The former striker died suddenly at the age of 72 in the Russian capital Moscow, Offsideplus.az reports.

It should be noted that Rafig Alizade wore the uniform of Neftchi in 1966-1972 and 1976-1982. He is also known for his ability to score penalties for his team during his football career. 

Alizade also tested himself in futsal. He played 4 games for Baku's Neftchi team in the USSR Futsal Championship in 1991, scored 8 goals, and twice wore the USSR national futsal team's uniform.

The specialist was the assistant coach of the Russian futsal team, which won the European Championship for the first and last time in its history in 1999. The former forward was the sports director of the Russian futsal club Dina from 1992 to 2008, and the vice-president for logistics from 2010 to 2017. In 2019, he was awarded the Medal for Loyalty to Work by the Russian Mini-Football Association.

Alizade has been awarded a special scholarship by the national association since the end of 2019, according to the decision of the AFFA Executive Committee.