Malkhaz Asatiani

Georgian footballer (born 1981)

Malkhaz Asatiani
Personal information

Date of birth	(1981-08-04) 4 August 1981 (age 42)
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 and reception

Asatiani had been attacking midfielder in his early professional career at Torpedo Kutaisi before Lokomotiv Moscow's manager Yuri Syomin converted him into a ball-playing center-back due to his physique and the ability to recover possession and accurately pass the ball over long distances. When playing as a defender, he was also allowed to go up the pitch to participate in the attacking play and, at times, started games in his original role of a midfielder or even as a forward. His passing, dribbling, technical skills and an eye for decisive goals made him a versatile and valuable player for both the club and the national team. Despite his talent, he was unable to continue his career as a player past the age of 29 due to recurring injuries.^[1]

In the 2024 interview, former long-term Lokomotiv Moscow manager Yuri Syomin named Asatiani one of the best defenders in the Russian Premier League during the 2000s as well as one of the most disciplined foreign players in Moscow-based clubs.^[1]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League		Cup		Europe		Total
Club	Season	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