Zurab Khizanishvili
Encyclopedia
Zurab Khizanishvili is a Georgian
footballer who plays for Turkish
club Kayserispor
as a defender
.
where he remained for just one season, before joining FC Tbilisi
to improve his chances of playing regular first team football.
In 1999 he was on the move again, joining his previous two clubs' city rivals Lokomotiv Tbilisi. Khizanishvili's form at Lokomotiv piqued the interest of some of Europe
's top clubs, though the player's latter days at the club were marred by injury
. Khizanishvili was eventually released after his contract with Lokomotiv was terminated.
, Khizanishvili joined Dundee
, having had unsuccessful trials at Arsenal
, Fulham
and West Ham United
.
He quickly made an impact at Dens Park
, alerting fellow Scottish Premier League
team Rangers
, whom Khizanishvili joined on a Bosman transfer
in June 2003
as a replacement for wantaway Blackburn Rovers
-bound defender Lorenzo Amoruso
.
Despite making 35 appearances in his first campaign at Ibrox
, Khizanishvili gradually fell out of favour and, on 31 August 2005
, he was allowed to move on loan for the rest of the season to Blackburn in the English FA Premier League. During his loan spell at Blackburn he scored once in the league, in a 2–0 home win over Manchester City
, and once in the League Cup
in a 3–1 win over Huddersfield Town
.
outfit, Khizanishvili has struggled to hold down a regular starting position, instead usually playing when injuries and/or suspensions have ruled other defenders out of games. His first appearance of the 2009-10 campaign for Rovers came on 25 August, when he started the Carling Cup 2nd Round tie against Gillingham
at the Priestfield Stadium
, playing the full 90 minutes alongside Gael Givet
in a 3-1 win.
Under Paul Ince
and Sam Allardyce
he failed to break into the first team on a consistent basis, and on 17 September 2009 Khizanishvili joined Championship
team Newcastle United
on loan in a three-month deal. He returned to Blackburn on 19 December after an unsuccessful loan deal expired at St. James' Park. On 25 January 2010, he signed for Reading
on loan for the remainder of the 2009–10 season. On 31 August 2010, he rejoined Reading on a season long loan for the 2010/11 season and was handed the number 15 shirt at the Madejski Stadium
. On 13 March 2011, Khizanishvili completed the full 90 minutes against Manchester City at Eastlands
in a 1-0 FA Cup quarter-final loss. On 30 May 2011, he started the Npower Championship play-off final against Swansea City and gave away a silly penalty on 20 minutes with a clumsy challenge on winger Nathan Dyer
, in which Scott Sinclair
dispatched confidently from 12 yards out. He then went on to record two more assists, for the opposition. Khizanishvili ended his second loan spell with Reading, making 29 appearances in all competitions, including 24 league outings. Also in the match between Reading and Swansea, he was booked on exactly 12 minutes and played the full 90 minutes alongside captain Matthew Mills
in a 4-2 defeat and was rated as flop of the match at Wembley Stadium
. He ended a good spell at Reading in a bad way.
|2000–01
||rowspan="3"|Dundee
||rowspan="3"|Premier League
||6||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||6||0
|-
|2001–02
||18||0||colspan="2"|-||2||0||colspan="2"|-||20||0
|-
|2002–03
||19||0||5||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||25||0
|-
|2003–04
||rowspan="2"|Rangers
||rowspan="2"|Premier League
||26||0||1||0||3||0||8||0||38||0
|-
|2004–05
||16||0||1||0||2||0||6||0||25||0
|-
|2005–06
||rowspan="5"|Blackburn Rovers
||rowspan="5"|Premier League||26||1||2||0||4||1||colspan="2"|-||32||2
|-
|2006–07
||18||0||5||0||1||0||6||0||30||0
|-
|2007–08||13||0||1||0||2||0||1||0||17||0
|-
|2008–09||5||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||5||0
|-
|2009–10||0||0||0||0||2||0||0||0||2||0
|-
|2009–10
||Newcastle United
||Championship
||7||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||7||0
|-
|2009–10
||rowspan="2"|Reading||rowspan="2"|Championship
||15||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||15||0
|-
|2010–11
||27*||0*||2||0||0||0||0||0||29||0
|-
|2011–12
||rowspan="1"|Kayserispor
||rowspan="1"|Süper Lig||4||1||0||0||0||0||0||0||4||1
85||0||7||0||8||0||14||0||114||0
115||1||10||0||9||1||7||0||141||2
4||1||0||0||0||0||0||0||4||1
204||2||17||0||17||1||21||0||259||3
* includes Championship Play-Off
squad. He scored his only goal against Moldova
on 6 June 2009.
international defender Nodar Khizanishvili
.
