The Most Famous

SOCCER PLAYERS from Georgia

This page contains a list of the greatest Georgian Soccer Players. The pantheon dataset contains 21,273 Soccer Players, 47 of which were born in Georgia. This makes Georgia the birth place of the 57th most number of Soccer Players behind North Macedonia, and Iceland.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Georgian Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous Georgian Soccer Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Georgian Soccer Players.

1. Murtaz Khurtsilava (b. 1943)

With an HPI of 56.04, Murtaz Khurtsilava is the most famous Georgian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages on wikipedia.

Murtaz Kalistratovich Khurtsilava (Georgian: მურთაზ ხურცილავა, Russian: Муртаз Калистратович Хурцилава, born 5 January 1943) is a Georgian former footballer who played as a defender. Khurtsilava was discovered while playing football in the school garden in Gegechkori, a small town in Caucasus – now known as Martvili – where he learned to play football with a ball made of hay and rags. He was part of the USSR side that finished fourth at the 1966 FIFA World Cup, third at the 1972 Summer Olympics and second in the 1972 UEFA European Championship. After the UEFA Euro 1972 along with his teammates by Soviet Union national team — Revaz Dzodzuashvili and Evgeni Rudakov — he was included in the team of the tournament, where also were presented such great players like Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Paul Breitner, Uli Hoeness and Günter Netzer. He was also one of the only two Georgians, alongside Alexandre Chivadze, to have captained the Soviet Union national team. At the club level he played for Dinamo Tbilisi. After retiring in 1977, Khurtsilava set up his own business in Tbilisi, where he now resides with his family. In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Georgia by the Georgian Football Federation as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.

2. Mikheil Meskhi (1937 - 1991)

With an HPI of 54.32, Mikheil Meskhi is the 2nd most famous Georgian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Mikheil Salvovich Meskhi (Georgian: მიხეილ მესხი; Russian: Михаил Шалвович Месхи; born 12 January 1937 in Tbilisi; died 22 April 1991 in Tbilisi) was a Georgian footballer. Nicknamed the "Georgian Garrincha" for his dazzling wing play, he was a creative force on the left flank for the Soviet Union. He was invited by the World XI side via the USSR Football Federation who replied he was injured and couldn't play— he was not told of the invitation.

3. David Kipiani (1951 - 2001)

With an HPI of 52.30, David Kipiani is the 3rd most famous Georgian Soccer Player. Her biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

David Kipiani (Georgian: დავით ყიფიანი; 18 June 1951 – 17 September 2001) was a Georgian and Soviet football midfielder and manager, who played for the USSR national team. Kipiani principally played as a playmaker and is considered one of Georgia's greatest players. He was known for his elegant style of play, dribbling ability and passing range.

4. Shota Arveladze (b. 1973)

With an HPI of 52.14, Shota Arveladze is the 4th most famous Georgian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 36 different languages.

Shota Arveladze (Georgian: შოთა არველაძე; born 22 February 1973) is a Georgian professional football manager and former player who most recently coached Turkish club Fatih Karagümrük. Arveladze played at Dinamo Tbilisi, Trabzonspor, Ajax, Rangers, AZ and Levante. He is Georgia's all-time top scorer with 291 goals in his 410 league games for his clubs and 26 goals in his 61 games for the national team. His 27 goals scored in the UEFA Cup competition, including qualifiers ranks him third in the tournament's history before it became the Europa League. He has the best strike record of independent Georgian Football. He was nominated as the best player of Georgia as well as the best player by the Georgian Professional Football league survey.

5. Zaur Kaloev (1931 - 1997)

With an HPI of 51.78, Zaur Kaloev is the 5th most famous Georgian Soccer Player. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Zaur Kaloevi (Georgian: ზაურ კალოევი; 24 March 1931 – 23 December 1997) was a famous Georgian footballer. During his career he played for Spartaki Tbilisi (1950–1951), Dinamo Tbilisi (1953–1956, 1959–1964), and Lokomotiv Moscow (1957–1958). He participated in the first ever European Nations' Cup in 1960, where the Soviets were champions, and played 3 matches for the Soviets at the Olympic level. Zaur Kaloev was one of the most brilliant headers of his time. His Georgian friend and teammate Mikhail Meskhi said, "if I want to score a goal, I have to make sure my cross hits Zaur's head. Because it will certainly result in a goal

6. Givi Chokheli (1937 - 1994)

With an HPI of 51.23, Givi Chokheli is the 6th most famous Georgian Soccer Player. Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Givi Dmitriyevich Chokheli (Georgian: გივი ჩოხელი; Russian: Гиви Дмитриевич Чохели) (27 June 1937 in Telavi – 25 February 1994 in Tbilisi) was a Georgian football defender. Chokheli played most of his career for Dinamo Tbilisi. After ending his playing career he worked in various coaching positions for Dinamo Tbilisi and in 1969-1970 and 1974 was a head coach. He was classified as a Master of Sport of the USSR in 1959. He played for Soviet Union national team (19 matches), and was a participant at the 1962 FIFA World Cup and at the 1960 UEFA European Football Championship, where the Soviet Union won the gold medal. The Soviet back line was anchored by the famous trio of Chokheli, Anatoli Maslyonkin, and Anatoly Krutikov in the early 1960s. Telavi's Municipal Stadium features a statue of Chokheli in front of it.

7. Ramaz Shengelia (1957 - 2012)

With an HPI of 51.09, Ramaz Shengelia is the 7th most famous Georgian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Ramaz Shengelia (Georgian: რამაზ შენგელია; 1 January 1957 – 21 June 2012) was a Georgian and Soviet footballer who played as a striker.

8. Boris Paichadze (1915 - 1990)

With an HPI of 50.62, Boris Paichadze is the 8th most famous Georgian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Boris Paichadze (Georgian: ბორის პაიჭაძე, [boɾis pʼaitʃʼadze]; Russian: Борис Соломонович Пайчадзе; 4 February 1915 – 9 October 1990) was a Soviet and Georgian footballer, who played for FC Dinamo Tbilisi. The largest stadium in Georgia, the Boris Paichadze Stadium in Tbilisi, is named after him. In 2001, he was voted the best Georgian football player of the 20th century.

9. Kakhi Asatiani (1947 - 2002)

With an HPI of 50.28, Kakhi Asatiani is the 9th most famous Georgian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Kakhi Asatiani (Georgian: კახი ასათიანი, 1 January 1947 – 20 November 2002) was a Georgian association football player and manager.

10. Tengiz Sulakvelidze (b. 1956)

With an HPI of 49.91, Tengiz Sulakvelidze is the 10th most famous Georgian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Tengiz Grigoriyevich Sulakvelidze (Georgian: თენგიზ სულაქველიძე; born 23 July 1956) is a Georgian former professional footballer who played as a defender.

People

Pantheon has 55 people classified as Georgian soccer players born between 1915 and 2001. Of these 55, 45 (81.82%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Georgian soccer players include Murtaz Khurtsilava, Shota Arveladze, and Tengiz Sulakvelidze. The most famous deceased Georgian soccer players include Mikheil Meskhi, David Kipiani, and Zaur Kaloev. As of April 2024, 8 new Georgian soccer players have been added to Pantheon including Ramaz Urushadze, Giorgi Mamardashvili, and Otar Kakabadze.