FC Dinamo Tbilisi

FC Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgian: თბილისის დინამო) is a Georgian football team, based in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.

Dinamo Tbilisi was one of the most prominent clubs in Soviet football and a major contender in the Soviet Top League almost immediately after it was established in 1936. The club was then part of one of the leading sport societies in Soviet Union, the All-Union Dynamo sports society which had several other divisions beside football and was sponsored by the Soviet Ministry of Internal Affairs. Its main claim to European fame was winning the Cup Winners' Cup in 1981, beating FC Carl Zeiss Jena of East Germany 2–1 in the final in Düsseldorf. Throughout its history, FC Dinamo Tbilisi produced many famous Soviet players: Boris Paichadze, Avtandil Gogoberidze, Shota Iamanidze, Tengiz Sulakvelidze, Vitali Daraselia, Vladimir Gutsaev, David Kipiani, Mikheil Meskhi, Ramaz Shengelia, Alexandre Chivadze, Slava Metreveli, Murtaz Khurtsilava. After the break-up of the Soviet Union, it would later produce some of the finest Georgian players such as Temuri Ketsbaia, Kakha Kaladze, Shota Arveladze, Giorgi Kinkladze.

FC Dinamo Tbilisi was one of a handful of teams in the Soviet Top League (along with FC Dynamo Moscow and Dynamo Kyiv) that were never relegated. Their most famous coach was Nodar Akhalkatsi, who led the team to the Soviet title in 1978, two Soviet cups (1976 and 1979), and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1981. He was also assistant coach to the Soviet Union National Team during the FIFA World Cup in 1982. FC Dinamo Tbilisi are also 13-time Georgian league champions and 9-time Georgian Cup holders (the current record).