FOREIGN PLAYERS WHO HAVE MADE THEIR MARK

The Azerbaijani football championship is approa-ching its halfway point and this season it is the foreign players who are playing the main role. Without them there wouldn't be such interest in the championship. R+ introduces the most effective foreigners in the Azerbaijani championship.

Richard Almeida

A Brazilian, who is captain of Qarabag. When one speaks about foreign players, Almeida comes first to mind. He is currently the best of the foreign players in the Azerbaijani championship. The 26-year old Brazilian has played the main part in Qarabag's success. He has been a headache for all the Agdam club's opponents in the Azerbaijani championship and in Europe. Almeida's goals against Young Boys and Anderlecht drew the attention of the whole continent and it is not by chance that Almeida has twice been named in a symbolic Europa League team.

Naturally, the sort of football Almeida plays pleases the fans, but it also draws the attention of other clubs to the Qarabag player. If a top foreign club is interested in Almeida it won't be easy to keep him at Qarabag. On the other hand, Qarabaq will find it hard to replace him.

Apart from his personal qualities, Almeida fits perfectly into Qarabag's tactics. Chief coach Qurban Qurba-nov plays Almeida in midfield but this gives him the opportunity to join in attacks.

One could say that Almeida has become an irreplaceable member of the Qarabag side. 

Reinaldo

Another of Qarabag's Brazilians, transferred from Anderlecht (Bel-gium) two years ago, Reinaldo has become one of the leading players at the Agdam club. Things didn't go well for him at the Belgian club, spending most of his time on the subs' bench, but at Qarabag Reinaldo has become a favourite. He has attracted the attention of European clubs because of his fantastic play, his vision and his leadership qualities. In 2014, Salzburg (Austria) were very interested in Reinaldo, but for various reasons the move didn't come off. The German club Eintracht were also interested in him but Reinaldo preferred to stay with Qarabag. He is now recovering from injury in Brazil and may return to training as early as January.

As in the case with Almeida, Qurban Qurbanov has played a big part in Reinaldo's development. At first, his game didn't fit in at Qarabag, but Qurbanov decided to try him in tandem with Almeida, and eventually this paid off for the Agdam club.

Derlis Meza Kolli

Also one of the best foreign players in the country and brought to Inter (Baku) two years ago, the Paraguayan managed to consolidate his place in the team despite strong competition. But Inter's financial problems forced him to change clubs in the summer. Meza Kolli attracted the attention of Turkish and Russian clubs, and he could have chosen Qarabag, but he preferred to move to Qabala, mainly for financial reasons.

But this choice proved unsuccessful. Meza Kolli has found himself on the subs' bench because he doesn't fit into chief coach Roman Grigorchuk's tactics. And the player, who became irreplaceable at Qabala during the Europa League, now does not have a regular place, which is slowing his development.

If Meza Kolli hadn't thought so much about money he could have found a regular spot at Qarabag or with a Russian club. That being the case, he will probably be leaving Qabala next summer.

Samuel Armenteros

Regarded as one of Qarabag's most successful signings, the Swedish player with Cuban roots moved to Qarabag from Anderlecht. Having played for Belgian and Dutch clubs, Armenteros soon slotted into the Qarabag side. Although he is not at his best in every game, his progress has been obvious. The goal he scored against Monaco in the Europa League shows that Armenteros is a vital player for the Agdam club.

Dodo

Transferred to Qabala from Dinamo (Zagreb), the Brazilian Dodo has been turned into a striker for the Azerbaijani club. At Qabala he has managed to adjust to the tactics of several coaches and has kept his place in the side. He has a unique goal sense. Successfully converting his colleagues' passes into goals, Dodo's attitude on the pitch has been impressive.

The two goals he scored against Panathinaikos in Greece attracted the attention of the whole continent. It was these goals that ensured Qabala's victory and qualification for the group stages of the Europa League. 

Oleksiy Gai

A player with plenty of experience with European clubs, Gai was bought by Qabala with great prospects in front of him. Roman Grigorchuk, showing great faith in the player, plays him in every match and Gai has justified this faith in full measure. Approaching the end of his career, he is playing an important part in the club's success in the Europa League. Qabala will probably be the last club in the 33-year old Ukrainian's career.

Junior Osvaldo

He is regarded as one of the key players for Kapaz, who have returned to the Premier League. Having scored four goals, he has become a favourite with the fans of the club from Ganca. Osvaldo has played a big part in Kapaz reaching fifth place in the table. He has always paid back his wages at any Azerbaijani club by his performances on the pitch, making him one of the top foreign players in the country.