Malkhaz Asatiani
Malkhaz Asatiani (Georgian: მალხაზ ასათიანი; born 4 August 1981 in Kutaisi) is a retired Georgian football defender who last recently played for Lokomotiv Moscow. He started as an attacking midfielder but his displays at the back earned him a solid reputation as a central defender. Mostly playing as center-back at his club, Asatiani was often used as a playmaker for the national team. His passing, technical skills and eye for decisive goals made him an extremely versatile player.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Malkhaz Asatiani | ||
| Date of birth | 4 August 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Kutaisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing 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) |
| 2008–2009 | → Dynamo Kyiv (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1997–2003 | Georgia U21 | 18 | (2) |
| 2001–2010 | Georgia | 42 | (4) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21 November 2010 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 December 2008 | |||
Career
Club
His club career started in Torpedo Kutaisi. During his stay of three and a half years the team won the Georgian league title three years in a row. 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 such departure was made official.
In August 2008, Asatiani was bought on a half year loan by Dynamo Kyiv.
National
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.
Statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Eurocups | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| FC Torpedo Kutaisi | 1999/2000 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 |
| 2000/2001 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 5 | |
| 2001/2002 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 | |
| 2002/2003 | 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 | |
| Total | 89 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 20 | 2 | 115 | 9 | |
| FC Dinamo Kiev | 2008/2009 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| Total | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 1 | |
| Lokomotiv Moscow | 2009 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| 2010 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| Total | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | |
| Career total | 195 | 21 | 8 | 2 | 25 | 2 | 228 | 24 | |
Honours
Torpedo Kutaisi
- Georgian League (3): 1999–2000, 2000-01, 2001-02
- Georgian Cup (1): 2000-01
Lokomotiv Moscow
- Russian League (1): 2004
- Russian Cup (1): 2006-07
- Russian Super Cup (2): 2003, 2005
- Commonwealth of Independent States Cup (1): 2005
Dynamo Kyiv
- Ukrainian League (1): 2008-09
External links
Malkhaz Asatiani at National-Football-Teams.com