The end of Samad Gurbanov's football career was very unexpected and strange. In 1984, Neftchi's two-goal defeat at home to Ararat led him to end his career. Samad Gurbanov could not digest this defeat and said goodbye to his favorite game. Later, when Samad Bey repeatedly returned to work in the country's football, we witnessed his sudden resentment. This is how we met Gurbanov - with a fragile heart who decided not to accept injustice, mistakes and leave the place of failure.

Samad Gurbanov was born on July 10, 1953 in Gazakh. Like almost all the players of his time, he was discovered in children's tournaments. He was invited to Neftchi directly from Umid Cup. It took him only two years to move from the reserve team to the main team. The left-wing midfielder, who tends to make more passes than scoring, was not content with rejoicing in Neftchi's success and sharing his grief. He started and ended his career with the idea that "everything is for Neftchi". He also agreed to destroy the national team's prospects for Neftchi by removing them from the Olympic team. His incredible sincerity also played a role. Or would the referee believe that Minsk's Dinamo, led by the head coach of the Olympic team Eduard Malofeyev, did not score the equalizer in the match with water ?! Gurbanov's two words to the referee caused a quarrel after the match. But he gave his team a victory and an insurmountable obstacle on the way to the national team. Malofeyev did not call Samadi to the Olympic team again for this action. Gurbanov, known for his sincerity in all USSR football, also appealed to the referee to change the opponent's decision to score a penalty in one of the games. Hearing that it was the footballer's birthday, the owner of the whistle "sacrificed" his professionalism for Gurbanov, who earned his sincere respect.

Samad, who is not afraid of any player in the country, is considered an undesirable opponent for other teams. Even the famous Spartak player Fyodor Cherenkov admitted in an interview that Samad Gurbanov is the most impenetrable midfielder for him. Gurbanov, who was the captain of the team for some time, was a headache not only for Cherenkov, but also for many strong forwards who played in the strongest team. In 1981, he was included in the list of 33 best football players of all time in Azerbaijan, and in 1983, he was the only player of Neftchi to vote in a poll conducted by Football-Hockey Week to determine the best football player of the USSR.

Samad, who has a high starting speed, was one of the most popular players among the fans. It is no coincidence that football fans nicknamed him "Jiguli" for his speed. Indeed, when Gurbanov gained speed, no player of the opposing team could reach him and created confusion in the defense. Despite his small height, he played well in the head. As a result, he scored most of his goals. Gurbanov, who spent his career only at Neftchi and was known for his loyalty to the team, appeared in 393 games, which is second only to Sergei Kramarenko and Asgar Abdullayev.