Rezo Cohonelidze General Director of Dynamo Kyiv Country: Ukraine

Biography of Rezo Chokhonelidze

Rezo Chokhonelidze is a former Soviet footballer and football executive. He was born on March 15, 1948, in Tbilisi, Georgia. Chokhonelidze started his football career playing for Dynamo Tbilisi. From 1965 to 1967, he played for the club's reserve team, and from 1968 to 1969, he made 17 appearances in the Soviet Union's top-tier league.

Due to stiff competition, Chokhonelidze was transferred to Torpedo Kutaisi. In 1970, he played 30 matches in the top league, but the club was eventually relegated. Over the course of six seasons in the first division, Chokhonelidze played 204 games and scored 8 goals.

Chokhonelidze received offers from Moscow's Spartak and Karpaty, but he decided to join another first division club, Dynamo Leningrad, in 1977. He played a total of 121 matches and scored one goal in the first division (1977-1979) and 93 matches in the second division (1980-1982).

In 1986, Chokhonelidze met Italian football club managers who were visiting Leningrad as tourists. They helped him enroll in a coaching school owned by Inter Milan. From 1994 to 1995, he worked as a scout for Swiss clubs Servette, Grasshopper, and Lausanne.

Starting from 1996, Chokhonelidze served as a manager and scout for AC Milan, covering countries in Africa, South America, and Eastern Europe. In September 2007, he took on the role of general director at Dynamo Kyiv.

Chokhonelidze achieved success in his youth career as well, being part of the Soviet Union's youth national team. He won the UEFA Junior Tournaments in 1966 and 1967.