Gadzhiyev: "Would I exchange "Kharkiv" for "Dynamo" or "Polissya"? No, not at all"

Winger of "Kharkiv" Ramik Hadzhiev talked about recovery after injury, playing for the national team of Ukraine, and other interesting topics.

– Ramik, you missed almost the entire last season due to injury. Do you feel like you are gradually catching up on lost time? You already have one goal.

– Yes, I missed the last season due to injury. Many games, a lot of time... Now I enjoy every minute and do everything possible on the field. I am also getting in shape with the team, gaining momentum, and improving with every game.

– Unfortunately, this is not your first injury in your career. Has your attitude towards recovery, workload, and so on changed after the previous experience?

– This serious injury, which kept me out for a long time, is the first in my career. And even though this was a first for me, I still understood from examples of other players who had serious injuries what I needed to do, how to recover quickly and effectively, what is required of me, and what depends on me.

– After injuries, do you still have a fear of getting injured again, especially in tough game episodes? How do you try to deal with it?

– I try not to think about it. I have played enough games both in training and in the championship. I play now without fear, go for every ball, and there is no such fear. The moment that happened then was meant to happen. Yes, it's a rarity in football, such an injury. That's why I don't think about it and I'm not afraid, otherwise I won't be able to play and enjoy.

– Let's go back a bit: you started your professional career at SK Dnipro-1. You were very young back then. Who were the more experienced teammates who helped you adapt to adult football?

– Back then, Yevhen Pasich, Oleksandr Svatok, Ruslan Babenko, and Volodymyr Adamyuk helped me a lot, probably. These players helped me the most, gave advice, taught me a lot, and were an example for me. Yevhen Pasich became a very close friend to me. We lived together, communicated very well. I am very grateful to them for helping me grow to the highest level.

– What role did the coach play in your development at that time? If I'm not mistaken, it was Imad Ashur, and then you trained under Yuriy Maksymov.

– Yes, in the U-19 team, it was Imad Ashur. Then, when I moved to the first team, there was Oleksandr Kucher, and then Maksymov. I am grateful to all the coaches, they believed in me, each in their own way taught me. Some toughened my character, some taught me game moments, qualities, how to better understand the game. I am grateful to each of these coaches, and each has special moments that will stay with me. I think they all contributed to my growth.

– Serious problems started at SK Dnipro-1, which eventually led to the club's dissolution. How do you remember those times? What was happening in the team?

– There were delays in salary payments. Some players, including me, still have a five-month salary debt. But that's in the past, of course, no one even expects it anymore (Laughs). Yes, it was tough without a salary. But the end of SK Dnipro-1 happened very abruptly because everyone was expecting European competitions, the start of the season. We all sat at the same table on the last day and wondered what would happen. Everyone said everything would be fine, that the club would continue to exist. And then we went on vacation. Two weeks later, we realized that there was no news - no one said when we would gather, nothing else. We started to understand: there would be nothing anymore.

– After that, you became a free agent, looked for a team, and went for trials at Brentford and Derby County. How did these options arise, and did you learn anything from that experience?

– Yes, after the dissolution of SK Dnipro-1, I became a free agent. At that time, my current agent Vadym Shablii contacted me. He offered me (and at that time, we were bronze medalists at the Euro U-19) the opportunity to go to Brentford for a trial.

I went, tried there for two weeks, passed the trial well, but as they told me later, they just couldn't sign me because I didn't have European citizenship. And they had no more spots left, it was almost September, as far as I remember. Although the coaches and players liked me, we had a good relationship.

Then I went to Derby. There they told me that they would rely more on their young players from the academy than take me from another country with a lower level of English.

I felt pain in my back during this whole period of trials. When I returned to Ukraine, I had an MRI - there were indeed some back problems. I said I didn't want to go abroad anymore and needed to choose from the options available in Ukraine.

– Did you learn any lessons for yourself? Did you pick up anything in terms of gameplay during that time?

– Yes, of course. I still remember all of that very well. I tell the guys on the team that there is a completely different mentality among players, coaches, and people there. No one tells you anything when you make a mistake, take risks, try, do your best. They can only push you, as they say, or make comments about not trying hard, not giving your best, playing too simply to avoid losing the ball. They pay attention to these moments and say that it shouldn't be done that way: play football, don't be afraid of anything. I really liked this mentality.

At first, when I was going there, I thought, "Oh, it will be tough now - English language, people from Brentford, I'm from Ukraine, they might have a high opinion of themselves, something else." But that wasn't the case at all.

Everyone welcomed me very well, I was comfortable with all the coaches, players. And not only with Brentford B, but also with the first team - with players who have been playing in the Premier League for several years. Very simple, good people.

