Nika Kvekveskiri
Georgian footballer (born 1992)
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Nikoloz "Nika" Kvekveskiri(Order of Honor) (Georgian: ნიკოლოზ "ნიკა" კვეკვესკირი, romanized: nik'oloz "nik'a" k'vek'vesk'iri, pronounced [nikʼoloz nikʼa kʼʷekʼʷeskʼiɾi], Polish: Nikoloz „Nika” Kwekweskiri; born 29 May 1992), nicknamed Kvekve,[1] is a Georgian former professional footballer who currently works for the Georgia national team as an assistant coach.
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Kvekveskiri with Lech Poznań in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nikoloz Kvekveskiri | ||
| Date of birth | 29 May 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Zugdidi, Georgia | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Georgia (assistant) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2009 | Baia Zugdidi | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2010 | Baia Zugdidi | 36 | (1) |
| 2011–2014 | Dinamo Tbilisi | 58 | (2) |
| 2012–2014 | Dinamo Tbilisi II | 28 | (13) |
| 2013 | → Tskhinvali (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 2014–2015 | Dila Gori | 27 | (7) |
| 2015–2016 | Inter Baku | 29 | (4) |
| 2016–2017 | Gabala | 14 | (0) |
| 2017–2020 | Tobol | 75 | (5) |
| 2021–2024 | Lech Poznań | 91 | (5) |
| 2024–2025 | Nyíregyháza | 17 | (1) |
| Total | 386 | (39) | |
| International career | |||
| 2008–2009 | Georgia U17 | 5 | (0) |
| 2009–2011 | Georgia U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2009–2014 | Georgia U21 | 20 | (2) |
| 2015–2025 | Georgia | 62 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
The family of Kvekveskiri comes from the Gali district of Abkhazia. They had to flee the 1992–93 war and move to a refugee settlement in Zugdidi, where Nika grew up under tough living conditions.[2]
He played in four countries and won champion's titles three times.
Kvekvesriki was regularly called up to national youth teams. Before announcing retirement from the senior team in 2025, he was the vice-captain.[3]
Club career
Kvekveskiri started his career in the local club Baia Zugdidi. He made his debut for the first team on 15 August 2009 in a match against FC Locomotive Tbilisi.[4] His first top-league goal scored against Kolkheti 1913 turned out a hard-fought winner on 29 September 2010.[5]
The next year, Kvekveskiri joined Georgian champions Dinamo Tbilisi. During the initial year-and-a-half period he made fifty league appearances for the team and won the double. On 30 June 2011, Kvekveskiri scored his first European goal in a UEFA Europa League 2–0 win over Milsami.[6]
In 2013, he was on loan to Tskhinvali for a half season and in June 2014 he was sold to Dila Gori. With seven league goals netted this year for Dila, Kvekveskiri was a key member of this title-winning team.
Following this season, in 2015 he moved to Azerbaijani Inter Baku. In June 2016, he joined Gabala.[7]
In May 2017, Kvekvesikiri signed a two-year deal with Tobol.[8] On 20 January 2021, Tobol announced that he had left the club.[9]
In January 2021, he moved to Ekstraklasa side Lech Poznań till the end of the 2020–21 season.[10] He signed a two-year extension on 29 April 2021,[1] renewed next October until 30 June 2025.[11] On 10 July 2024, he left the club by mutual consent. During his three-and-a-half-year stay, Kvekveskiri made a total of 123 appearances across all competitions, recording six goals and six assists.[12] He contributed to the club's eighth league title in 2022,[13] as well as reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League the following year.[14]
In early September 2024, Kvekveskiri joined newly promoted Hungarian NB I side Nyíregyháza Spartacus on a season-long deal.[15]
International career
With twenty appearances made for U21s in UEFA competitive matches, Kvekveskiri is the most capped Georgian player.[16] He took part in three qualifying campaigns from 2009 to 2015.
Kvekveskiri made his international debut for the senior team on 8 October 2015 in a 4–0 win against Gibraltar for the Euro 2016 qualifiers.[17]
He was a regular member of the team that produced an eleven-game unbeaten record between October 2021 and November 2022.[18]
On 26 March 2024, Kvekveskiri scored the winning penalty against Greece to send Georgia to the UEFA Euro 2024, their first international tournament in history.[19] In May 2024, he was selected in the team's squad for UEFA Euro 2024.[20] He made his sole appearance at the tournament as a second-half substitute in a 1–4 loss to Spain in the round of 16.[21]
Coaching career
On 29 August 2025, Kvekveskiri announced his retirement at the age of 33. In a press conference held along with the national team coach Willy Sagnol, Kvekveskiri stated that he would join Sagnol's coaching staff as his assistant.[22]
Personal life
Kvekveskiri is married to Salome Bebua, also a refugee from Abkhazia. The couple raises two daughters.[23]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Baia Zugdidi | 2009–10 | Umaglesi Liga | 22 | 0 | 4 | 3 | — | — | 26 | 3 | ||
| 2010–11 | Umaglesi Liga | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 1 | |||
| Total | 36 | 1 | 5 | 3 | — | — | 41 | 4 | ||||
| Dinamo Tbilisi | 2010–11 | Umaglesi Liga | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | |
| 2011–12 | Umaglesi Liga | 33 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7[b] | 1 | — | 42 | 3 | ||
| 2012–13 | Umaglesi Liga | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14 | Umaglesi Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 58 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 1 | — | 68 | 3 | |||
| Dinamo Tbilisi-2 | 2012–13 | Pirveli Liga | 17 | 10 | — | — | — | 17 | 10 | |||
| 2013–14 | Pirveli Liga | 11 | 3 | — | — | — | 11 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 28 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 13 | ||
| Tskhinvali (loan) | 2013–14 | Umaglesi Liga | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 1 | ||
| Dila Gori | 2014–15 | Umaglesi Liga | 27 | 7 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 7 | ||
| Inter Baku | 2015–16 | Azerbaijan Premier League | 29 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6[b] | 2 | — | 38 | 7 | |
| Gabala | 2016–17 | Azerbaijan Premier League | 14 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 11[b] | 1 | — | 29 | 1 | |
| Tobol | 2017 | Kazakhstan Premier League | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 1 | ||
| 2018 | Kazakhstan Premier League | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | — | 28 | 2 | ||
| 2019 | Kazakhstan Premier League | 22 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | — | 26 | 2 | ||
| 2020 | Kazakhstan Premier League | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 | |||
| Total | 75 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 84 | 5 | |||
| Lech Poznań | 2020–21[26] | Ekstraklasa | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22[27] | Ekstraklasa | 29 | 2 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 2 | |||
| 2022–23[28] | Ekstraklasa | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 19[c] | 1 | 1[d] | 0 | 49 | 3 | |
| 2023–24[29] | Ekstraklasa | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | — | 26 | 1 | ||
| Total | 91 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 123 | 6 | ||
| Nyíregyháza | 2024–25 | Nemzeti Bajnokság I | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 386 | 39 | 39 | 4 | 50 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 477 | 48 | ||
- Includes Georgian Cup, Azerbaijan Cup, Kazakhstan Cup, Polish Cup, Magyar Kupa
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, seventeen appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa Conference League
- Appearance in Polish Super Cup
- Appearance in UEFA Europa Conference League