Khimki football player Guliyev is exploring the possibility of changing sports citizenship to play for Azerbaijan

Khimki midfielder Ayaz Guliyev said he was considering changing his sports citizenship in order to be able to play for the Azerbaijani national team.

Guliyev defended the colors of the Russian national teams of various ages, including youth. As part of the Russian youth team (players under 19), he won silver at the 2015 European Championship.

– I think the transition (to the AFC) will benefit us. It is better to play at least some games than to stay nowhere. Do I see myself in the Russian team? I honestly didn’t think about it. I want the team to be good, because when the club has a result, then you start thinking about something more. Now there is no result.

I can play for the Azerbaijani national team, you just need to agree and give final consent that I’m moving on. I do not rule out that in the future I will play for this team, and not for the Russian team. But I can’t talk about it now with 100% certainty. So far I don’t know for sure, since they haven’t discussed my transition directly in detail, they haven’t met in person. I have this idea in my head, I never refused it to anyone. When I just started playing in the RPL, I was already offered to play for the Azerbaijani national team, but there was another limit at which I would be considered a legionnaire – I was worried because of this. Now the rules are different, it has become easier, so everything can be, – Guliyev told RB Sport.

This season, the 26-year-old has made 12 appearances for Khimki in all competitions and scored one assist.

• Football player of the Russian national team Pinyaev said he was not going to change citizenship