Azerbaijan Premier League

The Azerbaijan Premier League (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Premyer Liqası), is the top football competition in Azerbaijan.

History

The Azerbaijan Premier League was created in 2007 and replaced the Top Division (Azerbaijani: Yüksək Liqa) which existed between 1992 and 2007. The Azerbaijan Premier League is run by the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan. The Top Division was run by the Professional Football League of Azerbaijan. The creation of the Premier League gave the football clubs more independence.

Since 1992, a total of 8 football clubs have become champions of the top Azerbaijani football competition. Neftchi Baku are the current Azerbaijan Premier League champions.^[1]

Statistics

Records

Players in the Premier League compete for the trophy "Azerbaijan Premier League Golden Boot", awarded to the top goalscorer at the end of each football season. Nazim Aliyev is the league's all-time top scorer with 183 goals, including 39 in the 1992 season.^[2] During the 1995–96 season he became the first player to score 100 Premier League goals. Since then, 10 other players have reached the 100-goal mark.^[2]

Gurban Gurbanov is one of the top goalscorers in Premier League and the most successful Azerbaijani manager in European competitions.

Top Ten Highest Goalscorers^[3]

Player		Period	Club[4]	Goals
1	Nazim Aliyev	1992–1999	Neftchi Baku	183
2	Mushfig Huseynov	1992–2007	FK Qarabağ	125
3	Rovshan Ahmadov	1992–2003	Kapaz	116
4	Gurban Gurbanov	1990–2006	Neftchi Baku	115
5	Samir Alakbarov	1992–2001	Neftchi Baku	115
6	Alay Bahramov	1992–1999	FK Masallı	108
7	Vadim Vasilyev	1994–2007	Baki Fehlesi	102
8	Khagani Mammadov	1994–2012	Inter Baku	102
9	Kanan Karimov	1995–2012	FK Shamkir	101
10	Nadir Nabiyev	1995–2012	Turan Tovuz	100

Aslan Kerimov is one of the players who has appeared the most time in Premier League matches.

Top Ten Players With Most Appearances^[5]

Player		Period	Club[6]	Games
1	Mahmud Gurbanov	1992–2012	Kapaz	421
2	Aslan Kerimov	1992–2011	FK Qarabağ	382
3	Azer Mammadov	1992–present	Kapaz	374
4	Agil Mammadov	1992–2011	Turan Tovuz	364
5	Ismayil Mammadov	1992–2009	FK Shamkir	351
6	Kanan Karimov	1995–2012	FK Shamkir	327
7	Nadir Nabiyev	1995–2012	Turan Tovuz	316
8	Mubariz Orujov	1992–2008	Khazar Lankaran	311
9	Mushfig Huseynov	1992–2007	FK Qarabağ	305
10	Adahim Niftaliyev	1995–2011	Khazar Lankaran	303

Player records

As of 14 August 2011

• All-time top scorer: Nazim Aliyev (183 goals)^[7]
• Top scorer in one season: 1992 Nazim Aliyev (39 goals)
• Most league titles won: Mahmud Qurbanov, he has won Azerbaijani championship record 10 times.^[8]
• Oldest player: Nadir Shukurov, for Karvan vs Mughan, 42 years, 19 April 2009^[9]
• Youngest goalscorer: Ramal Huseynov, for Shahdag vs Kimyachi Sumgayit, 13 years old, 333 days^[10]
• First appearance and goal scored by foreign player: Otar Korghalidze (1995)^[11]
• Most appearances by foreign player: Georgi Adamia (133 matches by 9 August 2010)
• Highest transfer fee (money) paid: Oktay Derelioğlu, from Akçaabat Sebatspor to Khazar Lankaran, €200,000, 9 December 2004^[12]
• Highest transfer fee (money) received: Vagif Javadov, from FK Qarabağ to FC Twente, €1,500,000, January 5, 2010^[13]

Club records

As of 19 August 2012

• Most titles won: Neftchi Baku, 7
• Most unbeaten teams: Kəpəz, 30 games, 1997-98^[14]
• Biggest home win: Neftchi Baku 11–0 Shahdag (1999–00)^[15]

Soviet time champions

1928: Progress-2 Baku 1929-33: unknown 1934: Profsoyuz Baku 1935: Stroitel Yuga Baku 1936: Stroitel Yuga Baku 1937: Lokomotiv Baku 1938: Lokomotiv Baku 1939: Lokomotiv Baku 1940: Lokomotiv Baku 1941-43: unknown 1944: Dinamo Baku 1945: Not Played 1946: Lokomotiv Baku 1947: Trudovye Rezervy Baku 1948: KKF Baku 1949: KKF Baku 1950: Iskra Baku

1951: Ordjonikidzeneft Baku 1952: Ordjonikidzeneft Baku 1953: Ordjonikidzeneft Baku 1954: Zavod im. S.M.Budennogo Baku 1955: Ordjonikidzeneft Baku 1956: NPU Ordjonikidzeneft Baku 1957: NPU Ordjonikidzeneft Baku 1958: NPU Ordjonikidzeneft Baku 1959: Baku Teams(Spartakiada) 1960: OIK Baku 1961: Spartak Quba 1962: OIK Baku 1963: Araz Baku 1964: Polad Sumgait 1965: Vostok Baku 1966: Vostok Baku 1967: Araz Baku

1968 OIK Baku 1969 Araz Baku 1970 OIK Baku 1971 Khimik Salyany 1972 Surahanets Baku 1973 Araz Baku 1974 Araz Baku 1975 Araz Baku 1976 Araz Baku 1977 Karabakh Khankendi 1978 SKIF Baku 1979 OIK Baku 1980 Energetik Ali-Bayramly 1981 Gandjlik Baku 1982 Tokhudju Baku 1983 Termist Baku 1984 Termist Baku

