Poepon considers himself a 'late bloomer'. The former Ajacied joined the club's youth academy in 2004 at the age of sixteen. "That's not the usual way. At first, it was tough, but in the end, it was fantastic. I'm so proud to have played for Ajax."
Adventure abroad
After playing minutes for Jong Ajax, the striker moved through Willem II, Sparta, De Graafschap, ADO Den Haag, and NAC before embarking on his first foreign adventure in France. "I'd been playing in the Netherlands for a long time and was ready for something different. Valenciennes FC was a partial success. In 2015, Qarabağ FK came knocking, but I didn’t know anything about the club. They were playing in the Champions League qualifiers, which was my main reason for going."
Qarabağ FK has been using its current name since 1987, has won eight national titles and six cups, and has previously competed in the main stage of the Champions League. Despite this, the club is relatively unknown. "I'm not sure why that is. Azerbaijan isn't a well-known country, and few tourists go there. Qarabağ FK is the biggest club in the country but remains small compared to Europe. There aren’t many teams in the league, and they easily win the title almost every year. Players who go there really only do it to play in the Champions or Europa League."
"As for the lifestyle, it's similar to Turkey," Poepon continues. "Baku is a wonderful city, kind of Dubai-like. There are big buildings, and it's not too hot. People there speak a mix of Russian and Turkish. I always had a translator with me, or I would call one," he laughs.
Differences
The former Ajacied, who also played in Turkey, talks about the differences between the two countries. "Football is definitely the number one sport in Azerbaijan, but the atmosphere around it is lacking. In Turkey, the football culture is much crazier. If you compare it to the Netherlands, the youth development is a big difference. I think they didn't pay much attention to it there. It wasn't as much of a focus. In the Netherlands, youth development is the future. I didn't see any of that in Azerbaijan."
Poepon, now playing for the amateur side DWS in Amsterdam, does see similarities between the two clubs. "Qarabağ FK is the Ajax of Azerbaijan; they're the biggest in the country. The league is more physical than in the Netherlands. I think the coach from my time is still there: Qurban Qurbanov. He's a big figure at the club."
European clash against Tottenham Hotspur
Poepon's time in Azerbaijan didn't turn out the way he had hoped. "I wanted to play and maybe get picked up by other clubs. But honestly, that didn't happen because I didn't play much. Life there was mainly spent at the club or at home. It was normal to stay at the club overnight before matches. One night for a league game and two for European matches. On top of that, the coach was always keeping an eye on us. He sometimes even knew where I was going for dinner, for example," he laughs.
Poepon played for Qarabağ FK from July 2015 to January 2016, mainly as a substitute. He featured in 21 matches, scored once, and won the league title. The club didn't make it to the Champions League as hoped, but he still got to play some memorable Europa League matches against Tottenham Hotspur and AS Monaco. "We often played league matches in a small stadium with two or three thousand people. But the big European matches were held at the Olympic Stadium. It holds a lot of people, and there was definitely more of a buzz."
Ajax's arrival
Francesco Farioli's squad will travel to Baku for their third match in the League Phase of the Europa League. "It's going to be busy when Ajax come. They see themselves as the underdog but will still be aiming for the win, especially at home, where the atmosphere can be pretty intense. In my time, we had a lot of agile players, and that's probably still the case. But I don't know anyone from the current squad except for the coach. I expect his philosophy is still the same, though it's been nearly ten years. They’ll play compact and look to hit on the counter. But to be honest, I expect Ajax to win."
