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Guram Kashia

Guram Kashia
Kashia with Vitesse in 2012
Personal information
Date of birth (1987-07-04) 4 July 1987 (age 37)
Place of birth Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Slovan Bratislava
Number 4
Youth career
2003–2006 Dinamo Tbilisi
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2010 Dinamo Tbilisi 91 (12)
2010–2018 Vitesse 250 (22)
2018–2020 San Jose Earthquakes 44 (0)
2021 Locomotive Tbilisi 16 (4)
2021– Slovan Bratislava 81 (7)
International career‡
2007–2009 Georgia U21 10 (2)
2009– Georgia 121 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:50, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:47, 14 October 2024 (UTC)

Guram Kashia (Order of Honor) (Georgian: გურამ კაშია, romanized: guram k'ashia, pronounced [ɡuɾam kʼaʃia]; born 4 July 1987) is a Georgian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Niké Liga club Slovan Bratislava and captains the Georgia national team.[2]

Developed at Dinamo Tbilisi, Kashia spent most of his career at Dutch Eredivisie club Vitesse, where he was captain. In the Netherlands for eight years, he played 292 official matches (24 goals) and won the KNVB Cup in 2017.

Club career

Early career and MLS

A tifo made by Vitesse fans in celebration of Kashia in 2016.

Kashia began his career in Dinamo Tbilisi.[3][dead link‍] He signed for Dutch club Vitesse in 2010 to become a regular member of the starting line-up of the club. Kashia was named club captain two years later. During his career at Vitesse, He amassed a total of 292 matches.[4] In August 2015, Kashia was named Best Player of August in Eredivisie.[5]

Kashia led Vitesse to the domestic KNVB Cup in 2016–17, starting all except one of their six games and recording a goal and an assist.[citation needed] In his five starts, the club defeated their opponents 12–2, including a 2–0 victory against eventual league champions Feyenoord Rotterdam in the quarterfinals.[citation needed] In October 2017, Kashia wore a rainbow-striped captain's armband for Vitesse against Heracles Almelo in support of LGBT rights, leading to a backlash in his own country and calls for him to step down from the Georgian national team.[6] His name was also transliterated as Goeram Kasjia in Dutch.[7]

On 14 June 2018, Kashia joined Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes on a multi-year[specify] contract,[8] joining compatriot and close friend Valeri Qazaishvili.[2] The club rejected its contract extension with Kashia following their 2020 season.[9]

Locomotive Tbilisi and Slovan Bratislava

Kashia transferred to Locomotive Tbilisi in 2021 before moving to Slovan Bratislava later the same year.[10] He was a regular squad member of the team which continued winning the Slovak First Football League title. Kashia's contribution three times in a row led him to receive Team of the Season award.[11][12] He signed a new year-long contract with Slovan on 27 June 2024.[13]

International career

Kashia with the Georgian national team in 2016.

Kashia debuted for Georgia on 1 April 2009 in an exhibition game against Montenegro.[14] In October 2012, he scored Georgia's only goal against Finland in a 2014 World Cup qualification.[15]

Kashia was named Georgian Footballer of the Year twice, in 2012 and in 2013.[16] As of 14 June 2018, he is captain of his national football team.[2] On 26 September 2022, Kashia played his 100th match for Georgia in the Nations League game against Gibraltar.[17] He is the most-capped Georgian footballer of all time.[18]

Kashia took part in Georgia's all matches in both the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying stages and Euro 2024 championship completely. He received the Order of Honour with the squad the same year on 2 July.[19]

Personal life

Kashia married his wife Tamtuka in 2009, and their daughter Alessandra was born in 2013.[14] His older brother Shota is also a professional footballer and has played at Georgian Erovnuli Liga club FC Chikhura Sachkhere since 2013; both brothers wear #37 for their clubs.[20] Kashia has stated that his older brother is the reason he began playing football as a child.[21]

