58 Facts About Georgi Kinkladze

Georgi Kinkladze, spelled Georgiou, or Giorgi, or shortened to Gio, is a Georgian former footballer who played as a playmaking midfielder.

Georgi Kinkladze first came to international prominence with his performances for the Georgian national team against Wales in 1994 and 1995.

Georgi 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.

Georgi 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.

Georgi Kinkladze was unable to settle in the Netherlands, and returned to England with Derby County a little over a year later.

Georgi Kinkladze spent four years at Derby, making nearly 100 appearances.

Georgi Kinkladze finished his playing career with Russian club Rubin Kazan in 2006.

Georgi Kinkladze was born on 6 July 1973 in Tbilisi, Georgia, which was then part of the Soviet Union.

When Georgian football formed leagues independent of Soviet competition in 1989, a family friend arranged for Kinkladze to move to Mretebi Tbilisi, the first openly professional club in the Soviet Union.

Georgi Kinkladze made his professional debut aged 16, and immediately became a first team regular.

In 1991 Georgi Kinkladze's Mretebi won the Pirveli Liga, and won promotion to the highest division following a play-off.

In September 1992, shortly after signing for Dinamo, Georgi Kinkladze made his senior international debut, aged 19.

Georgi Kinkladze then trained with Real Madrid's reserves, where he caught the eye of Boca Juniors scouts, who took him to Argentina for a month's loan.

Georgi Kinkladze met his childhood hero Diego Maradona, but did not gain a permanent contract, as manager Silvio Marzolini regarded him as too similar to Boca's Argentine international playmaker Alberto Marcico.

In September 1994, Kinkladze was part of the Georgian team that played Moldova in Tbilisi.

Italian clubs became interested in Georgi Kinkladze after seeing footage of his performance, and the Italian press nicknamed Georgi Kinkladze the "Rivera of the Black Sea", but no concrete attempts to sign him took place.

Georgi Kinkladze had scored 14 goals in 21 appearances, and clubs from several countries expressed interest in signing him.

Jordania kept true to his agreement with Lee, and on 15 July 1995, Georgi Kinkladze signed for Manchester City.

Georgi Kinkladze was initially homesick, as he was living in a hotel and spoke little English.

Georgi Kinkladze beat five players before chipping the ball over Southampton goalkeeper Dave Beasant.

Manchester City finished the season well below the promotion places, and again, there was speculation that Georgi Kinkladze would leave the club.

Georgi Kinkladze was named Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, and one month after the season ended, he announced his intention to stay at the club by signing a new three-year contract.

Georgi Kinkladze used the proceeds from his new contract to buy a Ferrari, though the car caused consternation among club officials.

Georgi Kinkladze received back injuries requiring 30 stitches, and missed two matches as a result.

Georgi Kinkladze had a reputation for playing defensive midfielders, which led to his Everton team being nicknamed the "Dogs of War".

Georgi Kinkladze was played out of position on the right wing, much to his displeasure, and gave a performance that the Manchester Evening News summarised as "barely noticeable".

Jones tried to apply his philosophy to Georgi Kinkladze, even targeting him in the tunnel before the start of the match.

Georgi Kinkladze opened the scoring with a free kick, but City could not maintain their lead.

In total, Georgi Kinkladze made 119 appearances for Manchester City, scoring 22 goals.

Georgi Kinkladze was originally signed as a replacement for Jari Litmanen, but Litmanen stayed at Ajax as his proposed move to Barcelona fell through.

Georgi Kinkladze was not issued a squad number for his second season, and was made to train with the reserve team.

In September 1999, Georgi Kinkladze held transfer talks with Sheffield United, but no move materialised.

Georgi Kinkladze returned to the side as a substitute against Middlesbrough on 6 September 2000.

Georgi Kinkladze stayed at the club, since his injuries and inability to prove himself led to a lack of serious offers.

Todd did not favour flair players, and Georgi Kinkladze made only a single substitute appearance in Todd's first two months in charge.

Frustrated by a lack of opportunities, Georgi Kinkladze took the unusual step of using his lawyer to arrange a meeting with Todd to discuss his exclusion from the first team.

Georgi Kinkladze stayed at the club, playing regular first team football in the remainder of the season, but Derby continued to struggle, and Georgi Kinkladze endured relegation for the third time in his career.

Georgi Kinkladze then missed a number of matches through injuries, featuring in around half of Derby's games in the remainder of 2002.

Georgi Kinkladze intended to quit, but although his agent admitted interest from German side Hamburg and a second enquiry from Galatasaray, no move transpired and he remained at the club.

Georgi Kinkladze played for Derby more often in the second half of the season, and his form resulted in him being named the supporters Player of the Year.

Georgi Kinkladze decided to turn down this contract extension proposal, desiring a move to a more successful club with a chance of winning trophies.

Georgi Kinkladze played for Portsmouth in one pre-season friendly, but Portsmouth decided instead to sign another former Manchester City playmaker, Eyal Berkovic.

Georgi Kinkladze joined Leeds United on trial, playing for the reserve team to earn a permanent contract, however after he reportedly turned up late to training sessions, then manager Eddie Gray ended Kinkladze's trial spell.

In December 2003, Georgi Kinkladze went for a one-week trial at Panathinaikos, following an invitation from Giannis Vardinogiannis, the owner of the Greek club.

Georgi Kinkladze's contract was initially only for one season, but the club extended it for another year.

On 22 August 2005, Georgi Kinkladze played his last game for Anorthosis against Omonia in the Cypriot Super Cup and two days later, on the day of the second leg of the tie against Rangers, he left to close a deal with Rubin.

Georgi Kinkladze had less remarkable performances in the next two games and was substituted both times.

Georgi Kinkladze is an experienced player who, I think, will help the team.

Georgi Kinkladze missed a late penalty, denying Rubin a vital victory.

Georgi Kinkladze ended the 2005 season with seven assists and two goals in nine appearances for Rubin.

Georgi Kinkladze passed a thorough medical examination, the results of which were reported as the deciding factor for his future at the club.

Georgi Kinkladze later worked as a sports agent, and in August 2011 returned to his former club Anorthosis, where he was employed as Sports Director until an amicable departure in June 2012.

Georgi Kinkladze participated in Rangers Weekend of Legends II on 26 March 2023.

Georgi Kinkladze's position was as a playmaking midfielder, typically playing further forward than the rest of the midfield.

Weaker points of Georgi Kinkladze's game were those related to defending.

Georgi Kinkladze was not noted for tackling, which sometimes caused frustration for his managers; Colin Todd remarked wistfully in 2001 that "Georgi has to understand that there is an art to tackling".

On occasions, Georgi Kinkladze played as a second striker, a role with less positional responsibility.

Periods when Georgi Kinkladze was used in this way included Frank Clark's first months as Manchester City manager, and alongside Fabrizio Ravanelli at Derby County.