Today, veteran football player of "Neftchi" Slavcho Georgievski turns 40. The midfielder, who was born in 1980, played for Neftchi from 2010 to 2012 and won the Azerbaijani championship twice (2011, 2012). He played 20 games for the Northern Macedonia national team.

The official website of the club congratulated our veteran football player on behalf of the Neftchi family

- Slavcho, happy 40th birthday!

- Thank you! I'm glad you remember, I was very impressed.

- Given the current situation with coronavirus, it seems that you will have to celebrate your anniversary under quarantine.

- Wrong, I will spend my birthday at home, under quarantine. Only my family members will attend the event. But in my heart I will be with Neftchi and its fans. Because they never forget my birthday. That means a lot to me. I always tell everyone that Neftchi is my second home and Azerbaijan is my second home.

- How do you remember and appreciate your transfer to Neftchi? Did you expect your career in the flagship team to be so successful?

- After the friendly match between the national teams of Azerbaijan and Northern Macedonia (1: 3) in 2010, Neftchi became interested in me. The manager said very good things about Azerbaijan and Neftchi. I myself have heard that Neftchi is a team with a long history and many players from the former Yugoslavia play there. I was told a lot about the beauty of Baku, but when I saw it with my own eyes, my mouth opened in amazement. How beautiful Baku was! After arriving in your capital, I met with the club's management and signed a contract. As soon as I realized, it is difficult and responsible to wear Neftchi's uniform. Because the most famous club in Azerbaijan must always play for victory and the championship, and the player must be psychologically ready for it. I wanted to win all possible titles in Neftchi and I was ready for that. For two years in a row, I was able to experience the joy of the championship and, thank God, to be a favorite of the fans. After all, football without fans is like life without air or water.

- It is interesting, what do you remember the most from your career in "Neftchi"?

- We had a good team. All positions, from the goalkeeper to the striker, were well equipped. Even our bench was strong. Sasha Stamenkovic, Igor Mitreski, Alessandro Viana Da Silva, Javid Imamverdiyev, Rashad Abdullayev, Flavinho, Bahodir Nasimov, Emil Mpenza and others. They were all good players. It is not for nothing that they say that the championship is won by the defense and the game is won by the offensive line. Of course, our best players were our fans. I remember a few games with Khazar Lankaran in Lankaran and Baku, we had great support from our fans. Every player wants such support. Our fans also came to Tovuz and Ganja, in snowy, rainy weather - they were always with us. In football, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But the main thing is that we have won more in those two years. Our opponents were not weak, but our team was stronger and better. We had a good style of play. The relationship between the players, the coaches and the management was good. We dedicated all our victories to our fans. It's not easy to win a championship, but it's even harder to defend it. Not every team can do that. Thank God I was a member of the team that did it. Of course, there were negative cases. After the second championship, the contracts were not extended with some of the players, including me, who were ready to sacrifice their lives for Neftchi. This issue still bothers me. When I left Neftchi, I said that, God willing, one day I will return here as a head coach and gain what I could not win as a footballer.

- What did you do after finishing your career?

- After finishing my football career, I returned to my homeland, Northern Macedonia, and almost immediately applied to study in the coaching category. I have B and A categories. I am currently studying for the PRO category. For the last 5 years I have worked in the teams of 13, 14, 15 and 16-year-old football players of the Northern Macedonian club "Rabotnichki". I have been an assistant coach in the main team three times. After I started studying for the PRO category, I refused to work in this position because it was against the rules. My goal is to become a head coach.

- Can you contact any of the players of the Neftchi period?

- Unfortunately, my schedule is very busy. When I worked as a coach, I sometimes trained twice a day. Besides, I have 3 daughters (laughs). I dedicate almost all my free time to them. However, I tried to communicate with some of my former teammates. Among them were Rail Malikov and Ruslan Amirjanov. I also try to contact Arif Asadov. Because he remains a good person and a good coach for me.

- Given the tight schedule, is there time to watch Neftchi's games? If you look, how would you distinguish it from the current staff? Do you believe that "Neftchi" will be the champion?

- I try to watch Neftchi's games as much as possible. Among the legionnaires, I would distinguish Stankovic, with whom I played together at Inter. I also like the game between Dabo and Monroe. Among the locals, Namik Alaskarov, Emin Mahmudov, Mirabdulla Abbasov and Omar Buludov have been showing themselves well lately. I would also mention Rahman Hajiyev. He started his career when I was playing. It is a very good team that promises perspective. Of course, I believe and hope that Neftchi will become a champion. Even if the chance of winning the championship is 1%, I will always believe and hope for it. Because Neftchi is my heart. As they say, once you are with Neftchi, you will always be with Neftchi. You have to fight to the end and believe. Let's take it from them and celebrate the championship together - you are there in Azerbaijan, and I am here in Northern Macedonia.