Malkhaz Asatiani Football player Date of Birth: 04.08.1981 Country: Georgia

Biography of Malkhaz Asatiani

Malkhaz Asatiani is a Georgian footballer and a product of the Kutaisi football academy. He started his professional career at the age of 17, playing for the local team "Torpedo" in the top league of the Georgian championship. From 1999 to 2003, he regularly appeared on the field as an attacking midfielder for "Torpedo" and became a three-time champion of the country with his teammates. Despite his time at the Kutaisi club, Asatiani only scored 12 goals against their opponents.

In 2003, the Georgian midfielder transferred to "Lokomotiv" after catching the attention of the club during a match against "Torpedo" in the Commonwealth Cup. That season proved to be one of the most challenging in Asatiani's career as he struggled to find his place in the "Loko" lineup, which was performing exceptionally well in the Champions League. He played ten matches for the main team and scored one goal against Moscow's "Dynamo". In the same year, Asatiani received an invitation to the national team and justified the coach's hopes by scoring the only goal in his debut match against the Russian national team.

A turning point in Asatiani's career came during the two-round confrontation between "Lokomotiv" and "Monaco". It was before these matches that the coaching staff came up with the unusual idea of replacing the departed central defender Sergei Ignashevich with a young attacking midfielder. The next two seasons became the most successful in the footballer's career. In 2004, Asatiani became a key player and one of the best central defenders in the Russian championship. In 2005, after playing 42 matches, he proved to be a leader for the team, replacing the injured Sychev and Loskov in difficult moments. However, the 2006 season turned out to be unsuccessful for Asatiani due to the constant injuries he suffered. After the UEFA Cup matches against "Sevilla", he broke his collarbone during training, which caused him to miss the start of the national championship. Gradually recovering, Asatiani played 14 matches for "Loko". However, in the second-round match against CSKA, on the tenth minute, the Georgian defender suffered another injury after a tackle by Ivica Olic, resulting in a cruciate ligament tear. It took almost six months to recover from the injury, and it was only in May 2007 that the Georgian defender returned to the field.

Asatiani's achievements include being the champion of Russia in 2004, the bronze medalist in the Russian Championship in 2005 and 2006, winner of the Russian Super Cup in 2005, and winner of the Commonwealth Cup in 2005.