Otar Kiteishvili

Otar Kiteishvili
Kiteishvili with Sturm Graz in 2023
Personal information
Date of birth (1996-03-26) 26 March 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth Rustavi, Georgia
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Sturm Graz
Number 10
Youth career
2011–2013 Dinamo Tbilisi
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2018 Dinamo Tbilisi 98 (17)
2014 → Metalurgi Rustavi (loan) 17 (1)
2018– Sturm Graz 159 (39)
International career‡
2014–2015 Georgia U19 9 (3)
2015–2016 Georgia U21 14 (5)
2017– Georgia 43 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 2 November 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 October 2024

Otar Kiteishvili (Order of Honor) (Georgian: ოთარ კიტეიშვილი; born 26 March 1996) is a Georgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Austrian Bundesliga club Sturm Graz and the Georgia national team.

A product of Dinamo Tbilisi academy, Kiteishvili has won four titles at the club. He is also the two-time winner of the Austrian Cup. Individually, Kiteishvili has been twice named as Best Young Player in Georgia. In May 2024, the Austrian Bundesliga officials selected him Player of the Season.

Club career

Dinamo Tbilisi

Kiteishvili began his career in Dinamo Tbilisi. In April 2014, he was sent on loan to League rivals Metalurgi Rustavi. He made his debut on 7 May in the eighth matchday of the Umaglesi Liga championship round against Sioni Bolnisi, netting his side's second goal after coming on as a substitute for Kakhaber Kakashvili in a 2–0 home win.[1]

In the winter break of the 2014–15 season, he returned to Dinamo Tbilisi. After playing 14 games for Rustavi in the top Georgian league in the first half of the season, he played as many games for Dinamo after his return.[2] Kiteishvili scored his first league goal for the club on 3 October 2015, which proved to be the match-winner in a 1–0 home win over Dinamo Batumi.[3]

Kiteishvili won the best Georgian young player's award twice in a row in 2015 and 2016.[4] Besides, the Football Federation named him in a symbolic team of the 2017 season.[5]

Being now Dinamo's captain at age 22, he was also recognized as the best player of part II in the 2018 Erovnuli Liga season.[6]

Kiteishvili made 98 league appearances for Dinamo Tbilisi, in which he scored 17 goals.[2]

Sturm Graz

On 31 July 2018, Kiteishvili moved to Sturm Graz in the Austrian Football Bundesliga, where he signed a four-year contract,[7] later extended until the summer of 2024.[8] He made his debut on 12 August in the third matchday of the domestic league against SKN St. Pölten, coming on as a substitute in the 68th minute for Lukas Grozurek of a 2–0 away loss.[9] On 2 December, Kiteishvili scored his first goal for Sturm Graz to secure the 3–0 final score in a victory against Wolfsberger AC.[10][11]

Оn 30 April 2023, he won the first trophy with this club following a 2–0 Cup victory over Rapid Wien.[12]

He won the Cup for a second time on 1 May 2024, following another victory over Rapid Vienna, this time 2–1. He provided the assist for the winning goal.[13] At the end of this season, which was most prolific during his six-year tenure at Sturm, Kiteishvili was voted Player of the Season by presidents, managers and coaches of the Bundesliga clubs.[14]

Personal life

Kiteishvili has a younger brother, Paata, who has spent most of his career at Rustavi.

