Vakhtang Salia
Georgian footballer
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Vakhtang Salia (Georgian: ვახტანგ სალია; born 30 August 2007) is a Georgian footballer who plays as a striker for Newcastle United.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 30 August 2007 | ||
| Place of birth | Tbilisi, Georgia | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Newcastle United | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Dinamo Tbilisi | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023– | Dinamo-2 Tbilisi | 3 | (0) |
| 2023–2025 | Dinamo Tbilisi | 40 | (7) |
| 2025– | Newcastle United | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022– | Georgia U17 | 9 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15 April 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:22, 14 October 2024 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Rated as one of Georgia's biggest talents,[1][2] Salia made his professional debut for Dinamo Tbilisi on 24 November 2023, in a 2–2 Erovnuli Liga draw against Torpedo Kutaisi.[3] In the following 2024 season, the 16-year-old regularly featured in the starting team of his club. Salia scored his first goal in the Georgian top flight on 10 March 2024, against Torpedo Kutaisi. He scored the winning goal as Dinamo ran out 1–0 winners.[4]
On 29 October 2024, Dinamo Tbilisi and Newcastle United announced that they had agreed a deal for the transfer of Salia in the summer of 2025 when he turns 18.[5][6]
International career
Salia made his debut for Georgia's under-17 national team in a 3–1 defeat against Israel on October 25, 2022.[7]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 1 November 2024[8]
| Club | Season | League | Domestic Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dinamo Tbilisi | 2023 | Erovnuli Liga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0[a] | 0 | 0[b] | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2024 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2[c] | 1 | 2[b] | 0 | 30 | 6 | ||
| Total | 28 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 6 | ||
| Career Total | 28 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 6 | ||
- Appearance(s) in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Conference League
- Appearance(s) in Georgian Super Cup
- Appearance(s) and goal(s) in the UEFA Conference League