 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 4 August 1981 | ||
| 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) |
| 2008–2009 | → Dynamo 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
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.
International career
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
Asatiani started as an attacking midfielder but his displays at the back earned him a solid reputation as a central defender. Mostly playing as centre-back at his club, Asatiani was often used as a playmaker for the Georgia national team. His passing, technical skills and eye for decisive goals made him an extremely versatile player.
Career statistics
| 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
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