Nikoloz "Nika" Kacharava (Georgian: ნიკოლოზ "ნიკა" კაჭარავა, romanized: nik'oloz "nik'a" k'ach'arava, pronounced [nikʼoloz nikʼa kʼatʃʼaɾava]; born 13 January 1994) is a Georgian professional footballer who plays as a forward for A Lyga club Panevėžys.[1] Born in Cyprus, he plays for the Georgia national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nikoloz Kacharava | ||
| Date of birth | 13 January 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Nicosia, Cyprus | ||
| Height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Panevėžys | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2012 | Dinamo Tbilisi | ||
| 2012–2013 | Gagra | ||
| 2013–2014 | Rubin Kazan | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2016 | Tskhinvali | 41 | (25) |
| 2016–2018 | Rostov | 0 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | → Ethnikos Achna (loan) | 27 | (16) |
| 2017–2018 | → Korona Kielce (loan) | 26 | (7) |
| 2018–2022 | Anorthosis Famagusta | 51 | (11) |
| 2020–2021 | → Lech Poznań (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 2022 | Jeonnam Dragons | 10 | (2) |
| 2023 | Torpedo Kutaisi | 14 | (3) |
| 2023– | Panevėžys | 11 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012–2013 | Georgia U19 | 8 | (2) |
| 2013–2016 | Georgia U21 | 10 | (6) |
| 2016– | Georgia | 24 | (3) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 March 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 1 May 2023 | |||
Club career edit
Kacharava started his career in the second team of Dinamo Tbilisi. A promising youth, he found it hard finding opportunities to break into the Tbilisi first team and signed a contract with Rubin Kazan.[2] Kacharava played several matches with the Rubin Kazan youth squads, but found it hard to break into the first team squad.[3] Kacharava got his first official contract with Rubin Kazan, but became frustrated with the lack of first team opportunities.
Kacharava moved back to Georgia and signed a contract with FC Tskhinvali. In his first season, Kacharava scored only one goal - however, in the following seasons Kacharava cemented his spot in the first team, becoming a prolific scorer and one of the top forwards in the league.[4] He attracted attention throughout Europe, eventually transferring to Rostov during one of their most successful seasons.[5]
He spent the 2016–17 season on loan in Cyprus at Ethnikos Achna, scoring 16 goals and becoming the third-best scorer of the 2016–17 Cypriot First Division.[6]
On 18 June 2017, he signed another year-long loan deal, joining the Polish club Korona Kielce.[7]
On 6 June 2018, Kacharava signed a two-year contract with the Cypriot club Anorthosis Famagusta.[8] On 24 January 2020, he signed a two-year contract extension, with a buy-out clause of €500,000.
On 8 February 2022, Kacharava joined South Korean K League 2 club Jeonnam Dragons.[9] A year later he returned to Georgia and moved to Torpedo Kutaisi, but left the club by mutual consent after three months.[10]
In August 2023, Kacharava signed a contract with Lithuanian club Panevėžys until the end of the season with an option of its extension.[11]
International career edit
Kacharava was born in Cyprus to parents of Georgian descent – his father Kakhaber Kacharava was a member of the Georgia national team and his mother Lia Mikadze was a basketball player.[12] Kacharava had successful stints with the Georgian youth national teams, and made his debut for the senior Georgian national team in a friendly 0–0 tie with Kazakhstan.[13]
Career statistics edit
Club edit
- As of 12 November 2023[14]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Tskhinvali | 2013–14 | Umaglesi Liga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Umaglesi Liga | 25 | 12 | 6 | 5 | — | — | 31 | 17 | |||
| 2015–16 | Umaglesi Liga | 15 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 2[a] | 1 | — | 19 | 15 | ||
| Total | 41 | 25 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | 51 | 32 | |||
| Rostov | 2015–16 | Russian Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Ethnikos Achna (loan) | 2016/17 | Cypriot First Division | 27 | 16 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 16 | ||
| Korona Kielce (loan) | 2017–18 | Ekstraklasa | 26 | 7 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 29 | 9 | ||
| Anorthosis Famagusta | 2018–19 | Cypriot First Division | 23 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 27 | 6 | |
| 2019–20 | Cypriot First Division | 18 | 6 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 6 | |||
| 2020–21 | Cypriot First Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 43 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 50 | 12 | |||
| Lech Poznań (loan) | 2020–21 | Ekstraklasa | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 14 | 1 | |
| Jeonnam Dragons | 2022 | K League 2 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5[b] | 1 | — | 14 | 3 | |
| Torpedo Kutaisi | 2023 | Erovnuli Liga | 14 | 3 | — | — | — | 14 | 3 | |||
| Panevėžys | 2023 | A Lyga | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | 7 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 174 | 66 | 20 | 10 | 14 | 2 | — | 208 | 78 | |||
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- ^ Appearances in AFC Champions League
International goals edit
- Scores and results list Georgia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kacharava goal.[15]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 March 2017 | Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi, Georgia |  Serbia |
1–0 | 1–3 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 5 September 2020 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia |  Estonia |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League C |
| 3 | 11 October 2020 | Stadion Miejski, Tychy, Poland |  Armenia |
1–1 | 2-2 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League C |
Honours edit
Panevėžys
References edit
- ^ Nika Kacharava at Soccerway
- ^ "სპორტული პორტალი - ნიკა კაჭარავა ყაზანის "რუბინის" 72-ე ნომერია". sportall.ge. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
- ^ "Качарава Ника - Нападающий - Ростов - Kacharava Nika". news.sportbox.ru. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
- ^ "სპორტული პორტალი - ნიკა კაჭარავა რუსულ, ბელგიურ და ჰოლანდიურ კლუბებს სურთ". sportall.ge. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
- ^ "სპორტული პორტალი - რუსული მედია: "როსტოვმა" ნიკა კაჭარავაში 300 ათას ევრომდე გადაიხადა". sportall.ge. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
- ^ "2016-17 Cypriot First Division Topscorers". cfa.com.cy. Cyprus Football Association. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "Kaczarawa piłkarzem Korony!" (in Polish). Korona Kielce. 18 June 2017. Archived from the original on 23 June 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ^ "Στα κυανόλευκα ο Νίκα Κατσαράβα!" (in Greek). Anorthosis Famagusta FC. 7 June 2018.
- ^ "[오피셜] 전남, 조지아 국가대표 장신 공격수 니카 카차라바 영입" (in Korean). goal.com. 8 February 2022.
- ^ "ნიკა კაჭარავამ ქუთაისის "ტორპედო" დატოვა". footballnews.ge (in Georgian). 26 May 2023.
- ^ "Puolimo grandį papildė kartvelas". fk-panevezys.lt (in Lithuanian). 22 August 2023.
- ^ "Nika Kacharava: "I Leave for Austria with "Rubin" and also Prepare for Euro 2013"".
- ^ "Georgia 1 - 1 Kazakhstan - Match Report & Highlights". skysports.com. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
- ^ Nika Kacharava at Soccerway. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
- ^ "Kacharava, Nika". National Football Teams. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- ^ "Nika Kaczarawa". 90minut.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 13 January 2024.
External links edit
- Nika Kacharava at Soccerway
- Nika Kacharava – UEFA competition record (archive)
- Rostov Profile
- Nika Kacharava at 90minut.pl (in Polish)