FIFA President Infantino Mourns Death of Nikita Simonyan

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has expressed his condolences on the death of legendary footballer and Olympic champion with the USSR national team, Nikita Simonyan.

"I was saddened to learn of the passing of Nikita Simonyan at the age of 99. The famous former captain of the Soviet Union national team, who led the national team in their first World Cup match and scored his nation's first goal in the finals, dedicated a significant part of his life to football. On behalf of FIFA and the entire global football community, I extend my sincere condolences to his family, loved ones, and all who knew and worked with him," Infantino wrote on social media.

Nikita Simonyan passed away on November 23 at the age of 99. He is the all-time top scorer for Spartak Moscow with 160 goals. With Spartak, Simonyan became a four-time USSR champion (1952, 1953, 1956, 1958) and a two-time cup winner (1950, 1958).

As a head coach, Simonyan led the team to two USSR championships (1962, 1969) and won the USSR Cup three times (1963, 1965, 1971).