Discover ‘Fedya: The People’s Football’ – A Heartfelt Biopic of USSR Football Legend Fyodor Cherenkov

We are not afraid of enemies – Fyodor Cherenkov is with us!

Watch Sport24 film reviewer Elizaveta Kazakova sports drama based on the biography of the famous USSR football player. I tell you what an honest story it was about a great athlete, his career and his endless love for football.

“Fedya. The People’s Football” (film, 2024)

• Sort of: sports, drama, biography.
• Director: Nikolai Akelkin.
• Actors: Stanislav Rumyantsev, Nikolay Fomenko, Boris Shcherbakov, Igor Petrenko, Sergey Migitsko and others.

Fedor Cherenkov is a football genius and an icon for Spartak fans. He played the highest number of games for the red and white, and was often recognized as the best football player in the country. But behind the image of the great athlete was a man with a complex character and mental problems.

The film shows in detail the classic path of a football player – from the first victories in the garden to international competitions and national love. The plot is built around the main stages of Cherenkov’s life and career until 1987. It all starts with an impromptu goal, where the flexible little boy Fedya in shady sneakers scores his first goal . Next, he will have a wonderful acquaintance with the head of Spartak Moscow, Nikolai Starostin, who will advise the coach to take a closer look at the young talent. Gritty training, perseverance and passion for football make him one of the best midfielders in the history of the red and white.

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The film directed by Nikolai Akelkin differs from most biopics about great Soviet athletes (“Legend No. 17” (2013), “Streltsov” (2020), “Moving Up” (2017) by are not antagonists in the usual sense. The fight against rivals and opponents fades into the background. Throughout the film, Cherenkov struggles alone and severe mental illness, which is aggravated by several unpleasant events and to a large extent: the failure of Spartak in the meeting with the Belgian Anderlecht, the terrible accident at Luzhniki in 1982 and difficult relations with the national team Soviet Union.

From time to time the rainbow pages of the biography are replaced by dark stripes. What is happening on the screen is watched in one breath, despite the running time of more than two hours.

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The film is full of warm feelings and great respect for Fedor Cherenkov and love for football. It is clear to the naked eye that people who know more about sports than about cinema worked hard on its creation. The representative of “Football of the People” was Sergei Shishkarev, the vice-president of the Russian Olympic Committee, the director Nikolai Akelkin, who was the general director of the PFL, and the scriptwriter Ilya Kazakov was a person -previous sports news. Because of the unusual “starting line”, the football part of the film was stronger than the dramatic part.

The game scenes are beautifully shot, detailed and very believable. It’s not just a couple of feet of running or kicking a ball. On the cinema screen the game is revealed in all its glory. Although there were times when the camera work raised several questions. There are too many smart flights over the stadium and a shaky camera, as if they were attached to the ball.

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The creators skillfully weaved many Easter eggs and references into the plot, which only true fans of Soviet football and Spartak will see. Connoisseurs really like to watch it, and everyone will discover an exciting, but at the same time very honest story about the development of a great athlete.

After the premiere of the film, Cherenkov’s only daughter, Anastasia, who was an ideological provocateur, bowed to the film crew and made an interesting speech:

“I don’t know how to explain how grateful I am to the people behind me. I wish each of you. Many thanks to my family, thanks to his father and mother. Thanks to everyone who came and appreciated this movie. This is a true film created with the heart and soul of those who took part in it.”