Irakli Kvekveskiri

Irakli Kvekveskiri
Personal information
Date of birth (1990-03-12) 12 March 1990 (age 34)[1]
Place of birth Ochamchire, Georgia
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
Fakel Voronezh
Number 33
Youth career
0000–2008 Dynamo Moscow
2008–2010 Kuban Krasnodar
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2012 Pécs 20 (2)
2011–2012Szigetszentmiklós (loan) 13 (1)
2012–2013 Dinamo Batumi 11 (0)
2013–2015 Szigetszentmiklós 53 (2)
2015 Mika 13 (1)
2016 Guria Lanchkhuti 12 (1)
2016–2017 Alashkert 25 (1)
2017–2018 Ararat Moscow 20 (1)
2018–2022 SKA-Khabarovsk 119 (6)
2022– Fakel Voronezh 70 (3)
International career
2009–2010 Georgia U-19 4 (1)
2011 Georgia U-21 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 December 2024

Irakli Kvekveskiri (Georgian: ირაკლი კვეკვესკირი, Russian: Ираклий Квеквескири; born 12 March 1990) is a Russian-Georgian football player who plays as a defensive midfielder for Russian club Fakel Voronezh.

Club career

Kvekveskiri was born in Abkhazia. Ethnically, he is Mingrelian.[3]

Kvekveskiri is a FC Dynamo Moscow academy graduate. In 2009, he played for FC Kuban Krasnodar's reserve team, appearing in 26 matches and scoring 1 goal in the youth championship.

Kvekveskiri made his professional football debut in the 2009–10 season for Hungarian club Pécsi MFC. He was a part of the squad that finished 1st in the Western Group of the 2010–11 Nemzeti Bajnokság II, which promoted the club to the highest tier of Hungarian football league system. Kvekveskiri spent the first half of the 2011–12 season on loan with second-tier club Szigetszentmiklósi TK, but later returned to Pécsi MFC, making 6 appearances in the top division.

In autumn 2012, Kvekveskiri moved to Georgian top-tier club FC Dinamo Batumi. He made his debut for the team on 22 September 2012 in a 1–5 away loss against FC Torpedo Kutaisi.

On 1 January 2013, Kvekveskiri returned to Szigetszentmiklósi TK, signing a permanent deal. During two and a half years at the club, Irakli made 67 appearances and scored 3 goals in all competitions.

In summer 2015, Kvekveskiri moved to Armenian Premier League side FC Mika. He made his debut for the club on 1 August 2015 as a centre-back in a 1–1 away draw against FC Banants Yerevan. Irakli played a total of 16 matches in all competitions for the club, scoring 1 goal.

On 31 January 2016, Kvekveskiri signed for Georgian club FC Guria Lanchkhuti.

On 1 July 2016, Kvekveskiri returned to the Armenian Premier League by joining the defending champions FC Alashkert.[4] He made his debut for the club in the second leg of 2016–17 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round against Georgian club FC Dinamo Tbilisi. Alashkert, eventually, won the 2016–17 Armenian Premier League with Kvekveskiri making a total of 28 appearances and scoring 1 goal for the club in all competitions during the season.

In June 2017, Kvekveskiri joined Russian club FC Ararat, which based in Moscow and represented the Armenian diaspora in Russia.[5] Irakli was part of the squad that secured first place in the Centre Zone of the 2017–18 Russian Professional Football League and the right to promote to the second-tier Russian Football National League, but Ararat failed to receive a license.[6]

However, Kvekveskiri got the opportunity to play in the Russian Football National League by joining the then-relegated from the Russian Premier League club FC SKA-Khabarovsk in June 2018.[7] During his consecutive four-season spell in Khabarovsk, Irakli made a total of 126 appearances for the club, which he also captained, and scored 7 goals.

On 10 June 2022, Kvekveskiri signed with the just-promoted to the Russian Premier League club FC Fakel Voronezh.[8] During his first season with Fakel, he made 32 appearances in all competitions, scoring 3 goals, including a brace in a 3–3 home draw against FC Krasnodar on 5 November 2022. Kvekveskiri was also the club's first-choice captain during the second half of the season and played a crucial ball-winning role on the field, helping Fakel to keep their Premier League spot for another season. On 28 May 2024, his contract with Fakel was extended.[9]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 8 December 2024[1][10]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Pécsi 2009–10 Nemzeti Bajnokság II 4 0 0 0 4 0
2010–11 Nemzeti Bajnokság II 10 2 1 0 11 2
2011–12 Nemzeti Bajnokság I 6 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
Total 20 2 1 0 0 0 21 2
Szigetszentmiklósi (loan) 2011–12 Nemzeti Bajnokság II 13 1 1 0 14 1
Dinamo Batumi 2012–13 Erovnuli Liga 11 0 0 0 11 0
Szigetszentmiklósi 2012–13 Nemzeti Bajnokság II 14 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 16 0
2013–14 Nemzeti Bajnokság II 25 2 0 0 9 1 34 3
2014–15 Nemzeti Bajnokság II 14 0 0 0 3 0 17 0
Total 53 2 0 0 12 1 2 0 67 3
Mika 2015–16 Armenian Premier League 13 1 2 0 1 0 16 1
Guria Lanchkhuti 2016 Erovnuli Liga 12 1 0 0 12 1
Alashkert 2016–17 Armenian Premier League 25 1 2 0 1 0 28 1
Ararat Moscow 2017–18 Russian Second League 20 1 2 0 5[a] 0 27 1
SKA-Khabarovsk 2018–19 Russian First League 32 1 2 1 34 2
2019–20 Russian First League 21 1 0 0 21 1
2020–21 Russian First League 33 4 3 0 36 4
2021–22 Russian First League 33 0 0 0 2[b] 0 35 0
Total 119 6 5 1 2 0 126 7
Fakel Voronezh 2022–23 Russian Premier League 27 3 3 0 2[c] 0 32 3
2023–24 Russian Premier League 29 0 2 0 31 0
2024–25 Russian Premier League 14 0 2 0 16 0
Total 70 3 7 0 2 0 79 3
Career total 356 18 20 1 12 1 1 0 12 0 401 20
  1. ^ Appearances in the FNL Cup
  2. ^ Appearances in the promotion play-offs
  3. ^ Appearances in the relegation play-offs

References

  1. ^ a b Irakli Kvekveskiri at Soccerway
  2. ^ "Irakli Kvekveskiri" (in Russian). FC Fakel Voronezh. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  3. ^ «Открываю коробку с бутсами, а на них написано Fuck Russia». Дикие истории про Венгрию, «Арарат» и Павлюченко. sport24.ru (26 апреля 2020)
  4. ^ "Иракли Квеквескири перешел в "Алашкерт"" (in Russian). sports.ru. 3 July 2016.
  5. ^ "Московский "Арарат" подпишет грузинского полузащитника Квеквескири" (in Russian). sports.ru. 2 June 2017.
  6. ^ Московский ФК "Арарат" в следующем сезоне не будет выступать в России (in Russian). TASS. 19 May 2018.
  7. ^ "Ираклий Квеквескири и Максим Ненахов продолжат карьеру в "СКА-Хабаровск"". fcska.ru (in Russian). ФК «СКА-Хабаровск». 18 June 2018. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  8. ^ ""Факел" заключил контракт с Квеквескири" (in Russian). FC Fakel Voronezh. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  9. ^ "Факел» продлил контракты с четырьмя футболистами" (in Russian). FC Fakel Voronezh. 28 May 2024.
  10. ^ "KVEKVESKIRI IRAKLI". hlsz.hu (in Hungarian). hlsz. Retrieved 4 November 2017.