Oleg Kusov. Exclusively for VK
One of the best Soviet football players, Alekper Mamedov, died recently at the age of 85. Mamedov was not only a gifted sportsman but also a dear friend for many. He was loved in Moscow as well as in Baku, his native city.
"I believe Alekper Mamedov was the most brilliant football player in the South Caucasus during Soviet times," Russian sports journalist and writer Valery Vinokurov says. "He was my favourite player of all time, as well as Salnikov except for goalkeepers, especially Yashin. In 1954 Moscow Dynamo travelled to Italy, to Milan. Dynamo played Milan and won 4:1. Alik scored the four goals. Two or three times Yury Kuznetsov helped him."
"In 1962 or 1963 Spartak played Baku's Neftyannik in Moscow. Spartak was the country's champion at the time. The match was held in Luzhniki. Alik Mamedov, Yura Kuznetsov and their friend Adamas Golodets demonstrated a marvellous performance. It was fascinating. Their team won with a great score," he said.
"Not long ago, Alik, Yura and I were reminiscing about those days and said that they won with such a great score, but Alik told me that the score was actually 2:1. I was astonished. I thought it was 4:1 or so. I told him that I was going to check it and eventually he was proved right," he said.
Legendary player Lev Yashin once wrote about Mamedov: "He was a very skilful player, he had his own original style, he knew how to use the pitch to his advantage and he was very strong during an attack."
When Alekper Mamedov and Yury Kurnetson together joined Dynamo FC, many residents of Baku travelled to Moscow every weekend to watch them playing. On Monday morning the whole city would be discussing the last match. Both players returned to Neftyannik in 1960. According to Lev Yashin, both missed Baku very much when in Moscow. This year Mamedov was invited to the Italian embassy in Azerbaijan on his birthday. The ambassador noted that Mamedov was the only one to score four goals, while playing against the world's best team - Milan. The whole stadium applauded, the ambassador said.
Alekper Mamedov will always be remembered. He was a truly remarkable player. He was an example of mastery and dedication.
Alekper Mamedov was born in 1930. Best known as a striker for FC Dynamo Moscow in the 1950s, and later as the first manager of the independent Azerbaijani national football team. Mammadov was well known for scoring the winning goal for Dynamo to clinch the Soviet top League title for the club in the 87th minute of their 1957 championship match against Spartak Moscow; 50 years later, Mammadov's strike was commemorated when he was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky (first degree) at Dynamo's Petrovsky Park. In addition to the 45 goals he scored as a member of Dynamo in league play, Mammadov also scored 11 times in international club play, including equalizers against A.C. Milan in front of 100,000 spectators at the San Siro in 1955 and against the Brazilian side Vasco da Gama during their 1956 friendly in Moscow in front of 90,000 fans.
