initial ascent was rapid. He was first named on the bench for the first-team for the 2-2 draw at home to Zenit St. Petersburg in July 2006, and was involved in the matchday squad for a further seven matches that season. A little over a year later he had been called up to the full senior squad for his country by Guus Hiddink.

He made his full Dynamo debut on matchday six of the following season, and kept his place in goal for all but two of the remaining league fixtures of 2007. Lokomotiv Moscow were very interested in signing him, but Shunin, from his own words, turned down their offer with a $100,000 salary. The season was a personal breakthrough for him, but it didn’t come without heartbreak.

In the last 16 of the Russian Cup, Dynamo travelled to the Petrovsky Stadium to take on Zenit St. Petersburg, and were on the end of a humiliating 9-3 thrashing. Shunin had started on the bench, but was forced to come on after starting keeper Zydrunas Karcemarskas was injured with the score at 1-0, and the youngster was beaten eight times, including three from the penalty spot.

Within a year, however, he had lost his place to Vladimir Gabulov. The following two seasons saw a total of eight appearances until Gabulov left the club in 2011, but Shunin’s subsequent run in the first team was enough to earn him a call-up to the Russia Euro 2012 squad. Later that year, he suffered what could easily have been a serious injury to his eye in a match against Zenit St. Petersburg when a firecracker was thrown from the stands and went off in his face. He suffered chemical burns to his cornea and eyelids and a temporary loss of hearing, but was back on the bench a fortnight later and resumed his place in the side the following spring.

When Gabulov returned to Dynamo though, Shunin was once again left on the sidelines. Just 16 league starts between 2013 and 2016 saw him remain on as second fiddle for his club, while he didn’t receive an international call-up for six years until the 2018/19 UEFA Nations League campaign. Last November, he finally played a full 90 minutes for his country, against San Marino in a comfortable 5-0 win in Euro 2020 qualification.

Bittersweet experiences continued to follow Shunin. In 2016 he was handed the captain’s armband for the first time, but a few weeks later Dynamo were relegated for the first time in their entire history after having been forced to sell off the vast majority of the squad. Shunin’s perseverance was a cornerstone of the only second-tier campaign as they came straight back up. At long last, as club captain and back in the top flight, Shunin had arrived.

He went on to be voted Player of the Season in both of the last two seasons, and found his way back into favour as Russia’s number one. While he hasn’t lifted a single piece of silverware in his senior career, he claims he isn’t motivated by tangible rewards. Instead, he has settled for a far more important prize - a place in the hearts of Dynamo Moscow fans, and an ambition to join the Yashin Club.

Did you know?

When 16-year-old Znamya Truda goalkeeper Ivan Zaborovsky was struck by lightning earlier this year, Shunin quickly responded to reassure the youngster with a gift and words of reassurance. “Vanya, I hear you're on the mend. I want to give you a small gift to achieve your dreams. I hope you can start training soon. I want to give you these gloves and boots,” said Shunin on a social media post to the recovering teenager.

Plays like…

Edwin van der Sar. The Dutch legend held a similarly zealous focus between the posts, and shared Shunin’s concentration levels. Both have a slender frame - although Van Der Sar eyesight centimetres taller - and use their physical stature to great effect when diving at full stretch. Like the former Manchester United keeper, Shunin is less known for playing the ball out from the back with his feet. 

They say…

“I'm a huge fan of Dynamo, I was very nervous yesterday, and I'm very happy that the team is winning. Anton Shunin is a great player, he's doing great.” - Valentina Yashina, Lev Yashin’s widow, the day after Dynamo beat Krasnodar 2-0 in October 2020.

“I think I'll be able to play until I'm 40 without any problems, especially since my physique allows me to. I feel a lot of strength and energy. I am one of those who trains more than anyone in the team. As long as that's the case, I want to play.” - Anton Shunin, on his own future.

“Hi. I'm your head coach. I will watch the match today and worry about you. Good luck.” - Sandro Schwarz - in English, having not even yet met Shunin in person - in a message to his goalkeeper before playing for Russia.

Photo: Konstantin Tverdovsky/Dynamo Moscow; Konstantin Rybin/RPL