Ilya Yuryevich Leonov (russian: Илья Юрьевич Леонов; born 21 December 1979 in Moscow) is a retired Russian

beach soccer Beach soccer, also known as beach football, sand football or beasal, is a variant of association football played on a beach or some form of sand. Whilst football has been played informally on beaches, the introduction of ''beach soccer'' was an a ...

and former futsal player. From 2010 to 2018, he played for Lokomotiv Moscow, where for a time he served both as player and coach. After his retirement as a player he is coaching the Russia women's national beach soccer team, winning with them two

Euro Beach Soccer Cup The Euro Beach Soccer Cup (EBSC), originally known as the ''European Pro Beach Soccer Championships'' until 2004, was a biennial (previously annual) beach soccer competition contested between European men's national teams, organised by Beach Socc ...

s in a row, and continues coaching Lokomotiv Moscow. He is Merited Master of Sports of Russia.

Career

Leonov made his first steps into football in the school "Timiryazevets". He debuted in professional sports for Sportakademklub Moscow. After three seasons, Leonov decided to switch to futsal by debuting for Poligran Moscow. Following two seasons in the premier league, that club gained entry to the highest national futsal league. The 2002/03 season was the last one for Poligran, after which it was abolished. Leonov went to the Leman-Payp Moscow, then he played for

Yakutia Sakha, officially the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia),, is the largest republic of Russia, located in the Russian Far East, along the Arctic Ocean, with a population of roughly 1 million. Sakha comprises half of the area of its governing Far ...

n Almaz-Alrosa. In the second-highest division from 2009 to 2010 he and his team won the trophy. In 2005, Leonov discovered

. Between futsal seasons he participated on beach soccer tournaments. He quickly debuted for the national beach soccer team and considerably helped his team to progress. In 2009 and 2011 the Russians won the superfinal of the Euro Beach Soccer League, and soon won their first championship title. Leonov as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

received the Golden Ball award. On 21 December 2012, Leonov was named Merited Master of Sports by the order of the Sports Minister.

Achievements

Some of Leonov's notable achievements:

As player

Futsal clubs

*European Champions Cup: 2006 *Club World Cup: 2005 *Intercontinental Cup: 2005, 2006, 2007

Beach soccer clubs

*Russian National Championship: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 *Russian Cup: 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 *Russian Super Cup: 2011 *

Euro Winners Cup The Euro Winners Cup (EWC) is an annual, continental beach soccer club competition contested between top-division European teams; the clubs that are their country's national league/cup champions (and, for some nations, one or more runners-up) from ...

: 2013 * Mundialito de Clubes: 2012

Beach soccer national team

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup is an international beach soccer competition contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA, the sport's global governing body. The tournament was preceded by the ''Beach Soccer World Champio ...

: 2011, 2013 *

: 2005, 2010, 2012 * Euro Beach Soccer League: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 * Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

Individually

*2011 season **

– Golden Ball *2012 season **Merited Master of Sports (21 December 2012) *2013 season ** Euro Beach Soccer League, Stage 5 – MVP **Euro Beach Soccer League, Superfinal – MVP

As coach

* Women's Euro Beach Soccer Cup: 2018, 2019

References

External links

Profile at Beach Soccer Russia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonov, Ilya Russian beach soccer players 1979 births Living people Sportspeople from Moscow Russian men's futsal players European Games gold medalists for Russia Beach soccer players at the 2015 European Games European Games medalists in beach soccer