Lev Yashin

About Lev Yashin

Lev Yashin (1929 – 1990), known as the "Black Spider," was one of football's most revolutionary figures, holding the distinction of being the only goalkeeper ever to win the Ballon d'Or. His historical importance, reflected in his #801 rank by MIT's Pantheon project, stems from redefining the role of the goalkeeper—moving aggressively off his line to sweep up through balls—a tactic that influenced the modern game globally.

In the modern digital arena of 2025, Yashin registers an annualized 563K Wikipedia views, resulting in an Attention Gap score of approximately 1x. This indicates that his current internet attention closely aligns with his profound historical influence, setting him apart from many historical figures whose digital presence is far lower than their HPI rank suggests. For contrast, significantly more historically ranked figures like Pope Urban VII (#422) receive under 105K views.

Furthermore, Yashin’s digital interest shows positive momentum, with a 5.4% year-over-year increase in views and a notable 17% spike in interest between Q1 and Q3 of 2025, suggesting sustained or growing recognition among contemporary audiences.