Saba Lobjanidze (Order of Honor) (Georgian: საბა ლობჟანიძე, romanized: saba lobzhanidze, pronounced [saba lobʒanidze]; born 18 December 1994) is a Georgian professional footballer who plays for Major League Soccer club Atlanta United and the Georgia national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 18 December 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Tbilisi, Georgia | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Right winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Atlanta United | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2007 | Norchi Dinamoeli | ||
| 2007–2009 | Tbilisi | ||
| 2009–2013 | Dinamo Tbilisi | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2014 | Dinamo Tbilisi II | 19 | (5) |
| 2014–2017 | Dinamo Tbilisi | 59 | (12) |
| 2016 | → Chikhura Sachkhere (loan) | 11 | (10) |
| 2017–2019 | Randers | 84 | (28) |
| 2020–2021 | MKE Ankaragücü | 52 | (4) |
| 2021–2023 | Hatayspor | 61 | (9) |
| 2023 | → Fatih Karagumruk (loan) | 10 | (2) |
| 2023– | Atlanta United | 44 | (13) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012–2013 | Georgia U19 | 4 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Georgia U21 | 8 | (3) |
| 2017– | Georgia | 37 | (3) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 October 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19:55, 22 June 2024 (UTC). | |||
Club career
editBorn in Tbilisi, Lobjanidze started playing for Norchi Dinamoeli at the age of 10. Later he joined Dinamo Tbilisi.
Randers
editIn June 2017, Lobzhanidze signed a three-year contract with Randers.[1] In April 2018, in six games Lobjhanidze scored six times for Randers, including a hat-trick against Sønderjyske, which won him the Player of the Month award among Georgian football players. Besides, he was twice named in team of the week in the Danish Superliga.[2]
MKE Ankaragücü
editOn 30 January 2020, Lobjanidze signed with Turkish club MKE Ankaragücü.[3] He made his debut on 2 February in a 1–1 league draw against Kasımpaşa.[4]
Hatayspor
editIn June 2021, Lobjanidze signed a three-year contract with Hatayspor, after Ankaragücü had relegated from the Süper Lig.[5]
Following a devastating earthquake in Turkey and subsequent withdrawal of Hatayspor from the league in February 2023, he joined Fatih Karagümrük on loan until the end of the season.[6]
Atlanta United
editIn early August 2023, Lobjanidze moved to MLS club Atlanta United on a three-year deal.[7] He finished the 2023 MLS Regular Season with 3 goals and 4 assists in 9 games.[8]
On 30 May 2024, Saba Lobjanidze was named Player of the Matchday after his first career MLS brace guided Atlanta United to 3-1 win at Inter Miami CF.[9] On 20 July 2024, Lobjanidze became the sixth player in club history to record at least 20 goal contributions in their first 30 matches with the team.[10]
International career
editLobjanidze made his debut for the Georgia national team on 23 January 2017 in a friendly against Uzbekistan, scoring one of the two goals of his team.[11] In 2024, Lobjanidze was called up by Georgia for the 2024 European Championships.[12]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 26 October 2024[13]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dinamo Tbilisi II | 2012–13 | Pirveli Liga | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14 | Pirveli Liga | 18 | 5 | – | – | – | 18 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 5 | ||
| Dinamo Tbilisi | 2014–15 | Umaglesi Liga | 24 | 1 | 6 | 1 | – | 1[b] | 0 | 31 | 2 | |
| 2015–16 | Umaglesi Liga | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 16 | 2 | |||
| 2017 | Erovnuli Liga | 13 | 7 | – | – | – | 13 | 7 | ||||
| Total | 52 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 11 | ||
| Chikhura (loan) | 2016 | Umaglesi Liga | 12 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 2[c] | 0 | – | 17 | 11 | |
| Randers | 2017–18 | Danish Superliga | 29 | 9 | 2 | 1 | – | [d]4 | 3 | 35 | 13 | |
| 2018–19 | Danish Superliga | 37 | 8 | – | – | – | 37 | 8 | ||||
| 2019–20 | Danish Superliga | 15 | 8 | – | – | – | 15 | 8 | ||||
| Total | 81 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 87 | 29 | ||
| MKE Ankaragücü | 2019–20 | Süper Lig | 15 | 1 | – | – | – | 15 | 1 | |||
| 2020–21 | Süper Lig | 37 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 38 | 3 | |||
| Total | 52 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 4 | ||
| Hatayspor | 2021–22 | Süper Lig | 37 | 8 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 40 | 8 | ||
| 2022–23 | Süper Lig | 21 | 1 | – | – | – | 21 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 58 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 9 | ||
| Fatih Karagümrük (loan) | 2022–23 | Süper Lig | 10 | 2 | – | – | – | 10 | 2 | |||
| Atlanta United | 2023 | MLS | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | 3[e] | 0 | 15 | 3 | |
| 2024 | MLS | 32 | 10 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 33 | 10 | |||
| Total | 44 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 45 | 13 | ||
| Career total | 328 | 77 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 354 | 84 | ||
- ^ Includes Georgian Cup, Danish Cup, Turkish Cup
- ^ Appearance in Supercup
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League qualification round
- ^ Appearances in play-offs
- ^ Appearances in MLS Cup Playoffs
International
edit- As of 22 June 2024
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 2017 | 3 | 1 |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 36 | 3 | |
- Scores and results list Georgia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lobzhanidze goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 January 2017 | The Sevens Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates | 2–1 | 2–2 | Friendly | |
| 2 | 10 June 2019 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 1–1 | 1–5 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualification | |
| 3 | 25 March 2023 | Batumi Stadium, Batumi, Georgia | 6–1 | 6–1 | Friendly |
Honours
editDinamo Tbilisi
References
edit- ^ "BRANDVARM GEORGIER TIL RANDERS FC" (in Danish). randersfc.dk. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
- ^ "აპრილის საუკეთესო - საბა ლობჟანიძე". worldsport.ge (in Georgian). 5 May 2018.
- ^ "Saba Lobjanidze solgt til Ankaragücü". randersfc.dk (in Danish). 30 January 2020. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020.
- ^ "Ankaragücü vs. Kasımpaşa – 2 February 2020". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ Hoffskov, Ole (23 June 2021). "Tidligere Superliga-stjerne skifter klub". Tipsbladet.dk (in Danish).
- ^ "საბა ლობჟანიძე ანდრეა პირლოს ხელმძღვანელობით ითამაშებს: ტრანსფერი დადასტურდა". worldsport.ge (in Georgian). Retrieved 18 February 2023.
- ^ "Atlanta United signs winger Saba Lobjanidze from Turkish Süper Lig". atlutd.com. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ atlutd. "Saba Lobjanidze | Atlanta United FC". atlutd. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ mlssoccer. "Atlanta United's Saba Lobzhanidze named Player of the Matchday | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ atlutd. "First professional brace earns Stian Gregersen spot on MLS Team of the Matchday | Atlanta United FC". atlutd. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ "Uzbekistan draws with Georgia in friendly". The Tashkent Times. 24 January 2017.
- ^ Roberson, Doug. "Atlanta United's Saba Lobjanidze called up by Georgia for European Championships". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ Saba Lobzhanidze at Soccerway
- ^ "Lobjanidze, Saba". National Football Teams. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
External links
edit- Saba Lobzhanidze – UEFA competition record (archive)
- Saba Lobzhanidze at Soccerway
- Saba Lobzhanidze at National-Football-Teams.com