 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 6 July 1973 | ||
| Place of birth | Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1979–1989 | Dinamo Tbilisi | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989–1991 | Mretebi Tbilisi | 80 | (18) |
| 1991–1995 | Dinamo Tbilisi | 65 | (41) |
| 1993 | → 1. FC Saarbrücken (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| 1994 | → Boca Juniors (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1995–1998 | Manchester City | 106 | (20) |
| 1998–2000 | Ajax | 12 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | → Derby County (loan) | 14 | (1) |
| 2000–2003 | Derby County | 80 | (6) |
| 2004–2005 | Anorthosis | 22 | (2) |
| 2005–2006 | Rubin Kazan | 14 | (2) |
| Total | 405 | (90) | |
| International career | |||
| 1992–2005 | Georgia | 54 | (8) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Georgi Kinkladze (Georgian: გიორგი ქინქლაძე, pronounced [ɡioɾɡi kʰinkʰlad͡zɛ]; born 6 July 1973), also spelled Georgiou,[1] or Giorgi,[2] or shortened to Gio,[3] is a Georgian former footballer who played as a playmaking midfielder.
Born in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, his first professional club was Mretebi Tbilisi. In Georgia he won three league titles and two cups with Dinamo Tbilisi, and was named national player of the year twice. He first came to international prominence with his performances for the Georgian national team against Wales in 1994 and 1995.
Kinkladze transferred from Dinamo Tbilisi to English Premier League club Manchester City in 1995, where his dribbling ability and spectacular goals made him a cult hero, winning the club's Player of the Year award in two consecutive seasons. Kinkladze stayed with Manchester City despite relegation to the Football League First Division in 1996, but the club continued to decline, and after a second relegation in 1998 he joined Dutch champions Ajax. With his national team, he won the Malta International Football Tournament 1998.[4]
Kinkladze was unable to settle in the Netherlands, and returned to England with Derby County a little over a year later. He spent four years at Derby, making nearly 100 appearances. After leaving Derby in 2003, he became a journeyman footballer, having unsuccessful trials at several clubs before joining Cypriot club Anorthosis in 2004, where he won a league championship medal. He finished his playing career with Russian club Rubin Kazan in 2006.
- ^ "Kinkladze £5m Ajax move". BBC News. 15 May 1998. Archived from the original on 24 May 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2008.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
lawyerwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "'Gio is the best of the lot' – says Lee". Lancashire Evening Telegraph. 1 March 1996. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
- ^ "Malta vs Georgia, 10 February 1998". Archived from the original on 11 July 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2020.