"MISTER PENALTY KICK" DIVULGES SECRETS

Talking to a person who has been your idol since childhood is a great pleasure.  I have often written about Igor Ponomarev in my 10 years as a journalist.  And I did it gladly.  After all, nothing can be better than meeting your childhood hero.  It was a pleasant surprise, therefore, that Igor Anatolyevich phoned me recently and invited me to his birthday party.  Among guests at the event were the Olympic champion's friends, journalists with whom he regularly stays in touch and other well-known persons.

It is no secret that Igor Ponomarev is one of the most prominent personalities in Azerbaijani and Soviet football.  Everyone who was interested in football in the late 1970s remembers well how Ponomarev became a star.  He was very good at assists and penalty kicks.  When a penalty was awarded, everyone would step aside - this was Ponomarev's domain.  His skill was universally recognized.  The gala event to celebrate Igor Ponomarev's birthday, which he decided to organize in his home city, enabled us to talk to the prominent Azerbaijani footballer.

-Who helped you become a footballer?

-It was my late father's dream.  First he took me to Vaqif Axundov and then I started to train under Anvar muallim.  At 14, I wanted to abandon football.  I wanted to join a vocational school and become a carpenter, like my father.  In addition, football did not seem so attractive to me.  But I changed my mind when I was invited to the Azerbaijani team.

-In your final game you played for the USSR team against Diego Maradona.  That game is also considered historical...

-I remember that game very well.  I scored the first goal and later the Argentinians scored three goals.  They scored their first goal from a penalty.  Ramon Diaz scored the second goal.  And Maradona scored the third after a free kick.

-They say that, later, Konstantin Beskov was against including you in the national team.  That he invited you to Spartak FC and when you refused, he raised objections to your joining the national team.

-That is true.  And he invited me to the national team to later lure me to Spartak.  But I could not leave my home team, Neftci.  I did not even consider it.

-But some time later, you left Neftci for CSKA...

-It was an enforced move.  I had to do military service.  There were two options, Dinamo or CSKA.  And although I chose Dinamo, the Defence Ministry sent me to the Army club.

-In the 1980s, Neftci had the trio, Ponomarev-Axmedov-Cavadov.  Those players had great potential, but for some reason, they failed to achieve great success for their team...

-Iskandar Cavadov and Masallah Axmedov were great forwards.  We must not forget other players of that period - Zhidkov, Sakir Qaribov, Samad Qurbanov, Mehman Allahverdiyev, Yunis Huseynov, Nazim Suleymanov...  I think that the frequent changes of coach were the problem.

-Before going to Sweden, you could have joined one of the German clubs...

-I was told that Schalke-04 was interested in me.  The National Sports Committee phoned me.  They told me to do the paperwork and go.  I gave them the documents and left with Neftci for a training camp.  While I was there, someone phoned my home and asked if I would agree to go to Sweden.  My family told them that I would.

-Do you sometimes want to go onto the pitch again and kick the ball?

-My career ended early because of a knee injury.  Even in Sweden, it was difficult for me to play.  My knee was painful.  And now, the game has changed...  Let the young people play.

-Has Igor Ponomarev left his mark on football?

-Not yet as a coach.  I hope I will.

-And finally, the question that everyone asks.  Please tell us what your secret was for penalty kicks.  What is the secret of scoring?

-(Smiles)  You have to be in control of yourself.  When you move towards the ball, you feel that the goalkeeper will stop it.  The fans are watching you.  You think that if you do not score, you will lose the game.  But I always believed when I took a penalty that I would score.  In addition, you should not forget the training.  Training is important for every footballer.

-Many people think that Ponomarev's son's career has not been so successful...

-At present, Anatoliy is playing for the second-division Turkish club, Ordurspor.  He wants to get back into the national team.  All will be well.  I hope he will succeed in doing so.