Adrian Neaga, a former player of Neftchi and the Romanian national football team, gave an interview to Sportal.az.
The 45-year-old football veteran, who played in the Azerbaijan Premier League during the 2009-2010 season, reminisced about his time in Azerbaijan, Idman.biz reports.
- What are you doing now?
- I work as a football agent, focusing mostly on youth football. However, I haven’t strayed too far from the game.
- Do you follow Azerbaijani football? What have you noticed recently?
- Honestly, I haven’t been following any particular team. But I am aware of the recent outcomes in Azerbaijani football. For instance, I know that Qarabag has been dominant in Azerbaijani football, achieving good results even in European competitions.
- What do you think of your former team, Neftchi?
- I still follow Neftchi’s results, mainly checking the standings. I know that Neftchi is not in the best shape at the moment, and it has been like this for several years now. I hope the problems will be resolved.
- Do you remember your games with Neftchi?
- Of course, I remember all the matches I played for Neftchi very well. Those were truly great days. I always fought until the end on the field, trying to help the team. As for what’s going on in the team now, I’m not sure.
- Which match stands out the most for you as a Neftchi player? What moments do you remember the most?
- My most unforgettable moments with Neftchi were in the game where we defeated Khazar Lankaran. Those were truly beautiful, unforgettable matches. Of course, no match can ever fade from my memory, but the encounters with Khazar Lankaran are particularly memorable. Let me share an incident with you. I will never forget when Neftchi’s bus was hit with stones by fans in Lankaran, the windows were shattered, and my face was cut during that incident. I’m sure you remember those matches. At that time, Neftchi had some great players. I still keep in touch with Suat Usta.
- What was the most interesting event you experienced in Azerbaijan, whether in football or outside of it?
- As far as I know, a new base was going to be built for us. The previous base was located in the outskirts. If I’m not mistaken, they had dug the ground for the construction of the base, and gas came out from there.
- Why didn’t you stay at Neftchi for a longer time? I assume you would have liked to stay.
- You know, it was a time of many changes. The club was changing coaches frequently. Then the club president was also replaced. My contract expired, and I moved to another team that was participating in the Champions League qualifiers.
- A while ago, Adrian Mutu was managing Neftchi, but his career there ended unsuccessfully. Did you foresee this happening?
- I think the team didn’t have the players he wanted. Recently, he joined Petrolul. I hope he will achieve good results with that club.
- Neftchi no longer brings in Romanian players. After you, only Catalin Tira was invited to the team. Would you have liked to see more Romanians at Neftchi?
- I believe many Romanian players could play in Azerbaijan. I honestly don’t know why they haven’t come to your country. However, every club has its own strategy. I think I developed well while I was there, and other Romanians could do the same. As far as I know, there have been many changes in Baku. Infrastructure, new stadiums...
- Currently, Qarabag dominates Azerbaijani football, while Neftchi is in 8th place in the standings. What are your thoughts on this? Is it disappointing to see Neftchi in this position?
- Of course, seeing Neftchi in 8th place is disappointing for me. I hope the players will help Neftchi rise to where it truly belongs.
Idman.biz