One of the most significant events of the year is the return of an Azerbaijani footballer to the "big five" leagues after a long break. Naturally, we're talking about Mahir Emreli, who now plays in Germany's 2nd Bundesliga.
Mahir quickly earned a spot in the starting lineup of FC Nürnberg and won everyone’s admiration by scoring goals consistently. If we set aside his injury period, Mahir truly shone in the second half of the year. He even secured third place in Futbol+'s annual poll, Idman.biz reports.
- In Futbol+'s annual nationwide poll to choose the footballer of the year, you placed third. Had you played consistently in the first half of the year, you might have been named Player of the Year. How do you assess this year: the lost first half and the successful second half where you showed your strengths?
- I don't think I would have been named Player of the Year even if I had played in the first half. I haven’t been chosen in seasons where I played well throughout either. Honestly, I haven't thought much about this. I also congratulate Toral Bayramov and Elvin Cafarguliyev. They’re like brothers to me, and I wish them continued success.
- We know that clubs often offer new contracts to players with one-year deals in winter. Have you had any discussions with FC Nürnberg regarding a new contract?
- Yes, my agent is handling those discussions. They've offered a new contract, but we haven’t made a decision yet. There's still time, and we will think it over and decide. My focus is on performing on the field; my agents handle the rest.
- Scoring goals consecutively in Germany caught everyone by surprise. But then, the goals stopped. Why? Did you have any discussions with Miroslav Klose about this?
- Sometimes, you can score in a few consecutive games, and then there will be stretches where you don’t score at all. That’s football. There are very few strikers who score in every game. Overall, our team struggled to win games as a unit. Of course, the striker’s job is to score, but my priority has never been just scoring goals. For me, it’s more important that the team wins.
- According to our information, other clubs in the 2nd Bundesliga are also interested in you. Do you feel this interest?
- My agents handle all the offers and transfer matters. I just make the final decision. I don’t concern myself with the details or who’s interested. When something official comes up, we’ll think about it and make a decision together.
- I'd like you to compare the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga. Is the 1st Bundesliga much stronger? Do you feel you have the potential to play there?
- The 1st Bundesliga is purely about quality. It's about implementing the right tactics and strategies. In the 2nd Bundesliga, it's more about physical football. Of course, individual talent also matters. But some clubs here are not much different from those in the 1st Bundesliga. For example, when we played Hoffenheim in the cup, honestly, I didn’t feel there was a huge difference. They just have higher quality players, so they were able to capitalize better on our mistakes.
- How has working with Miroslav Klose added to your career? Has there been any tension in your relationship with him?
- Of course, he is also a new coach, and he’s still getting used to coaching. But he has had a great football career. We work hard to learn as much as possible from him, and we do. He shares his experience with us, and we're focused on improving. It's important to maintain good communication between us, which is going well. He still needs time, as does the team, to fully adapt. Many players have left, and several new players joined in the summer. Despite all this, I think we finished the first half of the season on a solid note. We could have done better, of course, but we made progress in our game plan. In terms of results, there’s still room for improvement.
- Can we expect the next phase of your career to be in Germany or one of the “big five” leagues? What’s your next goal?
- I don't want to make predictions just yet. My focus is on performing well here, earning my place, and doing my job properly. I’m not thinking about the future at the moment.
Idman.biz