1985 Khazar Sumgait 1986 Goyazan Qazakh 1987 Araz Nakhichevan 1988 FK Qarabağ 1989 Stroitel Sabirabad 1990 FK Qarabağ 1991 Khazar Sumgait

Champions and top scorers

Season	Champion	2nd position	3rd position	Top scorer
1992	Neftchi Baku	Khazar Sumgayit	Turan	Nazim Aliyev (Khazar Sumgayit, 39 goals)
1993	Qarabağ	Khazar Sumgayit	Turan	Samir Alakbarov (Neftchi Baku, 16 goals)
1993-94	Turan Tovuz	Qarabağ	Kapaz	Musa Gurbanov (Turan, 35 goals)
1994-95	Kapaz	Turan	Neftchi Baku	Nazim Aliyev (Neftchi Baku, 27 goals)
1995-96	Neftchi Baku	Khazri Buzovna	Kapaz	Nazim Aliyev (Neftchi Baku/Qarabağ, 23 goals)
1996-97	Neftchi Baku	Qarabağ	Khazri Buzovna	Gurban Gurbanov (Neftchi Baku, 25 goals)
1997-98	Kapaz	FC Baku	Shamkir	Nazim Aliyev (FC Baku, 23 goals)
1998-99	Kapaz	Shamkir	Neftchi Baku	Alay Bahramov (Vilash Masalli, 24 goals)
1999-00	Shamkir	Kapaz	Neftchi Baku	Badri Kvaratskhelia (Shakmir, 16 goals)
2000-01	Shamkir	Neftchi Baku	Vilash Masalli	Pasha Aliyev (Bakili Baku, 12 goals)
2001-02	Shamkir	Neftchi Baku	Qarabağ	Kanan Karimov (Kapaz, 14 goals) Dmitri Kudinov (Qarabağ, 14 goals)
2002-03	Due to conflict between almost all clubs and the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan, no league championship was held.[16]
2003-04	Neftchi Baku	Shamkir	Qarabağ	Samir Musayev (Qarabağ, 20 goals)
2004-05	Neftchi Baku	Khazar Lankaran	Karvan	Zaur Ramazanov (Karvan, 21 goals)
2005-06	FC Baku	Karvan	Neftchi Baku	Yacouba Bamba (Karvan, 16 goals)
2006-07	Khazar Lankaran	Neftchi Baku	FC Baku	Zaur Ramazanov (Khazar Lankaran, 20 goals)
2007-08	Inter Baku	AZAL	Neftchi Baku	Khagani Mammadov (Inter Baku, 19 goals)
2008-09	FC Baku	Inter Baku	Simurq	Walter Guglielmone (Inter Baku, 17 goals)
2009-10	Inter Baku	FC Baku	Qarabağ	Farid Guliyev (Standard Baku, 16 goals)
2010-11	Neftchi Baku	Khazar Lankaran	Qarabağ	Georgi Adamia (Qarabağ, 18 goals)
2011-12	Neftchi Baku	Khazar Lankaran	Inter Baku	Bahodir Nasimov (Neftchi Baku, 16 goals)

Performance by club

Club	Winners	Winning Years
Neftchi Baku	7	1992, 1995–96, 1996–97, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2010–11, 2011–12
Kapaz	3	1994–95, 1997–98, 1998–99
Shamkir	3	1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02
FC Baku	2	2005–06, 2008–09
Inter Baku	2	2007–08, 2009–10
Qarabağ	1	1993
Turan Tovuz	1	1993–94
Khazar Lankaran	1	2006–07

Awards

Trophy

The current Azerbaijan Premier League trophy was developed by the Professional Football League of Azerbaijan and the trophy has been awarded to the champion of Azerbaijan since the end of the 2009–10 season, replacing the previous Premier League trophy that had existed for only few years.

Related pages

• Football in Azerbaijan
• Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan
• Azerbaijan national football team
• Azerbaijan Supercup
• Azerbaijan Cup

References

1. "Цена чемпионства". Azerisport.com. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
2. Ekspress Newspaper Archived 2014-08-05 at Archive.today (in Azerbaijani)
3. ""100-lər klubu" üçün het-trik". Football Plus Newspaper (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 1 September 2011.^{[permanent dead link]}
4. where player shot the most goals
5. "Premyer Liqamızın ilk "11"i". apasport.az (in Azerbaijani). Apasport News Agency. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
6. where player played the most games.
7. Express newspaper Archived 2014-08-05 at Archive.today (in Azerbaijani)
8. Махмуд Гурбанов: Это словно первое чемпионство (in Russian)
9. "NBC is renamed". AFFA. 31 October 2008. Archived from the original on 23 April 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
10. "Ramal Hüseynovun rekordu toxunulmaz qaldı" (in Azerbaijani). Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
11. "Azərbaycan çempionatları tarixində ilk əcnəbi futbolçu". fanat.az. Retrieved 10 November 2010. (in Azerbaijani)
12. "Azeri title race hotting up". uefa.com. 2004-12-09. Retrieved 2009-05-03.
13. "Azerbaijan's footballer to play in Holland's Twente". news.az. 2009-12-28. Retrieved 2009-12-28.^{[permanent dead link]}
14. "Годы независимости. Успехи Нефтчи, Кяпаза, Шамкира, и французский позор". Azerisport.com. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
15. "ПАС ИЗ-ЗА ГРАНИЦЫ". Sports Express Newspaper (in Russian). Retrieved 11 December 2011.
16. Azerbaijan 2002/03

Other websites

• Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan Official website
• Azerbaijani Professional Football League Official website
• League at UEFA