Ilya Kandelaki Georgian footballer, defender Date of Birth: 26.12.1981 Country: Georgia

1. Early Career and Georgia National Team
2. Move to Ukraine and Germany
3. Austria and European Success
4. Champions League and International Career

Early Career and Georgia National Team

Mamuka Kandashvili is a Georgian former professional footballer who played as a defender. His career began in his home country, where he represented 35-PTU, Dinamo-2 Tbilisi, and Tbilisi. In 2000, he joined Dinamo Tbilisi and played for the club until 2005, winning the Georgian Championship in 2003 and the Georgian Cup in 2002/03 and 2003/04.

Move to Ukraine and Germany

In 2005, Kandashvili moved to Ukraine, joining Chornomorets Odesa. He made his Ukrainian Premier League debut against Dynamo Kyiv on September 11, 2005. Two years later, he moved to the German club FC Carl Zeiss Jena, playing alongside his Georgian compatriots Revaz Barabadze, Giorgi Oniani, and Giorgi Seturidze.

Austria and European Success

After Carl Zeiss Jena's relegation to the 3. Liga, Kandashvili transferred to SK Sturm Graz in Austria in 2007. Wearing number 18, he helped Sturm Graz qualify for the UEFA Cup in the 2008 Intertoto Cup by playing in all four victories against Shakhtyor Soligorsk and MTK Budapest. Despite a strong performance in the first round, Sturm Graz was eliminated in the second round by FC Zürich on penalties.

Champions League and International Career

Kandashvili continued to impress in Austria, helping Sturm Graz finish fourth in the 2008/09 Austrian Football Bundesliga and qualify for the Europa League. He played in all six qualifying matches, facing Široki Brijeg, FK Petrovac, and Metalist Kharkiv. In the Europa League group stage, Sturm Graz faced Steaua Bucharest, Galatasaray, and Panathinaikos.

Kandashvili also represented Georgia on the international stage, playing for the under-17, under-19, and under-21 teams before making his senior debut in 2004. He appeared for Georgia until 2013.