Kakha Kaladze facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kakha Kaladze
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კახა კალაძე
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![]() Kaladze in 2007
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10th Mayor of Tbilisi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Assumed office 13 November 2017 |
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Preceded by | Davit Narmania | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Minister of Energy of Georgia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 26 November 2016 – 10 July 2017 |
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Prime Minister | Giorgi Kvirikashvili | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Ilia Eloshvili | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Ilia Eloshvili | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 25 October 2012 – 9 September 2016 |
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Prime Minister | Bidzina Ivanishvili Irakli Garibashvili Giorgi Kvirikashvili |
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Preceded by | Vakhtang Balavadze | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Ilia Eloshvili | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 25 October 2012 – 12 July 2017 |
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Prime Minister | Bidzina Ivanishvili Irakli Garibashvili Giorgi Kvirikashvili |
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Preceded by | Ekaterine Tkeshelashvili | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Mikheil Janelidze | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born |
Kakhaber Kaladze
27 February 1978 Samtredia, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union |
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Political party | Georgian Dream (2012–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse |
Anouki Areshidze
(m. 2013) |
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Children |
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Parents | Karlo Kaladze Medeya Kaladze |
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Alma mater | Tbilisi State University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Occupation |
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Kakhaber "Kakha" Kaladze (Georgian: კახაბერ "კახა" კალაძე; born 27 February 1978) is a famous Georgian person. He used to be a professional footballer. Now, he is a politician and has been the Mayor of Tbilisi since November 2017.
As a footballer, he was very good at playing defense. He could play as a centre-back or a left-back. He even played as a wide midfielder. He played for the Georgia national team from 1996 to 2011. People thought he was one of Georgia's most important players. He was named Georgian Footballer of the Year five times.
Kakha Kaladze started his football journey in 1993 with Dinamo Tbilisi. In 1998, he moved to the Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv. Then, in 2001, he joined the famous Italian club Milan. With Milan, he won the Champions League twice. He also won many league titles in Georgia, Ukraine, and Italy. After playing 84 games for his country, he stopped playing for the Georgian national team in 2011.
Outside of football, he has his own businesses and a charity called Kala Foundation. He is also an ambassador for SOS Children's Villages. He is married to Anouki Areshidze and they have four children. A sad event happened in his family when his brother was kidnapped in 2001.
In 2012, Kaladze entered politics. He joined the Georgian Dream–Democratic Georgia party. He became a member of the Parliament of Georgia and then served as Deputy Prime Minister. He was also the Minister of Energy. In 2017, he became the Mayor of Tbilisi and was re-elected in 2021.
Contents
Football Career Highlights
Starting His Journey
Kakha Kaladze began playing football as a striker. He played for his local club, Lokomotiv Samtredia. His father was the president of this team. Later, a famous Georgian footballer, David Kipiani, asked him to join Dinamo Tbilisi.
He made his first big league appearance at just 16 years old. This was during the 1993–94 season. He played 82 games for Dinamo Tbilisi and scored one goal. He believes a good game against Italy helped him get noticed by Dynamo Kyiv.
Playing in Ukraine
In January 1998, Kaladze moved to Ukraine to play for Dynamo Kyiv. He signed a four-year contract. He scored six goals in 71 league games there. During his time, Dynamo Kyiv won eight league titles in a row.
He also played in the Champions League semi-finals. Dynamo Kyiv lost to Bayern Munich. On their way to the semi-finals, they beat big teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Success with A.C. Milan
In January 2001, Kaladze made history. He became the most expensive Georgian footballer ever. Milan paid €16 million to bring him to Italy. He quickly became a regular player for Milan. He often played as a defensive midfielder.
On 11 May 2001, Kaladze played in a huge game. Milan won 6–0 against their rivals, Inter. He helped set up one of the goals.
In the 2002–03 season, he went back to playing defense. He played 46 games that year. Milan had a fantastic season. They won the Champions League. They beat Juventus in the final. They also won the Coppa Italia.
After these wins, the Georgian postal service made a special stamp with his picture. He was the first Georgian player to win a Champions League title.
Kaladze faced some injuries in the 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons. He played fewer games. In the 2005–06 season, he moved back to playing in the center of defense. This was his favorite position.
He won his second Champions League title on 23 May 2007. Milan beat Liverpool 2–1 in the final. He also won the FIFA Club World Cup in December 2007. Milan beat Boca Juniors in the final.
Time with Genoa
On 31 August 2010, Kaladze joined Genoa. He played 26 matches in the 2010–11 season. He scored one goal. He was named the second-best defender in Serie A that season. On 12 May 2012, Kaladze announced he was retiring from football.
Playing for His Country
Kaladze played his first game for the Georgian national team on 27 March 1996. This was a friendly match against Cyprus. He later became the captain of the team.
He played in many qualifying games for the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championships. Georgia had never qualified for these big tournaments until Euro 2024. Sadly, this was after Kaladze had retired.
His first official game was against Poland on 14 June 1997. Georgia lost that game. He scored his first international goal on 6 February 2008 against Latvia.
On 5 September 2009, Kaladze scored two own goals in a World Cup qualifying match against Italy. The match ended 2–0 to Italy. He retired from international football on 11 December 2011.
Life Outside Football
Family and Charity
Kakha Kaladze learned Ukrainian and Russian when he moved to Dynamo Kyiv. He also speaks Italian and English.
