Today marks the 65th birthday of Olympic champion Igor Ponomaryov.
In recognition of this milestone, the AFFA leadership extended warm congratulations and wished him continued good health and success, Idman.biz reports.
As a tribute to his illustrious career, Ponomaryov was presented with a commemorative gift reminiscent of his days as the iconic No. 9 at Neftchi.
Throughout his career, Ponomaryov achieved remarkable success with the Soviet national team, winning:
Silver at the 1979 World Youth Championship
Gold at the 1980 European Championship
In 1988, he became the only Azerbaijani footballer to clinch an Olympic gold medal with the USSR team. Notably, he set a record in the Soviet championship by successfully converting 24 consecutive penalties. His contributions for both Neftchi and CSKA (Moscow, Russia) earned him a spot among the top 100 scorers in the high league.
In 2020, President Ilham Aliyev honored his dedication to sports in Azerbaijan with the prestigious Shohrat Order.
Idman.biz
