Sadygov celebrated as pick of Azerbaijan
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
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Rashad F. Sadygov has been named Azerbaijani player of the year after an impressive 12 months capped off by the winning goal in the UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying victory against Turkey.
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Eskişehirspor centre-back Rashad F. Sadygov has been named Azerbaijani player of the year.
Sadygov, who left Qarabağ FK in the summer of last year, has been swift to impress upon his return to Turkey. The national team captain capped off a fine 2010 with the solitary goal in Azerbaijan's victory against Turkey in October – his country's only UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying Group A points to date. The 28-year-old received his latest accolade from Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) general secretary Elkhan Mammadov.
"Of course I'm really happy to win this prize," said Sadygov. "I'm the captain, and the captain has to lead from the front. But I couldn't achieve this success without my team-mates. I'm really happy that we now have a very united group."
FC Anzhi Makhachkala midfielder Mahir Shukurov received special recognition for having made more international appearances than any other player over the past 12 months, while Araz Naxçivan's Vitaliy Borisov was named futsal player of the year after helping both his club and country to maiden UEFA semi-finals in 2010. Zhalya Mammadova was celebrated as the pick of Azerbaijan's women footballers.