On 14 July 2009, his wife Anouki gave birth to their first son. They named him Levan, in memory of Kaladze's brother. Kaladze and Anouki have four children in total.
Kaladze is also involved in charity work. He is an ambassador for SOS Children's Villages. Through his Kala Foundation, he has raised money for people in need. For example, he raised €50,000 for refugees during the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008.
Business Ventures
Besides football, Kaladze is an investor. He has businesses in Georgia, Italy, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. He owns Kala Capital, an investment company. This company focuses on energy businesses.
He also owns the Buddha Bar in Kyiv, which opened in 2008. Kaladze also owns a restaurant in Milan called Giannino.
Political Career
Becoming a Politician
Kaladze became involved in Georgian politics in 2012. He joined the opposition Georgian Dream–Democratic Georgia party. This party was started by Bidzina Ivanishvili.
On 1 October 2012, he was elected to the Parliament of Georgia. On 25 October 2012, he became Deputy Prime Minister. He also became the Minister of Energy. He held these jobs until July 2017.
Mayor of Tbilisi
In July 2017, Kaladze left his role as Energy Minister. He decided to run for Mayor of Tbilisi. On 22 October, he won the election. He became the Mayor of Tbilisi on 13 November 2017.
He was re-elected as Mayor in 2021. He won with 55% of the votes. His second term will end after the 2025 election.
Recent Sanctions
On 5 December 2024, President Zelenskyy of Ukraine placed sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili and 18 of his associates, including Kaladze. This happened during protests in Georgia. Kaladze said that Zelenskyy "does not belong to himself" and "serves another country."
On 15 December 2024, Lithuania and Estonia also announced sanctions. They placed travel bans on several Georgian officials, including Kaladze.
Career Statistics
Club
Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
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Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Dinamo Tbilisi | 1993–94 | Umaglesi Liga | 9 | 1 | – | – | 9 | 1 | ||||
1994–95 | 23 | 0 | – | – | 23 | 0 | ||||||
1995–96 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 24 | 0 | |||||
1996–97 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 16 | 0 | |||||
1997–98 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 0 | – | 22 | 0 | |||||
Total | 82 | 1 | 12 | 0 | – | 94 | 1 | |||||
Dynamo Kyiv | 1997–98 | Vyshcha Liha | 13 | 2 | – | – | 13 | 2 | ||||
1998–99 | 25 | 3 | 12 | 1 | – | 37 | 4 | |||||
1999–00 | 25 | 1 | 14 | 1 | – | 39 | 2 | |||||
2000–01 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 1 | – | 15 | 1 | |||||
Total | 71 | 6 | 33 | 3 | – | 104 | 9 | |||||
Milan | 2000–01 | Serie A | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 18 | 3 | ||
2001–02 | 30 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 0 | – | 46 | 4 | |||
2002–03 | 27 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 15 | 0 | – | 46 | 1 | |||
2003–04 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
2004–05 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | 26 | 2 | |||
2005–06 | 28 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 0 | – | 43 | 2 | |||
2006–07 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | – | 26 | 1 | |||
2007–08 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 0 | ||
2008–09 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 16 | 0 | |||
2009–10 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 10 | 0 | |||
Total | 194 | 12 | 23 | 1 | 64 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 284 | 13 | ||
Genoa | 2010–11 | Serie A | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 28 | 1 | ||
2011–12 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | – | 28 | 1 | ||||
Total | 53 | 1 | 3 | 1 | – | – | 56 | 2 | ||||
Career total | 400 | 20 | 26 | 2 | 109 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 538 | 27 |
International
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
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Georgia | 1996 | 3 | 0 |
1997 | 3 | 0 | |
1998 | 8 | 0 | |
1999 | 7 | 0 | |
2000 | 3 | 0 | |
2001 | 7 | 0 | |
2002 | 2 | 0 | |
2003 | 2 | 0 | |
2004 | 5 | 0 | |
2005 | 10 | 0 | |
2006 | 4 | 0 | |
2007 | 6 | 0 | |
2008 | 4 | 1 | |
2009 | 4 | 0 | |
2010 | 7 | 0 | |
2011 | 8 | 0 | |
Total | 83 | 1 |
- Scores and results list Georgia's goal tally first.
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
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1. | 6 February 2008 | Boris Paichadze Stadium, Tbilisi | ![]() |
1–3 | 1–3 | Friendly |
Awards and Achievements
- Dinamo Tbilisi
- Georgian League: 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98
- Georgian Cup: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997
- Georgian Super Cup: 1996, 1997
- Dynamo Kyiv
- Ukrainian Premier League: 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01
- Ukrainian Cup: 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000
- Milan
- Serie A: 2003–04
- Coppa Italia: 2002–03
- Italian Supercup: 2004
- UEFA Champions League: 2002–03, 2006–07
- UEFA Super Cup: 2003, 2007
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2007
- Individual
- Georgian Footballer of the Year: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2011
- A.C. Milan Hall of Fame
Electoral History
Election | Affiliation | First round | Second round | ||||
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Votes | Percentage | Position | Votes | Percentage | Position | ||
2017 Tbilsi Mayoral Elections | Georgian Dream | 204,061 |
51.09%
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1st | |||
2021 Tbilsi Mayoral Elections | Georgian Dream | 216,344 |
45.01%
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1st | 258,776 |
55.61%
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1st |
Images for kids
See Also
In Spanish: Kakha Kaladze para niños