Georgia: The technical cradle of Soviet football, a strange story

From 1973 to 1991 (19 consecutive seasons), Liverpool FC only failed to win or finish second in the English Premier League once. They won the European Cup 4 times between 1977 and 1984. That means they were once the dominant force in both Europe and the home of football. Right in the middle of that golden period of the number 1 club in football history, Liverpool lost 0-3 to Dinamo Tbilisi, being eliminated in the first round of the European Cup 1 in the 1979-1980 season.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - Georgia's number 1 star at EURO 2024

In the following season, Dinamo Tbilisi won the European Cup Winners' Cup. In the Soviet Union's 1982 World Cup squad, only Dinamo Kiev had more players than Dinamo Tbilisi. Older fans still remember Aleksandre Chivadze, Ramaz Shengelia, David Kipiani, Vitaly Daraselia, Tengiz Sulakvelidze. These were Georgia's famous players in the Soviet Union's jersey in the early 1980s. In the modern era, Dinamo Tbilisi still "exports" many good players to Western Europe: Kakha Kaladze, Levan Kobiashvili, Giorgi Kinkladze, Shota Arveladze, Temur Ketsbaia. The most famous of these is Kaladze, the star who won the Champions League and Serie A many times with AC Milan. After hanging up his boots, Kaladze did not coach like many other players but turned to politics . He served as deputy prime minister, minister of energy, and is now mayor of Tbilisi - the largest city and capital of Georgia.

Georgia Team...

When talking about Georgian football, it is almost enough to mention Dinamo Tbilisi. In the past, it was the "technical cradle" of Soviet football. This trait has not disappeared. However, Dinamo Tbilisi, as well as Georgian football in general, remains poor because it is not managed properly. FIFA once banned Dinamo Tbilisi from participating in any form of transfer, after investigating that not a single transfer fee was recorded in the club's books, after the departure of Kaladze, Kobiashvili, Alexandre Iashvili, Rati Aleksidze...

Face off against Türkiye

The most famous player in Georgian football today is Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. He joined Dinamo Tbilisi in 2017, when he was only 16 years old, and after only 5 matches, he started a continuous transfer journey. At the age of 21, Kvaratskhelia made his debut in Serie A (2022-2023 season) and he immediately shone. Although he only played on the wing, Kvaratskhelia became the first player in Napoli's history to score 3 goals in the first two rounds of Serie A. He won the Serie A best player award in his first month and Serie A best player award in his first season. That was also the season that Napoli returned to the Serie A championship for the first time since Diego Maradona.

At 11pm on June 18, "newcomer" Georgia with Kvaratskhelia as the most notable star will debut in the EURO arena, against Türkiye - the first match of group F.

The prodigy was once recruited by Real Madrid

The Turkish team led by coach Vincenzo Montella also has many notable points. In defense, Demiral and Celik will form a solid central defender duo, defending Cakir's goal. The midfield is a combination of Calhanoglu's experience and the youth of 19-year-old "prodigy" Guler (this is the most prominent figure among young players in Turkey, recruited by Real Madrid in July 2023 at the age of 18). In attack, Yildiz, a striker who played prominently for Juventus in the 2023-2024 season, has high expectations.

Literature

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/georgia-chiec-noi-ky-thuat-cua-bong-da-lien-xo-mot-cau-chuyen-ky-la-185240617191416221.htm