Giorgi Popkhadze

Giorgi Popchadse (Georgian გიორგი ფოფხაძე, English transcription: George Popkhadze; born September 25, 1986 in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR) is a Georgian football player at the position of a defensive player who is mostly used as a left-back.

Club career

Career start in the home

His active career began born in the capital of the former Georgian SSR Popchadse at his home club, the club Dinamo Tbilisi United, where he went through all youth leagues. Over the years, the versatile defender came as a teenager on his debut for the first team of the second capital clubs, called Olimpi Tbilisi. After being in his debut season four league games for the second team completed and it just missed the promotion play-off with the team, he was already in the following season as a 17 - or 18 -year-old to his first stakes in the professional team. Thus, the defensive player came to the end of the season on 16 Erstligaeinsätze and reached with the Georgian master record (since independence in 1991 ) with five points ahead of the next highest scoring Torpedo Kutaisi pursuer the first place in the table in the top division of the country. After the championship, the capital club also secured by winning the Super Cup with a 1-0 win over local rivals and cup winner Lok Tbilisi. In parallel, Popchadse in 2004 /05 used in five championship matches of the second team battle and reached there with the team took sixth place in the Georgian second division. After only twelve appearances for the pros in the 2005 / 06, during which, however, he scored two goals and thus also for the first time earned as a scorer in professional football, the newly crowned Georgian U-21 and A-National player came to a move abroad. It drew him in the summer before the season 2006/ 07 to Denmark to playing there in the excellence Viborg FF, with which he was still engaged in his first season in the relegation battle.

Attempted establishment as a regular in Denmark

His debut for the Danes gave the Georgians, who has been previously borrowed in the same year Olympiakos Piraeus to Greece, but there never used in the professional sector, on 12 November 2006 in the 1-3 away defeat against FC Midtjylland. In this encounter he was briefly employed before the game ends for years of Viborg player and veteran Thomas Tengstedt. After he stood by his second league use the following March already in the starting lineup, but was replaced after about an hour by the learned midfielder Lasse Kryger, he came in the aftermath largely as a regular player used and played it mostly over the full duration by. With the team he came in the final standings yet to ninth place in the table after the team extended period of time was involved in the relegation battle. In the following seasons sat Popchadse on to establish himself as a regular in the defensive line of Viborg. He succeeded, however, only limited by to year he improved from year to some more bets. Already in the 2007/ 08 season, the Viborg FF could no longer hold in the highest Danish football league and entered with 20 points from 33 games as Penultimate together with the Lyngby BK in the Danish 1st Division from second-rate. The young Georgians brought it this season already at 14 League Appearances, where he was mostly used over the full period, but was still far from a fixed establishment as a regular player. In this he succeeded on 27 April 2008 in the 3:5 away defeat against FC Nordsjælland one assist; the only points scorer throughout the season. Although these relatively few inserts was elected Popchadse during the year 2008 by the fans of Viborg FF "Player of the Year", which they attributed mainly to its supposed outstanding performance, its battle- stressed attitude and aggressiveness, high willingness to run and the huge fighting spirit. From his club, the Georgian team player has been described as a modern defender who can come on both sides of defense to use, but primarily plays on the left, but also the way in the penalty box looking to help out his comrades there.

