Shota Arveladze

Shota Arveladze (Georgian: შოთა არველაძე) (born 22 February 1973 in Tbilisi) is a former Georgian professional football player and currently the manager of Kasımpaşa. He is Georgia’s all-time top scorer with 291 goals in his 410 league games for his clubs and 26 goals during his 61 games on the national team. Since 2010–11 season, he is the manager of Turkish side Kayserispor. Arveladze played at Dinamo Tbilisi, Trabzonspor, and Ajax, and finished at least one season as the top goal scorer at all three. When he led Trabzonspor in goals in 1995–96, he also led the Süper Lig, making him the second non-Turk to date to lead that league in goals after Tarik Hodžić 1983–84. He is recorded as "most loved foreign player" for Trabzonspor supporters. Arveladze joined Rangers from Ajax for £2 million in 2001. He scored the 300th goal in the SPL. He was part of the squad that won the domestic treble in 2002–03 and the double in 2004–05.

He departed for Dutch side AZ on a free transfer in 2004–05. He was also a regular in the Georgian national team, and was the nation's all-time leading scorer. In 1993 he scored an effective first Euro Tournament goal in the history of independent Georgian Football in the match against Linfield, Northern Ireland. He is now retired from international football. His twin brother Archil also played international football for Georgia. Arveladze played football on a high level well into his thirties despite having to deal with chronic asthma his entire career. He ended his playing career on 22 May 2008 and joined AZ's coaching staff, under former Ajax coach Louis van Gaal. Shota's son Giorgi Arveladze, and is trying to follow his father's footsteps. He scored the most goals in the top leagues of different countries from the former Soviet Union. Shota is the top scorer of the Georgia national football team, and he was the top scorer in the Championships of both Turkey and the Netherlands.

His 27 goals scored in UEFA Cup competition ranks him 2nd in the tournament's history, with only Henrik Larsson, one of the greatest foreign players to play in the SPL ahead of him. Fast on his feet, extraordinarily quick decision-making, an eye for goal, great technique and leadership were among his main qualities. He has the best strike record of independent Georgian Football, he was nominated as the best player of Georgia and in addition he was nominated as the best player by the Georgian Professional Football league survey. After retiring from football as a player, Arveladze was appointed in July 2008 as assistant manager of AZ under head coach Louis van Gaal, and maintained his position also in the 2009–10 season under Ronald Koeman and Dick Advocaat. Since the 2010–11 season, Arveladze is serving as manager of Turkish side Kayserispor.

Read more about Shota Arveladze:  Career, Coaching Career, Honours