Veteran footballer Musa Gurbanov has turned 60.
Idman.biz reports that Musa, born in the Zaqatala region, began his football career at the age of 21 with the local team Dashgin after completing military service. In 1987, he made his debut in the Soviet Championship with Kapaz, and later represented Qazax’s Goyazan team.
In 1989, Goyazan made their Soviet Cup debut, winning their first match 2-1 against Ufa’s Gastello in Bashkortostan. Musa scored the winning goal in the 82nd minute.
In June 1989, Goyazan faced Neftchi in the 1/32 finals in Gazakh. Despite losing 1-2, Musa’s performance caught the attention of the Baku team, which had been relegated to the First League, and he joined Neftchi for the second half of the season.
He played five matches for Neftchi that year and ten the following year. Musa was part of the Baku team’s victories over Rostselmash (4-0), Paxtakor, and Shinnik (both 3-0).
He then returned to Kapaz and Dashgin. In one interview, he recalled some of his best goals: "When I played for Goyazan, I scored a memorable goal from 30 meters against Kapaz. Also, while playing for Dashgin, I dribbled past seven players from Metallurg in Zaqatala and scored."
He also played abroad, appearing alongside his brother Qurban in Georgia for Alazani (Gurjaani) and Mertsxali (Ozurgeti).
The peak of his career was with Turan. His 35 goals played a crucial role in helping the Tovuz club secure its first and only Azerbaijan championship in the 1993/94 season. Musa also played in the European competitions for an Azerbaijani club for the first time, taking part in Turan’s 1994 UEFA Cup matches against Fenerbahce.
Later, he joined Kur-Nur of Mingachevir, and in the 1996/97 and 1997/98 seasons, he returned to Neftchi, winning the Azerbaijani championship in 1997.
Musa’s career also included Qarabag. In the 2000/01 season, he played for the Aghdam club, scoring his final career goal against Turan.
For eight years, he served as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Zagatala PFK, and since last year, he has been a board member.
Musa played a significant role in introducing his brother, Qarabag’s head coach Gurban Gurbanov, to football. In honor of his older brother, Gurban named his son Musa.
Yesterday, the 60-year-old Musa Gurbanov participated in a friendly match between Turan veterans and Kapaz veterans, scoring two goals. The match celebrated Turan’s national championship and Azerbaijan’s first participation in European competition, marking the 30th anniversary of these achievements. Held at Tovuz City Stadium, the game ended in a high-scoring draw, 5-5.
Rasim
Idman.biz
