The Russian Pele: The Scandal of Eduard Streltsov | Part Two

It Was What It Was : The Football History Podcast

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History, Rob Draper, Jonathan Wilson, Football, It What Was What It Was, The Overlap, Football History, Premier League, Four Four Two, When Saturday Comes, English Football, The Blizzard, Stick To Football, Sports, Soccer

4.9 • 667 Ratings

🗓️ 2 December 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Welcome to It Was What It Was, the football history podcast. Co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper look into the dark and controversial period of Streltsov’s life. In this second part we cover the heinous crime that Streltsov was accused of, the subsequent trial and conviction, and his years in the Gulag. Despite the damning evidence, Streltsov's eventual return to football and continued popularity are explored, along with the societal implications and unresolved questions surrounding his story. Join us for a detailed look at both the fall and unexpected resurgence of a man once considered the 'Russian Pele.’

This episode contains discussion of sexual abuse and rape, which some listeners may find distressing. If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised, the NHS provides a list of support services and resources here:

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sexual-health/help-after-rape-and-sexual-assault

00:00 A Dark Story Unfolds

00:31 The Accusation and Confession

04:50 The Aftermath and Public Reaction

05:40 Evidence and Forensic Details

07:05 The State's Role

08:22 Personal Struggles and Downfall

23:42 Speculations and Suspicions

26:14 The Case Against Streltsov

28:14 The Soviet State's Role

30:31 Marina's Disappearance

32:08 Life in the Gulag

40:15 Streltsov’s Return to Football

48:21 Legacy and Controversy

52:06 Conclusion

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Transcript

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0:00.0	They went to the datcher. It's a dark story. Who raped whom? It's hard to say. I think if a
0:12.1	girls go to suburbs for a night, then a guy is waiting for her, as it were. And she is the same.
0:17.7	I don't believe it was a set up. No, maybe it was the host of the Datcher.
0:21.2	I don't know who raped her, but she said it was Strelts off. So it's a dark story.
0:27.6	Welcome back to It Was What It Was. I'm Rob Drape. I'm here of Jonathan Wilson.
0:32.9	And this is indeed a very dark story, a tragic story.
0:38.3	Certainly for Marina Lebedeva, who is the victim, certainly, of a rape, it seems.
0:44.6	And we're looking at the story of Edward Strzlovsov, the man who's accused that rape,
0:48.6	the man who will be punished for that rape, who is the great, I suppose, lost hope of Russian football, Jonathan, isn't he?
0:55.4	He was a superb teenage player who looked like he was going to dominate the Soviet Union football
1:01.4	scene for years to come. He's perhaps a player who might have won the Soviet Union in the
1:06.0	1958 World Cup, Goodyear outshined, Pelle at that tournament, but his life has just completely
1:12.4	disentangled at this stage because he's been accused of rape. The circumstances look very,
1:18.6	very bad for him. He's certainly been guilty of some terrible behaviour that night, which we've
1:24.2	gone over in part one. Do you go back and listen to that. And Jonathan,
1:28.4	where we left it, he had made a confession and said, yes, he was guilty of rape. The
1:33.5	circumstantial evidence certainly seems to point to him. So really, it's an opening shut case,
1:39.0	is it not? Well, you would think so, but there are certain complications.
1:45.7	I think we'll come into some of the more reasonable doubts later on.
1:49.4	But the rape happened on the night of May the 25th.
1:52.8	On May the 27th, the Soviet Football Federation, the VSFK,
1:57.8	they give Strelts of a life ban from football on the back of his confession. And on that day,
	...

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