Aykhan Abbasov
Aykhan Abbasov | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 25, 1981 Baku, Azerbaijan |
| Occupation(s) | Football coach, former midfielder |
| Years active | 1997–2011 (player), 2016–present (coach) |
| Known for | Head coach of Shamakhi FK, Azerbaijan U-21 national team; interim manager of Azerbaijan national football team |
Aykhan Farzukh oglu Abbasov (; born 25 August 1981) is an Azerbaijani football coach and former midfielder. He currently holds the position of head coach at Shamakhi FK and leads the Azerbaijan national under-21 football team. Following the exit of Fernando Santos, Abbasov has also taken on the role of interim manager for the Azerbaijan national football team.
Early life and playing career
Born on 25 August 1981 in Baku's Khazar district, Abbasov started his football journey at the age of seven in Buzovna. In 1997, he joined the Khazri Buzovna U-18 squad. His professional playing career included stints at Shafa Baku FK until 2002, with a loan period at MOIK Baku. Between 2004 and 2007, he was part of Turan Tovuz and Inter Baku (currently known as Şamaxı FK). Abbasov also featured for Azerbaijan’s U-17 and U-19 national teams. In 2007, he signed with MKT-Araz (now İmişli FK) but departed after one season due to club difficulties. Subsequently, he played for Qarabağ before returning to Turan Tovuz in 2011.
Managerial career
On 27 December 2016, Abbasov took over as manager of Zira FK for the remainder of the 2016–17 campaign.
He stepped down from his position as head coach at Sumgayit FK on 16 December 2021.
On 14 March 2025, AFFA appointed Abbasov as head coach of Azerbaijan’s U-21 national team, signing him to a two-year contract.
During the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, following Fernando Santos’s dismissal, Abbasov assumed caretaker responsibilities for the Azerbaijan senior team. Under his guidance, the team rebounded from a heavy 5–0 defeat against Iceland to secure a 1–1 draw versus Ukraine. He continues as interim manager and is slated to lead Azerbaijan in their upcoming match against France.
External links
- Club profile [1]
- Living people
- 1981 births
- Azerbaijani men's footballers
- Azerbaijan men's under-21 international footballers
- Qarabağ FK players
- Footballers from Baku
- Imishli FK players
- Men's association football midfielders
- Azerbaijani football managers
- Shamakhi FK managers
- Azerbaijan Premier League managers
- Shafa Baku FK players