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Mikheil Kavelashvili

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Mikheil Kavelashvili
Personal information
Date of birth (1971-07-22) 22 July 1971 (age 53)
Place of birth Bolnisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1989–1991 Dinamo Tbilisi
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988–1995 Dinamo Tbilisi 132 (80)
1994–1995 → Spartak Vladikavkaz (loan) 24 (12)
1995–1997 Manchester City 28 (3)
1997–1999 → Grasshoppers (loan) 59 (20)
1999–2002 Zürich 81 (28)
2002–2003 Luzern 25 (5)
2003–2004 Sion 10 (6)
2004–2005 Aarau 16 (8)
2004 → Alania Vladikavkaz (loan) 7 (0)
2005–2006 Basel 14 (4)
Total 396 (166)
International career
1991–2002 Georgia 46 (9)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mikheil Kavelashvili (Georgian: მიხეილ ყაველაშვილი; born 22 July 1971) is a Georgian politician and former professional footballer. He is the co-founder of the People's Power party.

As a player, he was a striker who notably played in the Premier League for Manchester City and in the Swiss Super League for Grasshoppers, Zürich, Luzern, Sion, Aarau and Basel. He also played for Dinamo Tbilisi and Spartak Vladikavkaz. He was capped 46 times by Georgia, scoring nine goals.

He moved into politics in 2016, and was elected to the Parliament of Georgia in the Georgian Dream party, before leaving to co-found the People's Power party.

On November 27, 2024, the ruling Georgian Dream party nominated Kavelashvili as its candidate for the Presidency of Georgia.[1]

Club career

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As with many leading Georgian players, Kavelashvili began his career with Dinamo Tbilisi, emerging from their youth system in 1989. A skilful striker, he soon established himself in the Dinamo side before earning a move to Russian club Spartak Vladikavkaz in 1995.

He began training with Manchester City on 1 March 1996,[2] before finally joining the club on transfer deadline day. He made his City debut on 6 April scoring in the derby game against Manchester United. Following City's relegation, he played 24 games (two goals) in the Football League First Division. The number was not enough to secure a renewal of his work permit, and he was sent out on loan to Grasshoppers, winning a Swiss Super League in 1998. He has since played the majority of his football in Switzerland, featuring for Zürich, Luzern, Sion and Aarau. Aarau loaned him out to Vladikavkaz in Autumn 2004, but he returned to Switzerland after playing just seven games.

Kavelashvili joined Basel's first team during their 2005–06 season under head coach Christian Gross, who was in his seventh season with the club in that position. Gross had been head coach for GC as Kavelashvili had won the Swiss championship in the 1997–98 season. Kavelashvili played his domestic league debut for the club in the home game in the St. Jakob-Park on 12 March 2006 as he was substituted in the 66th minute. He also scored his first goal for the team during the same game, it was the match winning goal as Basel won 1–0 against Grasshoppers.[3] Basel had started the season well and were joint leaders of the championship with Zürich right until the last day of the league campaign. On the final day of the league season FCB played at home against FCZ. A last-minute goal from Zürich's Iulian Filipescu meant the final score was 2–1 in favour of the away team and it gave FCZ their first national championship since 1980–81. The title for Basel was lost on goal difference.[4]

Kavelashvili had ten appearances for FCB in his first season and in each he had been used as a substitute. In his second season, he also made seven appearances, again each as substitute, but the club released him before the winter break, and he retired from his active football career. During his period with the club, he played a total of 26 games for Basel scoring a total of 12 goals. 14 of these games were in the Swiss Super League, three in the UEFA Cup and nine were friendly games. He scored four goals in the domestic league and the other eight during the test games.[5]

International career

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With the Georgia national team he won Malta International Football Tournament 1998[6]

Political career

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In 2016 he was elected as a member of Parliament of Georgia from the Georgian Dream party. He left Georgian Dream in 2022 and co-founded the People's Power party. On 27 November 2024, he was nominated by Georgian Dream as its candidate for president of Georgia in elections scheduled on 14 December. In his nomination speech, he accused outgoing president Salome Zourabichvili of violating the constitution.[7]

Kavelashvili has accused the political opposition in Georgia of being controlled by US congressmen with "an insatiable desire to destroy our country" and plotting "a direct violent revolution and the Ukrainisation of Georgia".[8]

Honours

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Dinamo Tbilisi

Vladikavkaz

Grasshoppers

References

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  1. ^ "GD Picks Former Football Player Mikheil Kavelashvili as Presidential Candidate". Civil Georgia. 27 November 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Maine Road Diary - Spring '96".
  3. ^ Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv” (12 March 2006). "FC Basel - Grasshopper Club 2:1 (1:1)". Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  4. ^ Karel Stokkermans, Daniel Dalence and Antonio Zea (2006). "Switzerland 2005/06". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  5. ^ Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv” (2007). "Mikheil Kavelashvili - FCB statistics". Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  6. ^ "Georgia vs Latvia, 6 February 1998".
  7. ^ "Georgia's governing party picks former soccer player as presidential candidate". Associated Press. 27 November 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  8. ^ "Georgia's governing party taps pro-Russian ex-footballer for president". Al Jazeera. 27 November 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
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