Today marks the 53rd anniversary of Islam Karimov, the coach of the Neftchi Football Academy, who coached teams of 9, 10 and 11-year-old football players. He started working for Neftchi in January 1992 and volunteered for the front in March of that year. The specialist, who won 10 gold, 8 silver and 7 bronze medals in the competitions held under the AFFA flag, is an eight-time winner of the Baku Championship and a five-time winner of the Stars of Tomorrow. In 2002, for the first time in the history of Azerbaijani football with the U-17 national team. Karimov, who qualified for the elite round of the European Championship, won international tournaments in 2005 with Neftchi's U-15 team in Italy, with Georgia's U-12 team in Georgia, and with Neftchi's U-17 team in Izmir in 2007. Karimov, who won the UEFA A category in 2007, was awarded the title of Honored Coach of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2010, and in 2019 was awarded the "Karabakh War Veteran" and "National Army-100" medals. The project of 6-year-old footballers was organized in 2017 by the coach of "Neftchi" Islam Karimov. Currently, 70 players play in the Premier League and Division 1. He was awarded the PFL's Order of Merit in 2017 as the coach who has given the most players to the Premier League.

The club's official website congratulated Islam Karimov, who has been working for the team's success for 28 years, on behalf of the Neftchi family.

- Happy birthday, Islamic teacher!

- Thank you very much, thank you!

- How will you celebrate this day?

- Today our U-11 team has a game. We will face Sumgayit. Even if we draw, we will qualify for the final of Valeri Hajiyev's memorial tournament. Therefore, I will celebrate my birthday on the football field (laughs).

- What was your most memorable birthday so far?

- My birthday in 2001 was the most memorable. All famous figures of the Azerbaijani football community, club leaders, head coaches, veteran football players gathered at the event held at Ruslan-93 on the occasion of my 35th birthday. On the same day, I was appointed head coach of the Azerbaijani U-17 national team.

- What would be the greatest gift for you from the players you have trained?

- To play in the national team. My masterpieces are Kamran Agayev and Araz Abdullayev. I brought Kamran to Baku from Devechi.

- There is no counting your titles. Which of them is dearer to you?

- The most precious award for me is the war veteran award I received for my participation in the war for Karabakh. I have fulfilled my civic duty. I also went to war from Neftchi. After the Khojaly events on February 26, 1992, more precisely, on March 1, I applied to the club's president Aydin Ibrahimov and voluntarily went to the front. On March 6, I was in Agdam. I was fighting. A year later I returned to Neftchi. If the Supreme Commander-in-Chief gives instructions today, I will go to the front again.

- You have dedicated more than half of your life to Neftchi and you still do. What does Neftchi mean to you?

- "Neftchi" is my life. I do not imagine myself without "Neftchi". As a coach, I wore the uniforms of only two teams - Neftchi and the national team. I was loyal to Neftchi and always served this club faithfully. I am proud to be with Neftchi. I have received invitations from all clubs, but I have never worked for any club other than Neftchi. There was even a club that wanted to take me to the replacement team as a head coach, but I did not go. I never changed Neftchi to another club. During the war, I had a picture of Neftchi on my machine gun. Even my son Fuad was born in Neftchilar hospital (laughs).