A tenacious defensive midfielder, he was the engine of the Georgian national team, breaking up play and winning countless battles in the centre of the pitch. Career record: 101 caps and 10 goals for Georgia; club career at FC Dnipro, FC Tobol, ŠK Slovan Bratislava.
One rank above: Guram Kashia at #17.
One rank below: Kakhaber Tskhadadze at #19.
Georgia's editorial top five: David Kipiani · Khvicha Kvaratskhelia · Kakha Kaladze · Mikheil Meskhi · Aleksandre Chivadze.