.jpg) Mchedlidze in 2008 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1990-03-24)24 March 1990 (age 35) | ||
| Place of birth | Tbilisi, Georgia | ||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2006 | Dila Gori | ||
| 2006–2008 | Empoli | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2006 | Dila Gori | 2 | (0) |
| 2008–2019 | Empoli | 150 | (15) |
| 2008–2010 | →Palermo (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 2019–2020 | Dinamo Tbilisi | 5 | (1) |
| 2021 | Dinamo Batumi | 3 | (0) |
| 2021-2022 | Torpedo Kutaisi | 25 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2005–2006 | Georgia U17 | 18 | (10) |
| 2006–2007 | Georgia U19 | 8 | (1) |
| 2011 | Georgia U21 | 3 | (0) |
| 2007–2019 | Georgia | 32 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 30 March 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 30 March 2024 | |||
Levan Mchedlidze (Georgian:ლევან მჭედლიძე,romanized:levan mch'edlidze,pronounced[levanmtʃʼedlidze]; born 24 March 1990) is a retired Georgian professionalfootballer who last played as aforward for Georgian clubTorpedo Kutaisi.
Originally noted in early 2006 byEmpoli scout Gianni Carnevali, he joined theTuscan side in September 2006, following his impressive performances with the Georgia under-19 national team in a youth competition inBelgium, and despite some interest fromFC Bayern Munich. He was officially signed only one year later, in July 2007, due to bureaucratic issues concerning his non-EU citizen status.[2]
Following Empoli's relegation intoSerie B, Mchedlidze's future was put under discussion. On 30 August 2008,Serie A clubPalermo announced on their website to have signed Mchedlidze on a year-long loan, with the option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season.[3] Later, Palermo chairmanMaurizio Zamparini announced to have paid €6.2 mln for the signing of the young Georgian striker.[4] The club also confirmed the bid to be an actual permanent move, as a technical year-long loan that will be made permanent at the end of the 2008–09 season.[5]
Mchedlidze made hisSerie A debut on 24 September 2008, playing fifteen minutes in a league game againstNapoli,[6] then scoring his first professional goal only a few weeks later, in what ultimately proved to be the winning goal in a surprising 2–1 away win againstJuventus. Despite the high hopes for the young striker, he went on to make just another seven appearances that season and didn't add to his goal tally.
Palermo agreed a one-year extension to his loan with Empoli in June 2009. In December 2009, after a lacklustre start of season, Mchedlidze did not return to Sicily from holidays in Georgia, citing lack of first team chances as the main reason behind his choice. The player was successively excluded from the first team and Palermo director of footballWalter Sabatini successively confirmed the club will not arrange a deal for him. As of March 2010, the player has not returned to Sicily and his loan to Palermo was subsequently cancelled due to breach of contract.[7]
In the2010–11 Serie B season, Mchedlidze made 21 appearances as his side finished mid-table, scoring 2 goals and managing 4 assists. Mchedlidze played a bit-part role for the majority of the 2011–12, 2012–13 and 2013–14 seasons, with most of his appearances coming off the bench. In the2014–15 Serie A season, Mchedlidze scored 4 goals in the league, including a brace againstInternazionale Milano on the final matchday.
He was released by Empoli at the end of the2018–19 Serie A season, after thirteen years as a player for the Tuscan side.[8]
In September, 2019, Mchedlidze agreed one-plus-one deal withDinamo Tbilisi.[9]
In March 2021, Mchedlidze signed withDinamo Batumi.[10]
Despite having never played in his team also because of a knee injury during pre-season training, he was capped for theGeorgia national football team at the age of 17, for theEuro 2008 qualifying match againstItaly.[11] In spite of his young age, the coachKlaus Toppmöller made him play against the World Champions.
In the following match, Mchedlidze, being featured together with two other teenage team-mates (Levan Kenia andGiorgi Makaridze in the starting lineup),[12] scored the first goal in the 2–0 victory againstScotland, thus marking the first goal of his professional career.[13]
| Club | Season | League | Playoffs | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Palermo | 2008–09 | Serie A | 9 | 1 | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | |||
| 2009–10 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | ||
| Empoli | 2010–11 | Serie B | 20 | 2 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 21 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 27 | 2 | |||
| 2012–13 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 22 | 1 | |||
| 2013–14 | 23 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | — | 25 | 4 | ||||
| 2014–15 | Serie A | 25 | 4 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 27 | 5 | |||
| 2015–16 | 13 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | ||||
| 2016–17 | 15 | 6 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 6 | ||||
| 2017–18 | Serie B | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 11 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | |||
| Total | 150 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 163 | 20 | ||
| Career total | 161 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 175 | 21 | ||
Torpedo Kutaisi
Dinamo Tbilisi: