Mahir Anar oğlu Emreli (born Mahir Anar oğlu Mədətov; 1 July 1997) is a professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

for club 1. FC Nürnberg and Azerbaijan national team.

Club career

Emreli made his professional debut in the

Azerbaijan Premier League The Azerbaijan Premier League (), also known as Misli Premyer Liqası for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Azerbaijan and the highest level of the Azerbaijani football league system. It is contested by twelve ...

for

FC Baku FC Baku (), founded as Dinamo Baku in 1997, was an Azerbaijani football club based in Baku that had been an amateur club since 2016. Prior to that, Baku played 18 seasons in the Azerbaijan Premier League, winning the championship twice and the ...

on 27 September 2014 in a game against Araz-Naxçıvan.

Qarabağ

On 16 July 2015, Emreli signed a three-year contract with

Qarabağ FK Qarabağ Futbol Klubu () is an Azerbaijani professional football club that competes in the Azerbaijan Premier League, the top flight of Azerbaijani football. The club originates from Aghdam in the Karabakh ( Azerbaijani: ''Qarabağ'') region, ...

. On 23 August 2015, Mahir made his debut and scored his first goal for Qarabağ in a 2–0 away victory against Shuvalan. Emreli made his European debut in 2016 against Luxembourgish

F91 Dudelange F91 Dudelange (; , ) is a Luxembourgish professional Association football, football club based in Dudelange which plays in the Luxembourg National Division. It was formed in 1991 as a merger between three teams in the town: Alliance Dudelange, ...

in the second qualification round of the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

which ended 2–0 for Qarabağ. On 15 September 2016, Emreli made his debut for UEFA Europa League group stage game against

FC Slovan Liberec FC Slovan Liberec (), commonly referred to as Slovan Liberec or simply Slovan, is a Czech professional association football, football club based in the city of Liberec. The club is one of the most successful in the Czech Republic, having won thr ...

. He scored his first European goal in a 1–0 home victory against Danish

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

in the play-off round of the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League. Emreli made his debut for UEFA Champions League group stage game against Chelsea in

Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to: * Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England ** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066 * Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge * Stamford Bridge (stadium), in ...

on 12 September 2017. Mahir made five appearances in the UEFA Champions League group stage. On 18 August 2020, Emreli, scoring against

FK Sileks FK Sileks () is a professional football club based in Kratovo, North Macedonia, currently playing in the Macedonian First League. History FK Sileks Kratovo, a football club from Kratovo, Macedonia, has a rich history that dates back several deca ...

at the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, celebrated his goal with a

salute A salute is usually a formal hand gesture or other action used to display respect in military situations. Salutes are primarily associated with the military and law enforcement, but many civilian organizations, such as Girl Guides, Boy Sc ...

to the Azerbaijani soldiers serving in the frontline during the border clashes with

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

Legia Warsaw

On 8 June 2021,

Legia Warsaw Legia Warszawa (), commonly referred to as Legia Warsaw or simply Legia, is a professional football club based in Warsaw, Poland. Legia is the most successful Polish football club in history, winning a record 15 champions titles, a record 2 ...

announced the signing of Emreli on a contract until 30 June 2024. On 17 June 2021, Emreli made his debut and scored his first goal for Legia in a 5–0 friendly victory over SK Bischofshofen. He scored his first officials goals for Legia in a

first qualifying round match against Norwegian champions Bodø/Glimt on 7 July 2021. On 26 August 2021, during

play-off match The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

of the

2021–22 UEFA Europa League The 2021–22 UEFA Europa League was the 51st season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 13th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. Eintracht Frankfurt defeated Rangers ...

against

Slavia Prague Sportovní klub Slavia Praha – fotbal (Sports Club Slavia Prague – Football, ), commonly known as Slavia Praha or Slavia Prague, is a Czech professional football club in Prague. Founded in 1892, they are the second most successful club in t ...

, following an unsuccessful 0–1 first half, Emreli scored two goals and secured Legia's qualification to the

group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

of the tournament. He set a unique record by scoring in all the tournaments he participated in. In December 2021, Emreli was one of the victims of an attack by hooligans on a bus returning after the

Ekstraklasa (; meaning "Extra Class" in Polish), officially known as PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa due to its Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is a professional association football league in Poland and the highest level of the Polish foo ...

match against

Wisła Płock Wisła Płock Spółka Akcyjna (Wisła Płock S.A.), commonly referred to as Wisła Płock (), is a Polish professional football club based in Płock, Masovian Voivodeship. They will compete in the Ekstraklasa in the 2025–26 season after wi ...

. After this incident, Emreli decided not to play for Legia. On 2 February 2022, he terminated the contract by mutual agreement.

Dinamo Zagreb

Hours after leaving Legia, Emreli was announced as the new player of

Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Cr ...

in the

Croatian First Football League The Hrvatska nogometna liga (; ), abbreviated as HNL and also known for sponsorship reasons as the SuperSport HNL, is a professional association football league in Croatia and the highest level of the Croatian football league system. Establishe ...

. Legia owed Dinamo one million euros because they bought Lirim Kastrati from them in September 2021 for 1.2 million euros, but by December 2021 Dinamo had received only 200,000 euros. Dinamo decided to drop Legia's debt on the condition that Emreli would leave Legia for free and sign for Dinamo. On 24 August 2022, Emreli played in the

against

FK Bodø/Glimt Fotballklubben Bodø/Glimt (), also referred to as Bodø/Glimt or its former name Glimt, is a Norwegian professional football club from the town of Bodø in Bodø Municipality, Nordland county, Norway. The club currently plays in Eliteserien ...

with Dinamo Zagreb winning 4–1 and ensuring a place in the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League group stage.

Loan to Konyaspor

On 14 February 2023, Emreli was loaned to

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), also known as Trendyol Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Turkey and the highest level of the Turkish football league system. In the 2023–2024 season, twen ...

club

Konyaspor Konyaspor Kulübü (, Konya Sports Club), commonly referred to as Konyaspor, is a Turkish professional football club based in Konya, one of the largest cities in central Anatolia. Due to sponsorship agreements, the club is also officially known ...

until the end of the 2022–23 season with an option of a permanent transfer at the end of the season.

1. FC Nürnberg

On 6 August 2024, Emreli joined German 2. Bundesliga club 1. FC Nürnberg.

International career

Youth

He was part of the Azerbaijan under-23 team that won the football competition at the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games. He was selected by

Yashar Vahabzade Yashar Vahabzade (, born 8 April 1960) is an Azerbaijani football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Playing career Yashar Vahabzade began playing football for Soviet Second League side Avtomobilchi in 1977 and would play for ...

for that tournament's squad, appearing in five games and scoring two goal in the final to help defeat

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

2–1 .

Senior

Emreli made his

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

debut on 9 March 2017 against

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...

. He scored his first goal for

on 29 May 2018, in a friendly match against

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

Sponsorship

In 2018, Emreli signed a sponsorship deal with American sportswear and equipment supplier,

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

Personal life

In May 2019, Mahir changed his surname from Mədətov to his mother's family name of Emreli, expressing disapproval at his father's marriage to another woman.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Azerbaijan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Emreli goal.''

Honours

Qarabağ *

: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20 *

Azerbaijan Cup The Azerbaijan Cup () is a major association football competition in Azerbaijan. In its original form, it started in 1936, when Azerbaijan was a republic of the Soviet Union and it was not disputed by Azerbaijani teams in the Soviet league pyramid ...

: 2015–16, 2016–17 Dinamo Zagreb *

: 2021–22, 2023–24 *

Croatian Football Cup The Croatian Football Cup (), is an annually held football tournament for Croatian football clubs and is the second most important competition in Croatian football after the HNL championship. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS ...

: 2023–24 *

Croatian Football Super Cup The Croatian Football Super Cup is a football match between the winners of the Croatian national top league and football cup. The Super Cup is always held at the beginning of a new football season, and is only held when different clubs win the t ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

Azerbaijan U23 *

Islamic Solidarity Games The Islamic Solidarity Games () is a multinational, multi-sport event. Managed jointly by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Islamic Solidarity Sports Association (ISSA), the Games involve elite athletes of the OIC competing in a ...

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

Individual * Azerbaijan Premier League Top scorer: 2018–19, 2019–20 * Qalian D'or:

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

* Qizil makasin: 2024-2025 * 3x Ballon D'or: 2010-2011-2012

References

External links

*
Emreli profile on official club website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Emreli, Mahir 1997 births Living people Men's association football forwards Azerbaijani men's footballers 21st-century Azerbaijani sportsmen Azerbaijan men's international footballers Azerbaijan men's under-21 international footballers Azerbaijan men's youth international footballers FC Baku players Qarabağ FK players Legia Warsaw players GNK Dinamo Zagreb players Konyaspor footballers 1. FC Nürnberg players Azerbaijan Premier League players Ekstraklasa players Croatian Football League players Süper Lig players Expatriate men's footballers in Poland Expatriate men's footballers in Croatia Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Azerbaijani expatriate sportspeople in Poland Azerbaijani expatriate sportspeople in Croatia Azerbaijani expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Azerbaijani expatriate sportspeople in Germany Sportspeople from Tver Footballers from Tver Oblast Islamic Solidarity Games gold medalists for Azerbaijan