Married to Ela Zarnadze, Otar has a daughter, Livia, born in December 2021.[15]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 2 November 2024[16]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Metalurgi
(loan) 		2013–14 Umaglesi Liga 3 1 – – – 3 1
2014–15 14 0 2 0 – – 16 0
Total 17 1 2 0 – – 19 1
Dinamo Tbilisi 2014–15 Umaglesi Liga 14 0 4 0 – – 18 0
2015–16 27 4 6 0 2[b] 0 1[c] 0 36 4
2016 14 1 3 4 6[d] 1 – 23 6
2017 Erovnuli Liga 25 1 3 0 – – 28 1
2018 18 11 1 1 2[b] 0 – 21 12
Total 98 17 17 5 10 1 1 0 126 23
Sturm Graz 2018–19 Austrian Bundesliga 31 4 1 0 – – 32 4
2019–20 31 6 4 1 2[b] 0 – 37 7
2020–21 26 7 1 0 – – 27 7
2021–22 14 1 2 1 4[b] 2 – 20 4
2022–23 20 6 4 0 5[b] 1 – 29 7
2023–24 25 9 4 1 11[e] 1 – 40 11
2024–25 12 6 2 0 2[f] 0 – 16 6
Total 159 39 18 3 24 4 – 201 46
Career total 274 57 37 8 34 5 1 0 346 70
  1. ^ Includes Georgian Cup, Austrian Cup
  2. ^ a b c d e Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ Appearance in Georgian Super Cup
  4. ^ Four appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, five appearances in UEFA Europa League, four appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa Conference League
  6. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

Kiteishvili made his debut for the Georgia national football team on 23 January 2017 in a friendly against Uzbekistan.[17]

Scores and results list Georgia's goal tally first.
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1
 9 June 2022 Toše Proeski Arena, Skopje, North Macedonia  North Macedonia 3–0 3–0 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C
2
 15 October 2023 Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia  Cyprus 1–0 4–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
3
 9 June 2024 Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro  Montenegro 1–0 3–1 Friendly

Honours

Dinamo Tbilisi

Sturm Graz

Individual

  • Austrian Bundesliga Player of the Season: 2023–24[18]
  • Georgian Young Player of the Year: 2015, 2016

References

  1. ^ "Metalurgi Rustavi vs. Sioni – 7 May 2014 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Georgia – O. Kiteishvili – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Dinamo Tbilisi vs. Dinamo Batumi – 3 October 2015 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  4. ^ "ზედიზედ მეორედ – ოთარ კიტეიშვილი საქართველოს 2016 წლის საუკეთესო ახალგაზრდა ფეხბურთელია!". sportall.ge (in Georgian). 28 December 2016.
  5. ^ "GFF AWARDS 2017-ის სრული სია". 1tv.ge (in Georgian). 28 December 2017.
  6. ^ "ოთარ კიტეიშვილს ავსტრიაში წასვლამდე კუთვნილი ჯილდო გადასცეს..." sportall.ge (in Georgian). 30 July 2018.
  7. ^ "Ein Georgier für Sturm Graz". SK Sturm Graz (in German). 31 July 2018.
  8. ^ "ოფიციალურად: ოთარ კიტეიშვილმა "შტურმთან" კონტრაქტი გაახანგრძლივა". worldsport.ge (in Georgian). 16 July 2021.
  9. ^ "St. Pölten vs. Sturm Graz – 12 August 2018 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  10. ^ "Premierentreffer für Lema und Kiteishvili". Sky Sport Austria (in German). 2 December 2018.
  11. ^ "Sturm Graz vs. Wolfsberger AC – 2 December 2018 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Final-Triumph über Rapid Wien: Sturm Graz krönt sich zum ÖFB-Cup-Sieger". tt.com (in German). Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Sturm Graz vs Rapid Wien - live score, predicted lineups and H2H stats". FotMob.
  14. ^ "Kiteishvili, Konate & Co.: Die Besten der Saison 23/24". bundesliga.at (in German). 17 May 2024.
  15. ^ ""ჩემი ცხოვრების დიდი მოვლენა და ბედნიერება..." - კიტეს" საოცარი სეზონი, ოჯახი და დაბადების დღის საუკეთესო საჩუქარი". ambebi.ge (in Georgian). 23 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  16. ^ "Otar Kiteishvili". Soccerway. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  17. ^ "Uzbekistan draws with Georgia in friendly". The Tashkent Times. 24 January 2017.
  18. ^ "Otar Kiteishvili was named the best player of the Austrian Bundesliga tour". Rustavi2. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2024.