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Malkhaz Asatiani

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Malkhaz Asatiani
Personal information
Date of birth (1981-08-04) 4 August 1981 (age 43)
Place of birth Kutaisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Centre-back, defensive midfielder, playmaker
Youth career
1997–1999 Torpedo Kutaisi
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2003 Torpedo Kutaisi 76 (15)
2003–2010 Lokomotiv Moscow 125 (6)
2008–2009Dynamo Kyiv (loan) 11 (0)
Total 212 (21)
International career
1997–2003 Georgia U21 18 (2)
2001–2010 Georgia 42 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Malkhaz Asatiani (Georgian: მალხაზ ასათიანი; born 4 August 1981) is a Georgian former professional footballer who played as a defender.

Club career

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His club career started in Torpedo Kutaisi. During his stay of three and a half years the team won the Georgian league title three consecutive seasons. He then earned a transfer to Russian team Lokomotiv Moscow. He plays mostly as a defender at the club and mostly as a midfielder in the national team.

On 3 December. Asatiani told the Russian newspaper, Sport-Express, that he will be leaving Lokomotiv in the end of 2010 on a free transfer. On 21 December the departure was made official.

In August 2008, Asatiani was bought on a half-year loan by Dynamo Kyiv.

International career

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For the National Team, Malkhaz has played 18 international matches and scored 4 goals since his debut in 2001. One of the goals came against rivals Russia in a Euro 2004 qualifying match, something for which Asatiani received praise. He also scored important goals in the 2006 World Cup qualifying phase.

Style of play and reception

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Asatiani had been attacking midfielder in his early professional career at Torpedo Kutaisi before Lokomotiv Moscow's manager Yuri Syomin converted him into a ball-playing center-back due to his physique and the ability to recover possession and accurately pass the ball over long distances. When playing as a defender, he was also allowed to go up the pitch to participate in the attacking play and, at times, started games in his original role of a midfielder or even as a forward. His passing, dribbling, technical skills and an eye for decisive goals made him a versatile and valuable player for both the club and the national team. Despite his talent, he was unable to continue his career as a player past the age of 29 due to recurring injuries.[1]

In a 2024 interview, former long-term Lokomotiv Moscow manager Yuri Syomin named Asatiani one of the best defenders in the Russian Premier League during the 2000s as well as one of the most disciplined foreign players in Moscow-based clubs.[1]

Career statistics

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Europe Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Torpedo Kutaisi 1999–2000 13 3 0 0 0 0 13 3
2000–01 23 5 0 0 0 0 23 5
2001–02 25 1 0 0 0 0 25 1
2002–03 15 6 0 0 0 0 15 6
Total 76 15 0 0 0 0 76 15
Lokomotiv Moscow 2003 10 1 0 0 0 0 10 1
2004 19 1 1 0 2 0 22 1
2005 28 3 2 1 12 2 42 6
2006 14 0 2 0 1 0 17 0
2007 14 1 0 0 5 0 19 1
2008 4 0 1 0 0 0 5 0
2009 14 0 0 0 0 0 14 0
2010 11 0 0 0 0 0 11 0
Total 114 6 6 1 20 2 140 9
Dynamo Kyiv (loan) 2008–09 5 0 2 1 5 0 12 1
Career total 195 21 8 2 25 2 228 24

Honours

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Torpedo Kutaisi

Lokomotiv Moscow

Dynamo Kyiv

References

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  1. ^ a b "Семин о Асатиани: «За ним никогда не нужно было следить, он сам следил за собой»". 5 January 2024.
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Malkhaz Asatiani at National-Football-Teams.com