Giorgi Gvelesiani
Georgian footballer (born 1991)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Giorgi Gvelesiani Order of Honor (Georgian: გიორგი გველესიანი; born 5 May 1991) is a Georgian former footballer who played as a centre-back for the Georgia national team.[1][2]
|
Gvelesiani with Georgia at the UEFA Euro 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 5 May 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union | ||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Positions | |||
| Youth career | |||
| –2010 | Dinamo Tbilisi | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2017 | Dinamo Tbilisi | 81 | (7) |
| 2012–2013 | Dinamo-2 Tbilisi | 3 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Zob Ahan | 20 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Nassaji Mazandaran | 22 | (5) |
| 2019–2022 | Sepahan | 62 | (9) |
| 2022–2025 | Persepolis | 81 | (14) |
| 2025–2026 | Sepahan | 1 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| Georgia U19 | 3 | (0) | |
| 2024– | Georgia | 10 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 8 June 2025 | |||
Club career
Dinamo Tbilisi
Ending his contract with Dinamo Tbilisi in June 2016,[3] Gvelesiani trained with Ukrainian team Volyn Lutsk soon after.[4] However, his stint there proved transitory as registration problems prevented them from legally letting him play,[5] resulting in him leaving the club in August.
Zob Ahan
Early into summer 2017, the Iranian media spread rumors that a transfer to Persian Gulf Pro League outfit Zob Ahan was imminent for Gvelesiani;[6] he eventually signed for them a few days later.[7] Given a red card for his reckless actions on his debut,[8] the Georgian defender settled well in to the club, forming a good relationship with his teammates and staff.[8]
Nassaji Mazandaran
On 28 July 2018, Gvelesiani joined Iranian club Nassaji Mazandaran on a one-year deal.[9]
Sepahan
.jpg)
On 12 June 2019, Gvelesiani joined Sepahan S.C. on a two-year deal.[10][11]
Persepolis
On 19 June 2022, Gvelesiani joined Persian Gulf Pro League side Persepolis on a new two-year deal.[12] In December 2022, Gvelesiani gave Persepolis the lead in the 16th minute of Tehran derby against Esteghlal with a header in the box. In the second half, He once again scored with a header in the 89th[13] minute.[14][15]
He became the first defender in the history of capital derby to score two goals in one game.[16][17] After his performance in the Tehran derby, he became more popular among Persepolis fans.[18]
He also has become the first choice penalty kick taker at Persepolis. Even in the presence of the team's forwards, he would take penalties. Iranian media wrote about his ability to score penalties.[19][20][21][22]
Among the foreign players in the history of Persepolis club, he is one of the foreign defenders with a significant number of goals.[23][24] He has usually performed well in important matches for Persepolis, Especially against Esteghlal and Sepahan.[25]
On June 1, 2024, Persepolis played against Mes Rafsanjan on the final game of the season. They had a one point lead over Esteghlal going into the game, needing to win to guarantee the league title. With the score at 0–0 in the 86th minute and Esteghlal winning 2–0, Gvelesiani scored a header to win the game and secure the title.[26]
International career
Gvelesiani was called up to the Georgia national team for the first time in 2015,[27] and made his debut in a friendly match against Montenegro in June 2024.[28]
Gvelesiani was a member of the squad taking part in Georgia's first major tournament. He played in three of the four matches, including against Spain in the knock-out stage.[29]
Style of play
Personal life
He has mentioned that his sleep time varies and sometimes he stays up late. He added: "I am not super professional and sometimes I sleep at 2 or 3, eat whatever I want and wake up whenever I want. I don't think football has anything to do with this. Football depends on your personality and that is the most important issue. I try to keep the middle; I am not a fully professional guy and I live a normal life. The secret of success is that I try to give 100% of my game on the field and even in training I always try to win; This is the secret of my personality".[30][31]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 21 November 2025
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dinamo Tbilisi | 2010–11 | Umaglesi Liga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2011–12 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||||
| 2013–14 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2[c] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 23 | 4 | ||
| 2014–15 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 21 | 1 | ||
| 2016 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 26 | 2 | ||
| 2017 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 81 | 7 | 15 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 106 | 8 | ||
| Zob Ahan | 2017–18 | Persian Gulf Pro League | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9[e] | 1 | — | 30 | 1 | |
| Nassaji | 2018–19 | Persian Gulf Pro League | 22 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 5 | ||
| Sepahan | 2019–20 | Persian Gulf Pro League | 16 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3[e] | 0 | — | 21 | 4 | |
| 2020–21 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 25 | 2 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 26 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6[e] | 0 | — | 33 | 4 | |||
| 2025–26 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 64 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 0 | — | 81 | 10 | |||
| Persepolis | 2022–23 | Persian Gulf Pro League | 29 | 6 | 4 | 4 | — | — | 33 | 10 | ||
| 2023–24 | 25 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5[e] | 0 | — | 31 | 6 | |||
| 2024–25 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7[f] | 2 | 1[g] | 0 | 36 | 4 | ||
| Total | 81 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 20 | ||
| Career total | 268 | 35 | 30 | 6 | 38 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 340 | 44 | ||
- Includes Georgian Cup, Hazfi Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearance in Georgian Super Cup
- Appearances in AFC Champions League
- Appearances in AFC Champions League Elite
- Appearance in Iranian Super Cup
International
- As of match played on 8 June 2025
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 2015 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 0 | |
Honours
Dinamo Tbilisi
- Umaglesi Liga: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16
- Georgian Cup: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16
- Georgian Super Cup: 2014, 2015
Persepolis
