Kakha Kaladze facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kakha Kaladze
კახა კალაძე
Kaladze in 2007
10th Mayor of Tbilisi
Incumbent
Assumed office 13 November 2017
Preceded by	Davit Narmania
Minister of Energy of Georgia
In office 26 November 2016 – 10 July 2017
Prime Minister	Giorgi Kvirikashvili
Preceded by	Ilia Eloshvili
Succeeded by	Ilia Eloshvili
In office 25 October 2012 – 9 September 2016
Prime Minister	Bidzina Ivanishvili Irakli Garibashvili Giorgi Kvirikashvili
Preceded by	Vakhtang Balavadze
Succeeded by	Ilia Eloshvili
Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia
In office 25 October 2012 – 12 July 2017
Prime Minister	Bidzina Ivanishvili Irakli Garibashvili Giorgi Kvirikashvili
Preceded by	Ekaterine Tkeshelashvili
Succeeded by	Mikheil Janelidze
Personal details
Born	Kakhaber Kaladze (1978-02-27) 27 February 1978 (age 47) Samtredia, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
Political party	Georgian Dream (2012–present)
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Spouse	Anouki Areshidze ​ (m. 2013)​
Children	Levan Kakhaber Vache Nikola
Parents	Karlo Kaladze Medeya Kaladze
Alma mater	Tbilisi State University
Occupation	Footballer (retired) Politician
Signature
Association football career Position(s) Centre back, left back Senior career* Years Team Apps (Gls) 1993–1998 Dinamo Tbilisi 82 (1) 1998–2001 Dynamo Kyiv 71 (6) 1998–2000 → Dynamo-2 Kyiv 9 (1) 2001–2010 Milan 194 (12) 2010–2012 Genoa 53 (1) Total 409 (21) International career 1993–1994 Georgia U17 2 (0) 1995 Georgia U19 4 (0) 1995–1996 Georgia U21 3 (0) 1996–2011 Georgia 83 (1) *Club domestic league appearances and goals

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.

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

International

Scores and results list Georgia's goal tally first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	6 February 2008	Boris Paichadze Stadium, Tbilisi	Latvia	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

Images for kids

• 

  Kaladze with Milan in 2007

• 

  Kaladze (right) with the United States Ambassador to Georgia Richard Norland (left) in 2012

See Also

In Spanish: Kakha Kaladze para niños