Temur Ketsbaia Former Soviet and Georgian football player, midfielder, has been the head coach of the Georgian national football team since November 6, 2009 Date of Birth: 18.03.1968 Country: Georgia

1. Biography of Temuri Ketsbaia
2. Early Career
3. Playing Career in Georgia and Cyprus
4. Move to Newcastle United
5. Later Career

Biography of Temuri Ketsbaia

Temuri Ketsbaia is a Soviet and Georgian football player, midfielder, and coach. He was born on March 18, 1968, in Gali, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union.

Early Career

Ketsbaia began his youth career at the Gali Sports School, where he was trained by Y. Biblia. From 1980 to 1985, he attended a sports boarding school in Tbilisi. He started his youth career at Sukhumi's "Dinamo" and quickly moved up to the senior team in 1987.

Playing Career in Georgia and Cyprus

Ketsbaia played for the Georgian national team until 1992, scoring 8 goals in 54 matches and winning three Georgian championships and a cup. In 1992, he moved to Cypriot club "Anorthosis" where he scored 36 goals in 76 matches over three seasons. He then joined Greek club AEK Athens in 1994, where he played 84 games, scored 24 goals, and won two Greek Cups.

Move to Newcastle United

In 1997, Ketsbaia joined English club Newcastle United as a free agent. He quickly became a fan favorite and made his debut on August 9, 1997, in a match against Sheffield Wednesday. During his first season, Ketsbaia played 39 games and scored 4 goals. He also participated in all 6 group stage matches of the UEFA Champions League. In the following season, he played 33 games and scored 8 goals, including 3 goals in the FA Cup.

Later Career

After leaving Newcastle United, Ketsbaia played for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 2000/2001 season before joining Scottish club Dundee in 2001. He then returned to "Anorthosis" as a player-coach in January 2004. He retired from his playing career in the 2006/2007 season, playing 99 matches and scoring 39 goals for his last club. Ketsbaia led "Anorthosis" to become the first Cypriot team to reach the group stage of the UEFA Champions League in the 2008/2009 season.