Giorgi Tsitaishvili (Ukrainian: Георгій Климентійович Цітаїшвілі, romanized: Heorhii Klymentiiovych Tsitaishvili; Georgian: გიორგი წიტაიშვილი; born 18 November 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Erovnuli Liga club Dinamo Batumi, on loan from Ukrainian Premier League club Dynamo Kyiv. Born in Israel, he plays for the Georgia national team.
Early life
Tsitaishvili, who is Georgian of Ukrainian descent through his grandmother,[1] was born in Rishon LeZion, Israel. At the time, his father, Klimenti Tsitaishvili, was a footballer playing for Hapoel Rishon LeZion. He is a product of the Dynamo Kyiv youth sportive school.[2]
Club career
Dynamo Kyiv
Tsitaishvili made his debut for Dynamo in the 2018 Ukrainian Cup Final on 9 May 2018, playing in a match against Shaktar Donetsk.[3] The following season he made his European debut, when he came on as a substitute in Dynamo's 1–0 away loss to FK Jablonec in the UEFA Europa League.
Loan spells in Ukraine
On 20 December 2020, the manager of Vorskla Poltava, Yuriy Maksymov, announced that Tsitaishvili would be joining his club on a temporary basis.[4]
In July 2021, he moved on loan to Chornomorets Odesa.[5] On 25 July 2021, he made his league debut for Chornomorets in a 3–0 away loss against Desna Chernihiv at the Chernihiv Stadium.[6]
Loan spells in Poland
On 7 March 2022, following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, FIFA announced all the contracts of foreign players in Ukraine would be suspended until 30 June 2022 and they are allowed to sign with clubs outside Ukraine until 30 June 2022.[7] On 6 April 2022, Tsitaishvili moved to Polish Ekstraklasa side Wisła Kraków on a loan until the end of the season.[8] He appeared in seven league games, scoring one goal, before leaving the relegated team on 7 June 2022.
In late June, he left Dynamo's pre-season camp to return to Poland and join defending champions Lech Poznań on a one-year loan spell.[9] On 9 July 2022, he made his competitive debut for Lech as a starter in a 2–0 Polish Super Cup loss against Raków Częstochowa.[10]
Loan spell in Georgia
In early July 2023, Erovnuli Liga club Dinamo Batumi announced signing Tsitaishvili on a year-long loan deal.[11] He made a debut with Dinamo in a UEFA Europa Conference League game against Tirana on 13 July 2023.[12] Later the same year, the player won the league title with this club.
International career
Tsitaishvili was part of the Ukraine national under-20 football team that won the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He played in five of his team's seven matches in the tournament, and scored a goal in the final against South Korea.
At senior level, he switched his allegiance to Georgia. He made his debut for the Georgia national team on 2 September 2021 in a World Cup qualifier against Kosovo, starting and playing the full match in a 1–0 home loss.[13]
Tsitaishvili participated in all four matches of the 2023 European U21 Championship, co-hosted by Georgia. He came off the bench and scored after six minutes against Belgium in a dramatic 2–2 draw.[14]
Tsitaishvili also took part in both of Georgia's UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying play-off, helping the team qualify for their first major competition. Two months later, he received a call-up for Georgia's squad for the final tournament.[15]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 27 May 2024[16]
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | Continental[b] | Other[c] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dynamo Kyiv | 2017–18 | Ukrainian Premier League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018–19 | Ukrainian Premier League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2019–20 | Ukrainian Premier League | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | Ukrainian Premier League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 0 | ||
| Vorskla Poltava (loan) | 2020–21 | Ukrainian Premier League | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | |
| Chornomorets Odesa (loan) | 2021–22 | Ukrainian Premier League | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | |
| Wisła Kraków (loan) | 2021–22 | Ekstraklasa | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | |
| Lech Poznań (loan) | 2022–23 | Ekstraklasa | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 1 |
| Lech Poznań II (loan) | 2022–23 | II liga | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Dinamo Batumi (loan) | 2023 | Erovnuli Liga | 17 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 5 |
| 2024 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | ||
| Total | 34 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 6 | ||
| Career total | 94 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 117 | 10 | ||
- ^ Includes Ukrainian Cup.
- ^ Includes UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League
- ^ Includes Ukrainian Super Cup, Polish Super Cup
International
- As of match played 22 June 2024
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 2021 | 2 | 0 |
| 2022 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 19 | 1 | |
- Scores and results list Georgia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Tsitaishvili goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 September 2022 | Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar |  Gibraltar |
2–0 | 2–1 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League |
Honours
Dynamo Kyiv
Dynamo Kyiv U19
Dinamo Batumi
Ukraine U20
Individual
- Top Golden talent: 2019 (U-19)
References
- ^ "Я нікого не зраджував". Цітаішвілі пояснив зміну громадянства (in Ukrainian). ua-football.com. 19 November 2021.
- ^ ГЕОРГІЙ ЦИТАЇШВІЛІ (in Ukrainian). FC Dynamo Kyiv Official Site. 14 December 2018.
- ^ КУБОК УКРАЇНИ-2018. «ШАХТАР» ПЕРЕМІГ «ДИНАМО» ТА ЗДОБУВ ТРОФЕЙ УДВАНАДЦЯТЕ (in Ukrainian). FFU Official Site. 14 December 2018. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
- ^ "Юрий Максимов: "Ворскла" арендует у "Динамо" Цитаишвили"" (in Ukrainian). 20 December 2020.
- ^ "«Динамо» віддало групу гравців в оренду «Чорноморцю»" (in Ukrainian). 21 July 2021.
- ^ "Desna - Chornomorets". Ukrainian Premier League. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ "FIFA adopts temporary employment and registration rules to address several issues in relation to war in Ukraine". FIFA. 7 March 2022.
- ^ "Georgiy Tsitaishvili piłkarzem Wisły Kraków" (in Polish). Wisła Kraków. 6 April 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ "Gio Tsitaishvili dołącza do Kolejorza" (in Polish). Lech Poznań. 1 July 2022.
- ^ "Tsitaishvili i Sousa z debiutami" (in Polish). Lech Poznań. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ "ოფიციალურად: გიორგი წიტაიშვილი "დინამო ბათუმის" ფეხბურთელია". worldsport.ge (in Georgian). 4 July 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Tirana vs Dinamo Batumi". uefa.com. 13 July 2023.
- ^ "Georgia v Kosovo game report". FIFA. 2 September 2021.
- ^ "0:2-დან გადარჩენილი ქულა! საქართველო მეოთხედფინალთან ერთ ნაბიჯშია". worldsport.ge (in Georgian). 23 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "საქართველოს ნაკრების შემადგენლობა Euro 2024-ზე ცნობილია". bm.ge. 22 May 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ Giorgi Tsitaishvili at Soccerway
- ^ "Spirited comeback earns Ukraine first U-20 title". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 15 June 2019. Archived from the original on 15 June 2019.
External links
- Giorgi Tsitaishvili at UAF and archived FFU page (in Ukrainian)
- Giorgi Tsitaishvili at Soccerway
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