Manuchar Machaidze Football player Date of Birth: 25.03.1949 Country: Georgia

Biography of Manuchar Machaidze

Manuchar Machaidze, a former Soviet football player, was a midfielder for the USSR national team. He obtained the title of Master of Sports of the USSR in 1970. Machaidze began his professional career in 1968 at the Tbilisi-based club "Dinamo," where he played until 1980. During his time with the team, he participated in 297 matches and scored 42 goals against opponents. Machaidze won the USSR championship and became a two-time winner of the USSR Cup with his team. He frequently served as the captain of the team. In 1980, due to a conflict with the club's management, Machaidze was forced to leave "Dinamo." He completed the 1980 season with the Tashkent-based club "Pakhtakor," playing in 13 matches and scoring 1 goal. During his short time with the team, he quickly established a good rapport with players such as Amriev, Anatoly Soloviev, Kukhlevsky, Nikiforenko, his former teammate at "Dinamo" Zurab Tsereteli, and the team's top scorer Andrey Yakubik. In 1981, Machaidze joined Moscow's "Spartak," but only played in 2 matches. That same year, he moved to "Torpedo" in Kutaisi, where he played until the end of his football career in 1982. During this time, he participated in 45 matches, scored 6 goals, and helped the club reach the Top League. Machaidze made his debut for the USSR national team on April 17, 1974, in a friendly match against Yugoslavia, and played his last match for the national team on May 19, 1979, in a European Championship qualifier against Hungary. In total, he played 4 matches for the senior national team. Additionally, from 1971 to 1975, he played 4 matches and scored 1 goal for the Olympic team of the USSR.

After his retirement from football, Machaidze worked in various construction organizations, holding positions such as head of construction management, deputy director of the construction trust for the Transcaucasian Railway, and director of the Tbilisi Concrete Products Plant. He also served as a member of the Georgian Parliament in the second convocation.

In March 2013, Manuchar Machaidze was awarded the highest sports honor in Georgia, the "Knight of Sports." He is the older brother of another Soviet football player, Gocho Machaidze.