Career
He works as an assistant manager with Football Club Torpedo Armavir. From 1992 to 2003, he played 71 internationals, and featured at two World Cups and Euro 96. With 26 goals, was the all-time goal leader for the Russian national team until surpassed by Aleksandr Kerzhakov in September 2014.
He is also the record goalscorer in the Commonwealth of Independent States Cup, with 20 goals for Football Club Spartak Moscow.
His club career that started in 1991, with Beschastnykh playing for Zvezda Moscow, Spartak Moscow, Werder Bremen, Racing Santander, Fenerbahçe, and Kuban Krasnodar. In the 2004-2005 season he played for Football Club Orel in Russia"s First Liga (second-level division after Premier Liga).
On 15 December 2005, Beschastnykh signed up with another First Liga club – Football Club Khimki, a well-funded football team from a Moscow suburb, competing for a place in the upper echelon of the Russian championship. In May 2007, Football Club Khimki released Beschastnykh.
After playing for Kazakh Premier League side Football Club Astana in 2008, he retired from playing.
Foreign Russia, Beschastnykh scored 26 goals in 71 caps, his first coming in 1992. Until Aleksandr Kerzhakov surpassed him in September 2014, he was the top goalscorer for the Russian national team excluding Soviet-era goals (Oleg Blokhin had 42 for the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics national team). One of these goals came in the 2002 World Cup against Belgium.
Beschastnykh also played in the 1994 tournament, as well as in Euro 96.
International goals
His identical twin Mikhail Beschastnykh also played football professionally.