Regular in the National Team
{mb_sdlf_jugador_SDLF-jugador_frase-destacada}Eldar Taghizada receives the call from the Azerbaijan National Team shortly after having started at Marcet.
Eldar Thaghizada fell in love with football while watching Gigi Buffon. At that time he was unaware that the same happened to his idol when he was young, while watching Tommy N’Kono during the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Nor did Eldar know that the Cameroonian had gone on to complete his formation at Marcet, after having officially hung his gloves up. And neither did he expect for this Academy to also make a mark on his footballing career in a not so distant future.
It was a friend who first told him about Marcet. “He was already a student of the High Performance Academy and so suggested that I give it a go,” explains Eldar, who began his career in the ranks of the Neftchi, one of the best teams in Azerbaijan. “What I saw in Barcelona, I liked so much that I have just started my fourth season at Marcet. My goal was to improve, to have the possibility of playing against some of the lower sides of First Division teams and eventually sign for a good team myself.”
Eldar accomplished both objectives. His signing for Clermont Foot, a club from the French Second Division, was the icing on the cake after three formative years in Barcelona. “At Marcet they made a video-portfolio with my best saves. The Clermont technicians saw it and called me to come and have a trial,” recalls Azerbaijani goalkeeper. “Three days later they told me I could join the ranks of the club. This is what I wanted.”
What the young goalkeeper was not expecting was the call from his National Team. “I was 13 when I arrived at Marcet. During my first year the Federation learned that there was a boy from Azerbaijan playing in Spain,” the goalkeeper recalls. The simple fact of being a student of an academy like Marcet made his country look at him and grant him a golden opportunity.
An opportunity that Eldar did not waste. “I went to the team gathering and it went really well. From there they kept calling me. For me it is a joy and an honor to be able to play against other countries,” explains the goalkeeper, who will play in the qualifiers for the Eurocup this season with the U-17’s and will have to face teams such as the likes of Germany. “I feel calm right now. I just have to play well so my country goes as far as possible.”
Eldar Taghizada‘s career has continued its meteoric rise since his time at Marcet. After his stint at Clermont Foot, the young Azerbaijani goalkeeper made the leap to Spanish football, signing with CD Lugo‘s reserve team. His performance did not go unnoticed, and he soon found himself on the radar of one of the most prestigious clubs in the world.
In August 2024, at the age of 21, Taghizada reached a milestone in his career by signing with Barça Atlètic, FC Barcelona’s reserve team. This move represents a qualitative leap in his career, providing him with the opportunity to develop at one of the most renowned training centers in world football. The contract, which extends until 2026, clearly indicates the Catalan club’s confidence in the young goalkeeper’s potential.
Eldar’s journey from Baku to Barcelona via Marcet is a testament to the power of quality training and perseverance in pursuing football dreams.