Alekper Mamedov is a Soviet and Azerbaijani footballer best known as a striker for FC Dynamo Moscow

FC Dynamo Moscow

Dynamo Moscow is a Russian football club based in Moscow, currently playing in the Russian Premier League. Dynamo's traditional kit colours are blue and white...

 in the 1950s and later as the first manager of the independent Azerbaijan national football team

Azerbaijan national football team

The Azerbaijan national football team is the national football team of Azerbaijan and is controlled by Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan...

. He has been classified as a Master of Sport of the USSR

Unified Sports Classification System of the USSR

Unified Sports Classification System of the USSR is a document which provided general Soviet physical education system requirements for athletes. The classification was established in 1935 and was based on separate classifications, which existed for several sports disciplines before...

 as a four-time champion player in the Soviet Top League

Soviet Top League

The Soviet Top League since 1970 was officially known as the Supreme League serving as the top division of Soviet Union football since 1936.It was one of the best football leagues in Europe ranking second among the UEFA members in 1988-1989 seasons...

 and a member of the Soviet national team

USSR national football team

The Soviet Union National Football Team was the national football team of the Soviet Union. It ceased to exist after the break up of the Union...

. Mamedov also played for and managed his hometown club PFC Neftchi Baku for a total of 12 years.

Mamedov is 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

FC Spartak Moscow

FC Spartak Moscow is a Russian football club from Moscow. Having won 12 Soviet championships and 9 of 19 Russian championships they are one of the country's most successful clubs. They have also won the Soviet Cup 10 times and the Russian Cup 3 times...

; 50 years later, Mamedov's strike was commemorated when he was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky (first degree)

Order of Alexander Nevsky

The Order of Alexander Nevsky is an order of merit bestowed by the Russian Federation. It is named in honour ofAlexander Nevsky's struggle with the Teutonic Knights....

 at Dynamo's Petrovsky Park. In addition to the 45 goals he scored as a member of Dynamo in league play, Mamedov also scored 11 times in international club play, including equalizers against A.C. Milan

A.C. Milan

Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...

 in front of 100,000 spectators at San Siro

San Siro

The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, originally and commonly referred to as the San Siro because of its location, officially given its current name on 3 March 1980, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano...

 in 1955 and against the Brazilian side Vasco da Gama

Associação Desportiva Vasco da Gama

Associação Desportiva Vasco da Gama or simply Vasco da Gama is a Brazilian football team which is situated in the city of Rio Branco in the state of Acre. Associação Desportiva Vasco da Gama's home kit is a white shirt with a black diagonal stripe from the top right corner of the shirt to the...

 during their 1956 friendly in Moscow

Moscow

Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

 in front of 90,000 fans.

Between 1972 and 1990, Mamedov was the President of the staff that organized the "Leather Ball" All-Soviet Youth Football Tournament (Всероссийский турнир юных футболистов «Кожаный мяч»), which now is associated with the Danone Nations Cup

Danone Nations Cup

The Danone Nations Cup is an international football competition organized every year since 2000, on the initiative of Groupe Danone.Supported by Zinedine Zidane, it gathers 10 to 12 y.o. teams from 40 different countries and all continents. This competition is made of 40 national tournaments and a...

. Mamedov wrote a memoir titled Secrets of the Football Profession in 1991.

In 1992, Mamedov became the first head coach of the Azerbaijani national football team, compiling a 3-1 record as coach that includes the first ever national team victory, over Georgia

Georgia national football team

The Georgia national football team is the national association football team of Georgia and is controlled by the Georgian Football Federation. The Georgian team's first match took place in 1990, while Georgia was still part of the Soviet Union. The team have attempted to qualify for each major...

, on May 25, 1993. For his contributions to Azerbaijani football, a football tournament was established in 2008 in Mamedov's honor, which was played in Baku

Baku

Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...

.

External links

• Player stats on KLISF
• Great Azerbaijani Athletes: Alekper Mamedov
• RussianTeam.ru: We Must Draw on the
• Videoclip about Alakbar Mammadov

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