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
footballer who plays for Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
club Kayserispor
Kayserispor
Kayserispor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Kayseri. Formed in 1966, Kayserispor are nicknamed Anadolu Yıldızı . The club colours are red and yellow, and the club play their home matches at Kadir Has Stadium.The club have won one Türkiye Kupası, in 2008...
as a defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
.
Early career
Khizanishvili started his career at Dinamo TbilisiFC Dinamo Tbilisi
FC Dinamo Tbilisi is a Georgian football team, based in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.Dinamo Tbilisi was one of the most prominent clubs in Soviet football and a major contender in the Soviet Top League almost immediately after it was established in 1936...
where he remained for just one season, before joining FC Tbilisi
FC Norchi Dinamo Tbilisi
FC Norchi Dinamoeli Tbilisi is a Georgian football club. They play in Pirveli Liga since they were promoted in 2006.The club successor, Dinamo-2 Tbilisi, split from FC Dinamo Tbilisi in July 1999 and formed as Tbilisi. The club played at Umaglesi Liga 1999-00 but were relegated twice into Meore...
to improve his chances of playing regular first team football.
In 1999 he was on the move again, joining his previous two clubs' city rivals Lokomotiv Tbilisi. Khizanishvili's form at Lokomotiv piqued the interest of some of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
's top clubs, though the player's latter days at the club were marred by injury
Injury
-By cause:*Traumatic injury, a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident*Other injuries from external physical causes, such as radiation injury, burn injury or frostbite*Injury from infection...
. Khizanishvili was eventually released after his contract with Lokomotiv was terminated.
Career in Scotland
In March 20012000-01 in Scottish football
The 2000–01 season was the 104th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish Premier League:The 2000–01 Scottish Premier League was won by Celtic, 15 points clear of Rangers who finished second. Both teams earned a place in the UEFA Champions League. Hibernian and Kilmarnock...
, Khizanishvili joined Dundee
Dundee F.C.
Dundee Football Club, founded in 1893, are a football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland. They are nicknamed The Dee or The Dark Blues and play their home matches at Dens Park. Their shirt colour is dark blue. Dundee currently play in the Scottish First Division, having been relegated from...
, having had unsuccessful trials at Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
and West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
.
He quickly made an impact at Dens Park
Dens Park
Dens Park is a football stadium located on Dens Road in Dundee, Scotland. The stadium is the home of Dundee F.C. and has a capacity of 12,085...
, alerting fellow Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
team Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
, whom Khizanishvili joined on a Bosman transfer
Bosman ruling
Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association ASBL v Jean-Marc Bosman is a 1995 European Court of Justice decision concerning freedom of movement for workers, freedom of association, and direct effect of article 39 of the EC Treaty...
in June 2003
2002-03 in Scottish football
The 2002–03 season was the 106th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish Premier League:The 2002–03 Scottish Premier League was won on goal difference by Rangers by a single goal over Celtic. Both Rangers and Celtic qualified for the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League and...
as a replacement for wantaway Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
-bound defender Lorenzo Amoruso
Lorenzo Amoruso
Lorenzo Pier Luigi Amoruso is a former Italian Assocation footballer who played for seven teams during his footballing career but is perhaps best known for his six-year spell with Glasgow side Rangers...
.
Despite making 35 appearances in his first campaign at Ibrox
Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
, Khizanishvili gradually fell out of favour and, on 31 August 2005
2005-06 in English football
The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...
, he was allowed to move on loan for the rest of the season to Blackburn in the English FA Premier League. During his loan spell at Blackburn he scored once in the league, in a 2–0 home win over Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
, and once in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
in a 3–1 win over Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
.
