We contacted Gerye, who once defended the honor of Qarabag and "Neftchi" and was remembered as one of the best legionnaires during his time in Azerbaijan, and asked him to answer the questions of offsideplus.az .

- How do you feel in the new country, in the new team?

- Everything is great. The main thing is that my family feels happy here, which makes me happy. In my first match I scored against Enosis, in my second match I received a red card against Anorthosis and therefore I had to watch the matches against AEL and AEK from the sidelines. I was in the top 11 against Olympiacos and scored a goal. I must say that this happens in football. The main thing is to enjoy your work.

 

- Probably, Bagali Dabo, whom you know from Neftchi, also played a role in adapting to the new team.

- Frankly, there is no new country, no new team concept for me. I know that everything depends on me. I am a person who quickly gets used to the environment and people. Also, I have been playing in different countries for many years: Poland, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and now Cyprus. If they take it and put it on the other side of the world, I will not have a problem. As for Daboya, he was the first person I contacted when I received an offer from Apollo. He advised me to come here without thinking. Now we are often together.

- Do you talk to the players in Qarabag? How is your attitude?

- Of course, I speak. We often text and keep in touch with Zubir, Mahir, Ovusu, Shahruddin and several other players. Leaving Karabakh does not mean that I should forget my past. I'm not that kind of person. So far, I am talking to the players who were my teammates at Wisla and Alanyaspor.

- Are you watching the Azerbaijani championship? Do you know the situation in the tournament schedule?

- If I don't have training or a game, I definitely watch Karabakh's games. Even when I can't watch the game, I'm interested in the results.

- You defended the honor of both teams. Which team do you think will celebrate the championship: "Neftchi" or Qarabag?

- It is very difficult to give an exact answer to this question. Because both have a good chance. I see Qarabag in the eyes of the favorite. They have experienced coaches and players, they are used to the championship as a team. On the other hand, today's atmosphere inside Neftchi is great. They are moving towards success with a new head coach, and this creates an additional desire in them. But the championship is not easy for Neftchi. Because competitors are quite experienced. In my opinion, the chances are 30 out of 70 in favor of "Karabakh". I am looking forward to which team will be the champion. I wish "Garabagh" and "Neftchi" success in the championship.

Gurban Gurbanov is a very eager and ambitious coach. Always want the maximum. Sometimes you do the best you can in training, he says, you can do even more. Because he is just as demanding of himself. Now Neftchi has such a head coach (Samir Abasov - ed.). I often talk to Mamadou Kane and Mamadu Mbodj, they say that the new coach is extremely demanding and always wants to win. This is a good thing for Neftchi.

I would like to take this opportunity to say "hello" to the people I work with within Azerbaijan, to my coaches and fellow football players, as well as to the fans.