Yashin, though, is probably best known as the player who reshaped goalkeeping for the modern era.
He was the first player to make the penalty area his own, combining his athleticism and courage to halt even the best strikers.
And, while his technique has been copied and possibly bettered, no one can match his 270 clean sheets or a reported 150 penalty saves.
But Yashin, who had started working in a tools factory in Moscow at the age of 13, very nearly turned his back on the game.
Restless at being forced to warm the Dynamo Moscow bench behind Alexei Khomich, he considered a switch to ice hockey.
He stayed put, earning the nicknames "Black Panther" and "Black Spider" in reference to the all-black outfit he insisted on wearing while playing.
Yashin's ice-cool exterior remained intact throughout his career thanks in part to his unorthodox ritual of a strong drink and cigarette before big matches.