Guram Kashia

Guram Kashia (Georgian: გურამ კაშია, romanized: guram k'ashia, pronounced [ɡuɾam kʼaʃia]; born 4 July 1987) is a Georgian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Niké Liga club Slovan Bratislava and captains the Georgian national team.[2]

Guram Kashia
Kashia with Vitesse in 2012
Personal information
Date of birth (1987-07-04) 4 July 1987
Place of birth Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Slovan Bratislava
Number 4
Youth career
2003–2006 Dinamo Tbilisi
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2010 Dinamo Tbilisi 91 (58)
2010–2018 Vitesse 250 (22)
2018–2020 San Jose Earthquakes 44 (0)
2021 Locomotive Tbilisi 16 (4)
2021– Slovan Bratislava 52 (5)
International career‡
2007–2009 Georgia U21 10 (2)
2009– Georgia 106 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:47, 9 October 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 09:47, 19 September 2023 (UTC)

Developed at Dinamo Tbilisi, he spent most of his career at Dutch Eredivisie club Vitesse, where he was captain. In eight years in the Netherlands, he played 292 official matches (24 goals) and won the KNVB Cup in 2017.

Club career

Dinamo Tbilisi

Kashia started playing for Dinamo Tbilisi. He is still a big fan of his former club.[3]

A tifo made by Vitesse fans in celebration of Kashia in 2016.

Vitesse

In 2010, Kashia moved to the Netherlands and signed for Vitesse.[4] Kashia soon became a regular member of the starting line-up of the club and two seasons after joining, Kashia was elected as the captain of the club. During his career at Vitesse, he amassed a total of 292 matches.

In August 2015, Kashia was named Best Player of August in Eredivisie.[5]

Kashia led Vitesse to the domestic KNVB Cup in 2016–17, starting all but one of their six games and recording a goal and an assist. In his five starts, the club outscored their opponents 12–2, including a 2–0 victory over eventual league champions Feyenoord Rotterdam in the quarterfinals.

In October 2017, Kashia wore a rainbow-striped captain's armband for Vitesse against Heracles Almelo in support of LGBT rights, leading to a backlash in his own country and calls for him to step down from the Georgian national team.[6]

His name was also transliterated as Goeram Kasjia in Dutch.[7]

San Jose Earthquakes

On 14 June 2018, Kashia joined Major League Soccer side San Jose Earthquakes on a multi-year contract,[8] joining compatriot and close friend Vako Qazaishvili.[2]

San Jose declined their contract option on Kashia following their 2020 season.[9]

Slovan Bratislava

Upon his release from San Jose, Kashia spent three months at Locomotive Tbilisi and in June 2021 signed a contract with Slovan Bratislava,[10] later extended until summer 2024.

He was a regular squad member of the team which continued winning the champion's title. Fortuna Liga duly recognized Kashia's contribution and included him in the best XI of the 2022-23 season.[11]

International career
Kashia with the Georgian national team in 2016.

Kashia made his Georgia debut on 1 April 2009 against Montenegro.[12] In October 2012, he scored Georgia's only goal against Finland in a 2014 World Cup qualifier.[13]

Kashia was named Georgian Footballer of the Year twice, in 2012 and in 2013.[14] As of 14 June 2018, Kashia captains his country.[2] On 26 September 2022, he played his 100th match for Georgia in the Nations League game against Gibraltar.[15] Kashia is the most capped Georgian player of all time.[16]

Personal life

Kashia is from Tbilisi, Georgia. He married his wife Tamtuka in 2009, and their daughter Alessandra was born in 2013.[17][18] His older brother Shota is also a professional footballer and has played at Georgian Erovnuli Liga club FC Chikhura Sachkhere since 2013; both brothers wear #37 for their clubs.[19] Kashia has stated that his older brother is the reason he began playing football as a child.[20]

In November 2017, while playing for Vitesse, Kashia wore a rainbow armband as part of the Dutch initiative Coming Out Day. His show of support for gay rights led to protests outside the Georgian Football Federation's headquarters demanding his removal from the national team, at which eight people were arrested. He described himself as being "proud to support equal rights".[21] In August 2018, he became the inaugural recipient of UEFA's #EqualGame award for his pro-LGBT rights stand.[22] He was unable to attend the awards ceremony in Monaco due to his club commitments with San Jose, but submitted a video acceptance speech in which he said, "I believe in equality for everyone, no matter what you believe in, who you love or who you are...I will always keep defending equality and equal rights for everyone, wherever I will play."[23] In December 2018, he received the Presidential Order of Excellence from Georgian president Giorgi Margvelashvili.[24]

He is outspoken about the ongoing illegal Russian occupation of Georgia following the 2008 Russo-Georgian War.[25]

Kashia obtained his U.S. green card in July 2019, qualifying him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[26]