Career in England
On 10 April 2006, he signed a permanent deal with Blackburn Rovers in a deal rumoured to be worth around about £500,000. Since joining the Ewood ParkEwood Park
Ewood Park is a football stadium in the English town of Blackburn, Lancashire, and is the home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club — one of the founder members of the Football League and Premier League. Rovers have played there since they moved from Leamington Street in the summer of 1890. The...
outfit, Khizanishvili has struggled to hold down a regular starting position, instead usually playing when injuries and/or suspensions have ruled other defenders out of games. His first appearance of the 2009-10 campaign for Rovers came on 25 August, when he started the Carling Cup 2nd Round tie against Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
at the Priestfield Stadium
Priestfield Stadium
Priestfield Stadium is a football stadium in Gillingham, Kent...
, playing the full 90 minutes alongside Gael Givet
Gaël Givet
Gaël Givet-Viaros is a French footballer who plays for Blackburn Rovers. Givet is a left-footed centre back who can also play left-back.-Monaco:...
in a 3-1 win.
Under Paul Ince
Paul Ince
Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince is an English football manager and a former professional player. He has managed Blackburn Rovers, Milton Keynes Dons and Macclesfield Town...
and Sam Allardyce
Sam Allardyce
Samuel "Sam" Allardyce , nicknamed "Big Sam", is an English football manager and former professional player. In June 2011 he was appointed as manager of West Ham United....
he failed to break into the first team on a consistent basis, and on 17 September 2009 Khizanishvili joined Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
team Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
on loan in a three-month deal. He returned to Blackburn on 19 December after an unsuccessful loan deal expired at St. James' Park. On 25 January 2010, he signed for Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
on loan for the remainder of the 2009–10 season. On 31 August 2010, he rejoined Reading on a season long loan for the 2010/11 season and was handed the number 15 shirt at the Madejski Stadium
Madejski Stadium
The Madejski Stadium is a stadium in Reading, Berkshire, England. The stadium is the home of Reading Football Club and to the rugby union club London Irish as tenants. It also provides the finish for the Reading Half Marathon...
. On 13 March 2011, Khizanishvili completed the full 90 minutes against Manchester City at Eastlands
City of Manchester Stadium
The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England – also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship purposes– is the home ground of...
in a 1-0 FA Cup quarter-final loss. On 30 May 2011, he started the Npower Championship play-off final against Swansea City and gave away a silly penalty on 20 minutes with a clumsy challenge on winger Nathan Dyer
Nathan Dyer
Nathan Antone Jonah Dyer is an English footballer who plays for Swansea City A.F.C. as a midfielder.-Southampton:Dyer was born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, and joined the Southampton F.C. Academy as a teenager...
, in which Scott Sinclair
Scott Sinclair
Scott Andrew Sinclair is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Swansea City as a winger, having previously played for Bristol Rovers, Chelsea, Plymouth Argyle, Queens Park Rangers, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic...
dispatched confidently from 12 yards out. He then went on to record two more assists, for the opposition. Khizanishvili ended his second loan spell with Reading, making 29 appearances in all competitions, including 24 league outings. Also in the match between Reading and Swansea, he was booked on exactly 12 minutes and played the full 90 minutes alongside captain Matthew Mills
Matthew Mills
Matthew Claude "Matt" Mills is an English footballer who currently plays for and is the current captain of Leicester City in the Npower Championship.-Southampton and Manchester City:...
in a 4-2 defeat and was rated as flop of the match at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
. He ended a good spell at Reading in a bad way.
Career statistics
|-|2000–01
Scottish Premier League 2000-01
The 2000–01 Scottish Premier League was the third season of the Scottish Premier League. It began in on 29 July 2000.Celtic finished the season as league champions by a 15-point margin over neighbouring Rangers, also winning both of the domestic cups in their first season under the management...
||rowspan="3"|Dundee
Dundee F.C.
