Alina Nahmadova, a striker for the Azerbaijan women's national football team, is one of the Azerbaijani football players who decided to continue her career abroad. The football player, who was transferred from Neftchi to Partizan club, has already played in two matches for her new team.
In an interview with İdman.Biz, Nahmadova shared her impressions of life in Serbia and the championship.
- How do you rate your first games in Serbia?
- I was on the field for 90 minutes in two games. The Serbian championship is very strong. It was difficult because I wasn't used to it. But I think I performed well.
- Have you received any feedback from the coaching staff?
- Frankly, I haven't spoken to the head coach face-to-face because I don't know the language. But we understand each other at least a little.
- Apart from the language barrier, were there any other difficulties in terms of adaptation?
- No, it was easy for me to adapt to the team. The only problem is the language – both within the team and in life in Serbia in general. Sometimes I try to explain something with gestures, which is difficult. I don't know Serbian or English. But I speak Russian, which makes the situation a little easier because their language is somewhat similar to Russian. So everything is fine.
- Would you like to learn Serbian?
- I can say that I already know a little Serbian. For example, "zdravo", "kako si", "šta radiš". These words mean "hello", "how are you", "what are you doing". But what is more important for me is English. They don't speak this language very well in Serbia, but I'm not just planning to play in this team. I will learn English for my future.
- What is the main difference between the Azerbaijani and Serbian women's championships?
- I think it's in the competition. There is no competition in Azerbaijan. There is struggle in Serbia, so it is more difficult to play there. It's very easy to play in Baku.
- What do you think is missing for the development of the Azerbaijani championship?
- Sponsors are needed. When there is no investment, no one will come to play in Baku. As for the national team, many of our girls play abroad, gain experience, and our national team is getting stronger.
- How has life in Serbia affected you?
- It's a very beautiful country, I'm very happy to have gone there. The people are kind and polite. But I've only been there for a month, so I haven't had the opportunity to learn more about the culture. I mainly go from training to training, I spend a lot of time with my teammates.