PRICE OF A PLAYER

In sports, as in life, things change over time. If earlier society discussed the achievements and victories of athletes, now all eyes are on earnings. The same applies to players. Throughout the world, football clubs have turned into companies and the players - into their products. Therefore, every fan is interested in the earnings and transfer value of certain soccer masters.

One of the most authoritative publications that analyze the cost of football players in the world is the German website Transfermarkt. This publication does not indicate the exact transfer value of a football player, but determines the rate depending on the level of the championship and the number of the player's matches.

So, according to Transfermarkt, the most expensive player of the Azerbaijani Premier League is the captain of the national team and FC Karabakh, Rasad Sadiqov - 650,000 euros. At the same time, compared to last year, Rasad has lost his value by 350,000 euros. The cost of the main national team goalkeeper Kamran Agayev is 500,000 euros. The most expensive players of the defensive line also include Mahir Sukurov and Ruslan Abisev - the website estimated them at 400,000 euros. Maksim Medvedev (300,000 euros) and Elnur Allahverdiyev (250,000 euros) have a relatively low transfer value.

Among the players of the middle line of the Azerbaijani national team are Elvin Mammadov and Afran Ismayilov - 400,000 euros. Raid Amirquliyev and Cavid Huseynov are worth 350,000 euros each, Vaqif Cavadov and Vuqar Nadirov - 300,000 euros, Rasad Sadiqov, who recently returned to the national team - 250,000 euros, and the Turkish legionary of the national team Ali Gokdemir - 100,000 euros.

As for the national team strikers, Cihan Ozkara stands out here, and Transfermarkt estimates him at 400,000 euros. Branimir Subasic and Cavid Imamverdiyev are worth 350,000 euros and Rauf Aliyev - 200,000 euros.

In general, the entire national team of Azerbaijan, including the unmentioned players, is estimated at 8.95 million euros. The total value of all the players of the Azerbaijani Premier League is 50,775,000 euros.

Although the German website provided a certain layout for the value of the players, perhaps the biggest mystery of the Azerbaijani football is the wages of players. Clubs never disclose the transfer value or salaries of players, trying to shield themselves from competitors. In Europe, for example, the transfer value of a player is published in the media, and there are even cases when that amount was reduced because of criticism from experts.

In Azerbaijan, a football player can negotiate with several clubs and choose the best offer, often dictating his terms to the club. And here it's time to recall the limit on foreign players in the Premier League. According to the rules of the Azerbaijani championship, each team can use up to seven foreign players in a game, while the other four should always be citizens of Azerbaijan, and one of them under the age of 21. And since there are few good domestic players, it leads to an artificial increase in the value of players.

For example, Azerbaijani national team goalkeeper Kamran Agayev fell out with FC Xazar-Lankaran and continues his career in FC Baku. At the same time, Agayev lost nothing - on the contrary, he is getting the same money not in Lankaran, but in the capital. Agayev and all Azerbaijani football players know that they have very few competitors. Moreover, each player must have a substitute in the event of an injury. Therefore, getting a high salary at home, they do not tend to go to other countries, where greater efficiency and better training will be demanded from them. Plus, competition abroad is much stronger. As a result, Azerbaijani footballers playing in foreign championships can be counted on the fingers of one hand. In this respect, we can distinguish Ruslan Abisev, who left his high earnings in Xazar-Lankaran and moved to Kazan's Rubin, choosing the stronger Russian championship.

A former player of the Azerbaijani national team, Rail Malikov, told R+ that the transfer value of footballers in Azerbaijan is determined by the level of the player: "The more goals you score, the higher the cost. In most cases, players have no managers, and we are negotiating on transfers ourselves."

The last statement is not pleasing because an athlete should not deal with financial issues. This is the business of managers who decide all matters, while the footballer can only sign a contract.

But in Azerbaijani football the situation is gradually changing. According to Sabuhi Safiyarli, who worked as a manager for a long time, now the majority of players have their authorized representatives. "Footballers understand that their business is to play, while financial issues should be dealt with by the manager. In this case, the interests and rights of the players are also protected by the manager," Safiyarli told R+.

He also shared his thoughts about the artificial growth in the transfer value of players. "First of all, I should note that I regard Rasad Sadiqov as the best footballer in Azerbaijan, so that he is the most expensive player - this is normal. On the other hand, in Azerbaijan, the player does not get money for the transfer, because usually this amount is paid if the player has a contract with another club. In our country, players sign contracts for one or two years maximum. In this case, it is possible to increase the value of the contract or move to another club on better terms. Azerbaijani clubs are not interested in players who have existing contracts in order not to incur large costs. In some cases, the player himself is requested to resolve the issue with the current contract," Safiyarli said. 

In any case, the wages and transfer value of a player depend on his performance. Therefore, the stable income of players is directly linked to the quality of play - the better you play, the more you are worth.