Igor Netto is associated with the highest achievements of the Soviet football team. He was the team captain when the USSR won the football tournament at the 1956 Summer Olympics. He also lead the national team when it won the 1960 European Nations' Cup. However, Netto’s behavior on the field outshined all his sports achievements and went down in history for his exemplary commitment to fair play. During a group-stage match of the 1962 World Cup against Uruguay with the score tied at 1-1, Igor Chislenko from the Soviet team took a shot at the opponent’s goalpost.

The ball made it into the net, but from the outside through a hole in the net. The referees failed to notice this and pointed to the center field. When the Uruguayan team started to complain, Netto approached Chislenko to find out whether the goal was actually scored according to the rules. Being the team captain, Netto then informed the referee about what actually happened and the goal was canceled.

By the way, the USSR team did win the match after all with Valentin Ivanov scoring the victory goal one minute to go before the end of the encounter.