Dundee Football Club, founded in 1893, are a football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland. They are nicknamed The Dee or The Dark Blues and play their home matches at Dens Park. Their shirt colour is dark blue. Dundee currently play in the Scottish First Division, having been relegated from...
||rowspan="3"|Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
||6||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||6||0
|-
|2001–02
Scottish Premier League 2001-02
The 2001–02 Scottish Premier League was won by Celtic.As league champions, Celtic qualified for the UEFA Champions League. Runners-up Rangers and third-placed Livingston qualified for the UEFA Cup, as did fourth-placed Aberdeen, who took the final UEFA Cup place due to Rangers beating Celtic...
||18||0||colspan="2"|-||2||0||colspan="2"|-||20||0
|-
|2002–03
Scottish Premier League 2002-03
The 2002–03 Scottish Premier League was won by Rangers.As league champions, Rangers qualified for the UEFA Champions League, with runners-up Celtic also qualifying...
||19||0||5||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||25||0
|-
|2003–04
Scottish Premier League 2003-04
The 2003–04 Scottish Premier League was won by Celtic.As league champions, Celtic qualified for the UEFA Champions League, with runners-up Rangers also qualifying...
||rowspan="2"|Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
||rowspan="2"|Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
||26||0||1||0||3||0||8||0||38||0
|-
|2004–05
Scottish Premier League 2004-05
The 2004–05 Scottish Premier League was won by Rangers.As league champions, Rangers qualified for the UEFA Champions League, with runners-up Celtic also qualifying...
||16||0||1||0||2||0||6||0||25||0
|-
|2005–06
FA Premier League 2005-06
The 2005–06 season of the FA Premier League began on 13 August 2005, and concluded on 7 May 2006. The season saw Chelsea F.C retain their title after defeating Manchester United 3–0 at Stamford Bridge towards the end of April...
||rowspan="5"|Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
||rowspan="5"|Premier League||26||1||2||0||4||1||colspan="2"|-||32||2
|-
|2006–07
FA Premier League 2006-07
The 2006–07 FA Premier League was the fifteenth season of the FA Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The season started on 19 August 2006 and concluded on 13 May 2007....
||18||0||5||0||1||0||6||0||30||0
|-
|2007–08||13||0||1||0||2||0||1||0||17||0
|-
|2008–09||5||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||5||0
|-
|2009–10||0||0||0||0||2||0||0||0||2||0
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 Football League Championship
The Football League Championship season 2009–10 is the sixth season of the league under its current title and eighteenth season under its current league division format...
||Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||7||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||7||0
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 Football League Championship
The Football League Championship season 2009–10 is the sixth season of the league under its current title and eighteenth season under its current league division format...
||rowspan="2"|Reading||rowspan="2"|Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||15||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||15||0
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Football League Championship
The 2010–11 Football League Championship was the seventh season of the league under its current name and nineteenth season under its current league division format...
||27*||0*||2||0||0||0||0||0||29||0
|-
|2011–12
2011–12 Süper Lig
The 2011–12 Süper Lig is the 54th season of the Süper Lig, the highest football league of Turkey. Fenerbahçe are defending champions...
||rowspan="1"|Kayserispor
Kayserispor
Kayserispor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Kayseri. Formed in 1966, Kayserispor are nicknamed Anadolu Yıldızı . The club colours are red and yellow, and the club play their home matches at Kadir Has Stadium.The club have won one Türkiye Kupası, in 2008...
||rowspan="1"|Süper Lig||4||1||0||0||0||0||0||0||4||1
85||0||7||0||8||0||14||0||114||0
115||1||10||0||9||1||7||0||141||2
4||1||0||0||0||0||0||0||4||1
204||2||17||0||17||1||21||0||259||3
International career
Khizanishvili is a regular footballer and captain of the GeorgiaGeorgia national football team
The Georgia national football team is the national association football team of Georgia and is controlled by the Georgian Football Federation. The Georgian team's first match took place in 1990, while Georgia was still part of the Soviet Union. The team have attempted to qualify for each major...
squad. He scored his only goal against Moldova
Moldova national football team
The Moldova national football team represents Moldova in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Moldova, the governing body for football in Moldova. Moldova's home ground is Zimbru Stadium in Chişinău and their head coach is Gavril Balint...
on 6 June 2009.
Personal life
Khizanishvili is married to famous Georgian model Salome Gviniashvili and they have three children. He is the son of former USSRUSSR national football team
The Soviet Union National Football Team was the national football team of the Soviet Union. It ceased to exist after the break up of the Union...
international defender Nodar Khizanishvili
Nodar Khizanishvili
Nodar Georgiyevich Khizanishvili is a retired Soviet football player of Georgian ethnicity. He is the father of Zurab Khizanishvili.-Honours:* Soviet Top League winner: 1978.* Soviet Cup winner: 1976, 1979....
.
External links
- Zurab Khizanishvili profile at the Blackburn Rovers website