Career statistics

Club
As of 9 October 2023[27][1]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental[lower-alpha 1] Other[lower-alpha 2] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Dinamo Tbilisi 2006–07 Umaglesi Liga 1120011+2+
2007–08 1510015+1+
2008–09 291301033+1+
2009–10 3386141104410
2010–11 3040007+0+
Total 91126+1+11+1+20110+14+
Vitesse 2010–11 Eredivisie 283300000313
2011–12 323300040393
2012–13 332404000412
2013–14 322212010373
2014–15 261200041322
2015–16 275102000305
2016–17 341510000392
2017–18 323006051434
Total 2442020214014229224
San Jose Earthquakes 2018 MLS 120000000120
2019 230001000240
2020 8000000080
Total 440001000450
Locomotive Tbilisi 2021 Erovnuli Liga 164100000174
Slovan Bratislava 2021–22 Slovak Super Liga 2423013100403
2022–23 2223015200404
2023–24 61007000141
Total 5256035300938
Career total 4444135+3+64+5+162554+50+
  1. Includes U.S. Open Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League
  2. Includes European competition play-offs and Johan Cruyff Shield, Georgian Super Cup

International
Scores and results list Georgia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kashia goal.
List of international goals scored by Guram Kashia[28]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
112 October 2012Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland Finland1–01–12014 FIFA World Cup qualification
21 June 2018Silberstadt Arena Schwaz, Schwaz, Austria Malta1–01–0Friendly
32 June 2022Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi, Georgia Gibraltar2–04–02022–23 UEFA Nations League C

Honours

Dinamo Tbilisi

Vitesse

Slovan Bratislava

Individual

References
  1. "G. Kashia: Summary". soccerway. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  2. Mendola, Nicholas (14 June 2018). "San Jose signs Miazga's running mate Kashia to fix defense". soccer.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  3. "Guram Kashia - Dinamo is always in my heart". fcdinamo.ge. 1 February 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  4. "Official: Vitesse Sign Nacer Barazite, Matej Delac, Marcus Pedersen, Guram Kashia & Laryea Kingston". Goal.com. 1 September 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  5. "Guram Kashia was Named as the Best Player of August in Dutch Championship". worldsport.ge. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  6. UEFA (30 August 2018). "Kashia proud of UEFA #EqualGame Award". Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  7. "Vitesse vernedert Sparta na vertrek Fraser" (in Dutch). NOS. 14 April 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  8. Earthquakes Communications (14 June 2018). "NEWS: Earthquakes Acquire Vitesse and Georgia National Team Captain Guram Kashia". San Jose Earthquakes. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  9. "NEWS: Earthquakes announce roster moves ahead of 2021 MLS season | San Jose Earthquakes".
  10. "გურამ კაშია და ჯაბა კანკავა ბრატისლავის სლოვანში გადავიდნენ". netgazeti.ge (in Georgian). 17 June 2021.
  11. "Jedenástka sezóny Fortuna ligy". fortunaliga.sk (in Slovakian). 21 May 2023.
  12. "Georgia - Montenegro (Report)". eu-football.info. 1 April 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  13. "Best Georgian Footballer 2013 revealed". Georgian Journal. 27 December 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  14. "Finland-Georgia football match 1:1". Georgian Journal. 13 October 2012. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  15. "Gibraltar 1–2 Georgia". Sports Mole. 26 September 2022.
  16. "ეროვნული ნაკრების სტატისტიკა". nakrebi.ge (in Georgian).
  17. Kashia, Guram (16 September 2019). "მიყვარხარ [I love you] ♥️! Our 10 year wedding anniversary!". Instagram. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  18. Kashia, Guram (24 September 2019). "გილოცავ ალისო 6️⃣ ♥️ Happy birthday Aliso!". Instagram. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  19. "შოთა კაშია [Shota Kashia]" (in Georgian). FC Chikhura. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  20. San Jose Earthquakes (28 August 2019). "Podcast: Guram Kashia on Life and Soccer in San Jose - Off Pitch 74". Youtube. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  21. "8 arrests at Georgia demo over soccer player's gay rights armband". NBC News. November 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  22. "Guram Kashia: Georgia captain becomes first recipient of Uefa #EqualGame award". BBC Sport. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  23. UEFA (22 August 2018). "Georgia's Guram Kashia wins the first UEFA #EqualGame Award". Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  24. President of Georgia (10 December 2018). "President Margvelashvili Awards Public Figures for Spreading Humane Ideas and Contributing to Country's Development". Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  25. Kashia, Guram (21 June 2019). "20% of my country is occupied by Russia! რუსეთი ოკუპანტია! [Russia is an occupier!]" (in Georgian). Instagram. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  26. Earthquakes Communications (29 July 2019). "NEWS: Guram Kashia obtains U.S. Green Card". sjearthquakes.com. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  27. "Guram Kashia » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  28. "Kashia, Guram". national-football-teams.com. National Football Teams. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
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