Valeriy Vasylovych Lobanovskyi was born in Kyiv on January 6, 1939. He played as an attacker for FC Dynamo Kyiv (1959–1964), FC Chernomorets Odessa (1965–1966), and FC Shakhtar Donetsk (1967–1968). Champion of the USSR in 1961. Winner of the USSR Cup in 1964. Played two matches for the USSR national team and two matches for the USSR Olympic team.

After retiring from playing, he took up coaching and led FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (1968–1973) and FC Dynamo Kyiv (1973–1982, 1984–1990, 1996–2002). Under Lobanovskyi's leadership, the Kyiv Dynamo won eight titles in the USSR Championship and five in the Ukrainian Championship. As a coach, he achieved six wins in the USSR Cup, three in the Ukrainian Cup, as well as triumphs in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1975 and 1986, and the UEFA Super Cup in 1975.

The Soviet national team led by Valeriy Lobanovskyi was a bronze medalist at the Olympics-1976 and silver — at Euro-1988. The Kuwaiti national team, with which he also worked, has a bronze in its active record from the 1994 Asian Games. He coached the Ukrainian national team in 2000–2001.

Photo by Mykola Bokoch

Valeriy Lobanovskyi was awarded the UEFA Order of Merit and the FIFA Order of Merit.

The legendary coach died on May 13, 2002, in Zaporizhzhia.

Under the auspices of the Ukrainian Football Association, the Valeriy Lobanovskyi Tournament is held.