Ruslan Abdullayev Soviet and Azerbaijani football player and coach. He played as a striker. Master of Sports of the USSR (1966). Honored coach of the Azerbaijan USSR (1990). Date of Birth: 07.03.1944 Country: Azerbaijan

1. Biography of Ruslan Abdullaev
2. Early Career and Playing Career
3. Coaching Career
4. Later Career
5. Later Life and Legacy

Biography of Ruslan Abdullaev

Ruslan Abdullaev was a Soviet and Azerbaijani football player and coach. He played as a forward and was awarded the title of Master of Sports of the USSR in 1966. In 1990, he was recognized as an Honored Coach of the Azerbaijani SSR. Abdullaev is considered one of the best coaches in the history of Azerbaijani football during the Soviet period.

Early Career and Playing Career

Ruslan Abdullaev began his career at the age of 19 in the Baku club "Neftyanik," where he played 13 games over three seasons. He then played for "Dinamo" Kirovabad in the second league before returning to "Neftyanik." He spent a season at "Dinamo" and ended his playing career at "Neftchi" in 1972.

Coaching Career

In 1974, Abdullaev became the coach of "Neftchi," but only stayed for one season. From 1978 to 1979, he worked as an assistant coach to the head coach of "Neftchi," Gennady Bondarenko. After Bondarenko's departure, Abdullaev also left the team. In 1982, Abdullaev became the head coach of "Araza" for a year. He then worked at "Neftchi" until the dissolution of the USSR, with five years as the head coach.

Later Career

In the late 1980s, Abdullaev worked in Algeria. In the 1990s, he coached the clubs Turan (Tovuz), "Farid" (Baku), and "Dinamo" (Baku). During the 1997/98 season, he coached "Neftchi" in the preliminary stage of the UEFA Champions League, where they faced the Polish club "Widzew." Despite the coach's efforts, "Neftchi" was unable to deliver a good performance, losing both matches - 0:2 at home and 0:8 away. In the middle of the season, he moved to work with "Kyapaz," leading the team to the championship title.

Later Life and Legacy

In 1999-2000, Abdullaev worked with the Turkish team Erzurumspor. He retired after a crushing defeat to "Galatasaray" with a score of 0:7. On January 30, 2002, Ruslan Abdullaev passed away from a stroke. The coach's heart could not bear the separation from his beloved wife, who had died forty days earlier.

In Azerbaijan, a traditional tournament named after Ruslan Abdullaev is held among teenagers born in 1995.

Abdullaev's son, Elhan Abdullaev, is a professional football player and coach.