After relegation to the second- highest division of the country, the Georgian defensive player could again not really enforce the pro squad and brought it to 16 of 30 possible gewesenen league operations, where he remained scoreless again. In the 1st Division, the team of 2008/ 09 could be established in the top half of the table, although in the season, but was still far from a resurgence in the Danish excellence and ultimately brought it to the fantastic fourth place. In January 2009, the player extended his contract with Danish club by a further two and a half years until the summer of 2011. After another stay in the first division Popchadse was able to increase its number of uses, but not really to keep the team performance from the previously passed playing time, which is why they slipped to seventh place in the table at the end of the season 2009/10. At 21 Championship inserts the former captain of Georgian U- 21 team came on a balance sheet total of four assists. He pointed in particular 25 October 2009 in a 2-2 home draw against FC Kolding a good performance when he was in the first minute the template to 1-0 lead by Razak Pimpong contributed and in the eighth minute, a renewed assist of Jacob Glerups 2-1 hits made ​​. In the Danish Football Cup Popchadse this season was also the first time a successful scorer for the club. In addition, the Georgians was together with his teammate and defensive partner Alexander Juel Andersen set up in May 2010 at the training with the club's U -9 boys team. In the season 2010/ 11 of 1.83 m large left-back completed until November 2010, a total of twelve league games and was there finally make on the way as a regular in the defensive line of the club. Nevertheless, he decided during the season to amicably resolve its ongoing until summer 2011 contract with the club and instead return for personal or family reasons in his Georgian home. Up to this time the Georgians had completed 92 games for Viborg FF and it was 74 times played in one of the two highest Danish leagues. Since the player wanted to return to his home mainly because of wife and daughter, put the Danish club keen to benevolence of all to dissolve the agreement, according to which Popchadse was considered out of contract in November 2011.

After trial in Germany and brief appearance in Georgia to Austria

Only a few weeks later the German second division club VfL Osnabrück reported the Georgian team player as a new test candidates for a multi-day trial, in which, however, he could not convince Osnabrück coach Karsten Baumann, who sent the young player back to his homeland. While Popchadse looked around already for a new employer, plagued his Danish former club problems with finding an appropriate left-back, as this position remained virtually unoccupied after the departure of Georgia and was covered only briefly by the OB- loan Timmi Johansen. Back home, the defender finally signed in February 2011 a contract with the established in this form until 2004 club FC Zestaponi, with whom he was still in the same season champion of Umaghlessi league. Up to this time it had left defense on six league inserts, which brought four over the full period, and one assist. This League, the club was automatically for the 2nd qualifying round of the UEFA Champions 2011/12 eligible. For just this round also the reigning Austrian champions Sturm Graz was eligible. It was at this club the Georgians finally changed, who had to fill, among other things after the departure of defensive stalwart Gordon shield box, along with other new items such as Milan Dudić and the tried and true defensive players from the championship team a big gap. After the Georgians positively noticed only one of the tested left-back, early July 2011, opted for the 24 -year-olds and submitted him a contract with a term of one year and an option for another two years. For locals Popchadse finally gave 20 July 2011 his competitive debut when he was used in the aforementioned second CL qualifying round against Videoton FC for a half and was able to convince it immediately. A few days later the player has already been used for the first time in the Bundesliga when he came on July 23, 2011 at marked mainly by the referee Markus Hameter 2-2 home draw against SV Mattersburg from the start for use after 38 minutes the yellow card was booked and placed in the 69 minutes the first player with a yellow-red from the square. The team managed the Georgian team players up in the play-off phase of the CL qualifiers after handling services calculated in the third round Popchadses former club Sestafoni. In the fourth qualifying round, the Austrians finally eliminated after a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Belarus and a subsequent 0-2 defeat at home to BATE Borisov from a tournament and instead take part in the Europa League group stage. Popchadse was used in a total of five CL-Quali matches for their team and came to a total of twenty appearances in the top division in Austria. In summer 2012, he moved to FK Baku in Azerbaijan.

National team career

Probably already been used in a variety of Georgian youth selections, Popchadse came in 2006 for the first time for the U- 21 team in his home country for use. There he developed into a strong and often used defender, who brought it to 2008 to 12 or 15 international appearances and the team also led some time as captain. Also in 2006 he gave defensive young actor made ​​his debut in the senior national team of Georgia when he made ​​his debut in a 2-0 win over Malta in early March and it brought in the same year to another international match. After several years without the use Popchadse acted mainly in 2009 as a real team regular in the national team, where he brought it to a total of five appearances with the team and took part in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa among others. Since then, the now 24 -year-old Georgians to date ( as at 25 August 2011) not a single international match in his home country more used.

Achievements

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