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Sergey KotrikadzeSoviet football player, goalkeeper, Honored Master of Sports
Date of Birth: 09.08.1936
Country:  Georgia |
Content:
Guram Kotrikadze: A Legendary Soviet Goalkeeper
Guram Kotrikadze was a renowned Soviet football player and goalkeeper, honored as a Master of Sports of the USSR in 1969. He was the younger brother of fellow player Alexander Kotrikadze.
Club Career
Kotrikadze spent most of his playing career with two Georgian clubs: Dinamo Tbilisi and Torpedo Kutaisi. With Dinamo Tbilisi, he won the Soviet Top League championship in 1964 and earned three bronze medals in 1959, 1962, and 1967.
International Career
Kotrikadze represented the USSR Olympic football team on two occasions in 1963, both against Finland. He was also a backup goalkeeper for the Soviet national team at the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile, although he did not play in any matches.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Kotrikadze transitioned to coaching. He served as coach for Dinamo Tbilisi from 1971 to 1973, followed by the Dinamo Tbilisi youth academy from 1974 to 1977. He later led Lokomotiv Tbilisi as team director from 1997 to 1998 and as head coach in 2001. Kotrikadze had coaching stints with VIT Georgia and worked as a goalkeeper coach for Georgian youth national teams.
Legacy
Guram Kotrikadze was widely recognized for his contributions to Soviet football. He was named the USSR's best goalkeeper in 1962 and was included in the list of the USSR's 33 best footballers five times between 1960 and 1963. After his passing in 2011, he was posthumously honored as the best goalkeeper of the 20th century in Georgia.
