Mamuka Pantsulaia (Georgian: მამუკა ფანცულაია; 9 October 1967 – 26 February 2019) was a Georgian footballer who played as a forward and made one appearance for the Georgia national team.[1]

Mamuka Pantsulaia
Personal information
Full name Mamuka Pantsulaia
Date of birth (1967-10-09)9 October 1967
Place of birth Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
Date of death 26 February 2019(2019-02-26) (aged 51)
Place of death Georgia
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
0000–1984 Dinamo Tbilisi
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1989 Dinamo Tbilisi 40 (4)
1989 Torpedo Kutaisi 11 (5)
1990–1993 Gorda/Metallurgi Rustavi 70 (38)
1993–1994 Shevardeni-1906 Tbilisi 13 (6)
1996–1997 Odishi Zugdidi 18 (7)
Total 152 (60)
International career
Soviet Union U16
1990 Georgia 1 (0)
Managerial career
Olimpi Rustavi (youth)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career edit

Pantsulaia played for the Soviet Union under-16 national team in 1985, helping the team to win the 1985 UEFA European Under-16 Championship with two goals in the final. He was named the best player of the tournament. In total, he scored 8 goals in 17 matches for the Soviet youth teams.[2] He earned his first and only cap for Georgia on 27 May 1990 in the country's first international match, a friendly against Lithuania. He started the match, but was substituted out at half-time for Gocha Gogrichiani. The home fixture, which took place in Tbilisi, finished as a 2–2 draw.[3]

Pantsulaia played for Dinamo Tbilisi in the Soviet Top League from 1985 to 1989, and for Torpedo Kutaisi in the Soviet First League in 1989. Georgia began its own league, the Umaglesi Liga, in 1990 after the founding of the Georgian Football Federation, with Pantsulaia playing for Metallurgi Rustavi (originally Gorda Rustavi), Shevardeni-1906 Tbilisi and Odishi Zugdidi. He was the top scorer, along with Gia Guruli, of the league's first season in 1990 with 23 goals.[1] In 1991, he was given a one-year suspension after arguing with a referee.[4]

After retiring from football, he later became a coach of the Olimpi Rustavi youth academy, helping to train players including Tornike Okriashvili.[2]

Personal life edit

Pantsulaia's son, Giorgi, is also a footballer and appeared for the Georgia youth national teams.[5] Pantsulaia died on 26 February 2019.[4]

Career statistics edit

International edit

Georgia[3]
Year Apps Goals
1990 1 0
Total 1 0

Honours edit

Soviet Union U16

Individual

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Mamuka Pantsulaia at WorldFootball.net  
  2. ^ a b "მამუკა ფანცულაია: თამაში მინდოდა, მაგრამ ობოლ ბიჭს ხელის წამკვრელი არ მყავდა" [Mamuka Pantsulaia: I wanted to play, but the orphan boy had no anchor]. Sportall.ge (in Georgian). 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Giorgi Nadiradze". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Mamulashvili, Merab (27 February 2019). "მამუკა ფანცულაია გარდაიცვალა - ერთადერთი ქართველი, რომელიც ევროპის ჩემპიონატზე საუკეთესოდ აღიარეს [ინტერვიუ]" [Mamuka Pantsulaia dies – the only Georgian to be recognised as the best at the European Championship [Interview]]. Lelo.ge (in Georgian). Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  5. ^ Bzikadze, Vahtang (31 May 2013). "Season review: Georgia". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  6. ^ Garin, Erik; Bovi Diogo, Julio (28 June 2006). "European U-16 Championship 1985". RSSSF. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  7. ^ "Панцулая Мамука" [Pantsulaia Mamuka]. KLISF (in Russian). Retrieved 5 April 2020.

External links edit