While playing for Vitesse in 2017, Kashia wore a rainbow armband as part of the Dutch initiative Coming Out Day. His show of support for gay rights led to protests outside the Georgian Football Federation's headquarters demanding his removal from the national team, at which eight people were arrested. He described himself as being "proud to support equal rights".[22] In August 2018, he became the inaugural recipient of UEFA's #EqualGame award for his pro-LGBT rights stand.[23] He did not attend the awards ceremony in Monaco due to his club commitments with San Jose, but submitted a video acceptance speech in which he said: "I believe in equality for everyone, no matter what you believe in, who you love or who you are...I will always keep defending equality and equal rights for everyone, wherever I will play."[24] In December 2018, Kashia received the Presidential Order of Excellence from Georgian president Giorgi Margvelashvili.[25]

Kashia is outspoken about the ongoing illegal Russian occupation of Georgia following the 2008 Russo-Georgian War.[26][unreliable source?] He obtained his U.S. green card in July 2019, qualifying him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[27]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 22 November 2024[28][1]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental[a] Other[b] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Dinamo Tbilisi 2006–07 Umaglesi Liga 11 2 0 0 11+ 2+
2007–08 15 1 0 0 15+ 1+
2008–09 29 1 3 0 1 0 33+ 1+
2009–10 33 8 6 1 4 1 1 0 44 10
2010–11 3 0 4 0 0 0 7+ 0+
Total 91 12 6+ 1+ 11+ 1+ 2 0 110+ 14+
Vitesse 2010–11 Eredivisie 28 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 31 3
2011–12 32 3 3 0 0 0 4 0 39 3
2012–13 33 2 4 0 4 0 0 0 41 2
2013–14 32 2 2 1 2 0 1 0 37 3
2014–15 26 1 2 0 0 0 4 1 32 2
2015–16 27 5 1 0 2 0 0 0 30 5
2016–17 34 1 5 1 0 0 0 0 39 2
2017–18 32 3 0 0 6 0 5 1 43 4
Total 244 20 20 2 14 0 14 2 292 24
San Jose Earthquakes 2018 MLS 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 0
2019 23 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 24 0
2020 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0
Total 44 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 45 0
Locomotive Tbilisi 2021 Erovnuli Liga 16 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 17 4
Slovan Bratislava 2021–22 Slovak Super Liga 24 2 3 0 13 1 0 0 40 3
2022–23 22 2 3 0 15 2 0 0 40 4
2023–24 24 2 2 0 13 0 0 0 39 2
2024–25 11 1 1 1 12 0 0 0 24 2
Total 81 7 9 1 53 3 0 0 143 11
Career total 473 43 38 4 82 5 16 2 607 53
  1. ^ Includes U.S. Open Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League
  2. ^ Includes European competition play-offs and Johan Cruyff Shield, Georgian Super Cup

International

As of match played 14 October 2024[29][30]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Georgia 2009 4 0
2010 2 0
2011 6 0
2012 8 1
2013 8 0
2014 5 0
2015 10 0
2016 8 0
2017 10 0
2018 9 1
2019 9 0
2020 3 0
2021 10 0
2022 9 1
2023 9 0
2024 11 0
Total 121 3
Scores and results list Georgia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kashia goal.[29][30]
List of international goals scored by Guram Kashia
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 12 October 2012 Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland  Finland 1–0 1–1 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 1 June 2018 Silberstadt Arena Schwaz, Schwaz, Austria  Malta 1–0 1–0 Friendly
3 2 June 2022 Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi, Georgia  Gibraltar 2–0 4–0 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C