– Eventually, you moved to Metalist 1925. Who convinced you to choose this option at that time? After all, there were rumors of interest from Dynamo and Polissya.

– Yes, there was interest, that's true. But I looked ahead, and I really liked how the president of Metalist 1925 at that time, Bohdan Volodymyrovych Boyko, and the club reacted to my back problems. They contacted four doctors to get different opinions: what to do, how to treat me.

All of this impressed me - this approach, this level. I understood that there was great potential in this club, and the fact that they were in the First League at that time was only a matter of time. One year - and we would be in the UPL.

- And if offers from these clubs came now, would you consider them?

- No, not at all. I really like everything in my club.

- You played for youth national teams, became a medalist in major competitions. How important and realistic is the goal of getting into the national team of Ukraine?

- I'm not thinking about it now. After the injury, I need to play, show myself, get in shape - it's all a matter of time. I'm not fixated on it now - I just play every match, do everything I can, train. Of course, such goals exist in the future, but for now, I need to focus more on my game.

- At one time, you turned down the option with the Azerbaijan national team because you wanted to play for Ukraine. Is this decision equally clear to you now?

- Of course. When I was a U-19 player, the Azerbaijan national team called me. I refused them because I understood that the Ukrainian national team is much better and more prestigious than the Azerbaijan national team. I like everything here. I was a U-19 player and didn't want to change anything. Ukraine is like a second home to me. I love this country very much and respect all Ukrainians.

- You were born in Baku, have Azerbaijani roots. Do you visit Azerbaijan now? Do you maintain a connection with your relatives?

- I haven't been there for about nine years because I have a very short vacation in the summer. My parents and younger brother go towards the end of summer when my championship starts, so all this time I couldn't go. But, of course, I keep in touch with everyone through WhatsApp, they can write to me anytime.

- Did any of your relatives influence your decision to play football?

- From early childhood, when I could barely walk, my grandfather often played ball with me. He would throw me the ball, stand at the goal, and I would kick with my left foot. He wanted to teach me to kick with my right, but he couldn't succeed (Smiles). So my grandfather is probably the person who made me love football.

- At the beginning of playing football or any other sport, I think everyone has an idol. Do you have one now? Maybe it's the same person who was your idol in childhood?

- Of course, the only one is Lionel Messi. The same person.

- What exactly in his game do you try to emulate for yourself?

- You know, an idol is not someone I want to copy from. I just think he is the best footballer in the world of all time. I love watching him play. I try to adopt some leadership and human qualities from him. Messi is the kind of person you want to set as an example for everyone. He helps many people in life, calm, simple. Well, in my opinion. An idol is an idol.

- If you could spend one training day with him, what would you ask?

- I don't know. I would probably ask him how he went through that stage when he was a young player, just gaining experience and entering adult football. So that he could advise me something.

- Finally, a few non-football questions. You are passionate about anime. How did it start and what anime would you recommend to someone who doesn't understand it at all?

- It started back at FC Dnipro-1. I also went there until I was 18, laughed at all these "anime fans" as they do now. I started living with a guy who watched anime. Started watching with him, I liked it. And the first anime was "Naruto," I watched it several times. Then I watched others.

What is the first anime to watch? Probably "Death Note." It's interesting and short, 38 episodes. This is to understand what anime is at all.

- If you choose one favorite character from anime - who is it and why is he close to you?

- My favorite character is Monkey D. Luffy from "One Piece" anime. I like him because despite all the difficulties in his life, on his path, he always goes towards his goals with a smile, overcoming all obstacles.

- You also play Counter-Strike. Do any of your teammates join you?

- I don't play with any of my teammates. Because none of them play Counter-Strike or, more precisely, don't play at my level to compete with them. Instead, I play with footballers from other teams very often.

- Who among them can boast of being the strongest, and who loses most often?

- Well, the strongest is probably Vladislav Krapivtsov, the goalkeeper of Girona. He plays very well, he has the highest rating among all my acquaintances. Who loses most often? Let it be Denis Nagnoyny. He finds it very difficult in this game.

- What helps you the most to switch after an unsuccessful or successful match: CS, anime, or maybe music? I also heard you play the guitar, as far as I know...

- Anime helps me the most in difficult times. It distracts somehow. Again, you watch and understand that you can cope with everything in this life. Also CS. Anime, CS - that's all. I try to switch quickly, not dwell on bad moments and not spend too much time on them.

- Another non-football activity is boxing. Is it just a hobby for you and a way to stay in shape, or do you like boxing as a sport?

- Both. Honestly, I really like boxing as a sport. And when I come to training with my coach, I always enjoy it, I get great pleasure from it.

- And considering this, if not football, could you have become a professional fighter?

- Yes, I thought about it. If not for football, I would have gone into fighting somewhere. Probably into freestyle wrestling or boxing.