Honours

Dinamo Tbilisi

Vitesse

Slovan Bratislava

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b "G. Kashia: Summary". Soccerway. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Mendola, Nicholas (14 June 2018). "San Jose signs Miazga's running mate Kashia to fix defense". NBC Sports. NBC. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Guram Kashia | Dinamo is always in my heart". Dinamo Tblisi. 1 February 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ Coerts, Stefan (1 September 2010). "Official: Vitesse Sign Nacer Barazite, Matej Delač, Marcus Pedersen, Guram Kashia & Laryea Kingston". Goal. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  5. ^ "Guram Kashia was Named as the Best Player of August in Dutch Championship". worldsport.ge. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  6. ^ "Kashia proud of UEFA EqualGame Award". UEFA. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  7. ^ "Vitesse vernedert Sparta na vertrek Fraser" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Omroep Stichting. 14 April 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  8. ^ "News: Earthquakes Acquire Vitesse and Georgia National Team Captain Guram Kashia". San Jose Earthquakes. Earthquakes Communications. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  9. ^ "News: Earthquakes announce roster moves ahead of 2021 MLS season". San Jose Earthquakes. 4 December 2020. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021.
  10. ^ გურამ კაშია და ჯაბა კანკავა ბრატისლავის სლოვანში გადავიდნენ. netgazeti.ge (in Georgian). 17 June 2021.
  11. ^ "Jedenástka sezóny Fortuna ligy". Fortuna Liga (in Slovak). 21 May 2023.
  12. ^ კაშია სიმბოლურ ნაკრებში დასახელეს. Atiani (in Georgian). 21 May 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Slovanu Bratislava zostal posledný Gruzínec. Guram Kašia potiahne ešte jednu sezónu". Aktuality.sk (in Slovak). Ringier Axel Springier Slovakia. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  14. ^ a b ვინ არის გურამ კაშიას უმშვენიერესი მეუღლე- ყველაფერი, რაც საქართველოს ნაკრების კაპიტანზე უნდა ვიცოდეთ [Who is Guram Kashia's most beautiful wife? Everything we need to know about the captain of the Georgian national team]. mix.metronome.ge (in Georgian). 28 March 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  15. ^ "Best Georgian Footballer 2013 revealed". Georgian Journal. 27 December 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  16. ^ "Finland vs. Georgia football match 1–1". Georgian Journal. 13 October 2012. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  17. ^ გურამ კაშია: ევროპის ჩემპიონატამდე ორი თამაში გვაქვს დარჩენილი და ყველას გთხოვთ, კარგად მოვემზადოთ [Guram Kashia: "We have two games left before the European Championship and we ask everyone to prepare well"]. First Channel Georgia (in Georgian). 29 September 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  18. ^ ეროვნული ნაკრების სტატისტიკა. Georgian Football Federation (in Georgian). Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  19. ^ პრეზიდენტი | მინდა, ერთობის სახელით, ეს ჯილდო გადავცე ბიჭებს და ვუსურვო, რომ გზა მათი გამარჯვებისა უსასრულო ყოფილიყოს. president.ge (in Georgian). 2 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  20. ^ "შოთა კაშია [Shota Kashia]" (in Georgian). FC Chikhura. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  21. ^ 10 საინტერესო ფაქტი გურამ კაშიას შესახებ [10 Interesting Facts About Guram Kashia]. Sportall (in Georgian). 28 October 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  22. ^ "8 arrests at Georgia demo over soccer player's gay rights armband". NBC News. NBC. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  23. ^ "Guram Kashia: Georgia captain becomes first recipient of Uefa #EqualGame award". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  24. ^ UEFA (22 August 2018). "Georgia's Guram Kashia wins the first UEFA #EqualGame Award". Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  25. ^ "President Margvelashvili Awards Public Figures for Spreading Humane Ideas and Contributing to Country's Development". President of Georgia. 10 December 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2019.[permanent dead link‍]
  26. ^ "20% of my country is occupied by Russia! რუსეთი ოკუპანტია!". Instagram. Meta. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  27. ^ "NEWS: Guram Kashia obtains U.S. Green Card". San Jose Earthquakes. Earthquakes Communications. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  28. ^ "Guram Kashia » Club matches". WorldFootball.net. Heim: Spiel. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  29. ^ a b "Kashia, Guram". National Football Teams. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  30. ^ a b "Guram Kashia". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  31. ^ "Jedenastka sezony..." Fortuna liga. 22 May 2022.
  32. ^ "Jedenastka sezony..." Fortuna liga. 21 May 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  33. ^ "კაშია სიმბოლურში მოხვდა, ვაისი საუკეთესოდ აღიარეს". crystalsport.ge (in Georgian). 13 May 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
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