Mikheil Meskhi (Georgian: მიხეილ მესხი; Russian: Михаил Шалвович Месхи; born 12 January 1937 in
Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...
; died 22 April 1991 in Tbilisi) was a
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
. Nicknamed the "Georgian Garrincha" for his dazzling wing play, he was a creative force on the left flank for the Soviet Union. He was invited by the
World XI
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
side via the
USSR Football Federation who replied he was injured and couldn't play— he was not told of the invitation.
Career
He started playing football at the age of 14 in
Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...
. Local well-known specialist
Archil Kiknadze was Meskhi's first coach. His unique football talent was soon obvious in the 35th Football Schoolboys team he played in.
During his career he played for
Dynamo Tbilisi
FC Dinamo Tbilisi ( ka, დინამო თბილისი, ) is a Georgian professional football club based in Tbilisi, Georgia, that competes in the Erovnuli Liga, the top flight of Georgian football.
Dinamo Tbilisi was one of the mo ...
(1954–1969) and
Lokomotiv Tbilisi (1970). He earned 35 caps for the
USSR national football team
The Soviet Union national football team ( rus, сбо́рная СССР по футбо́лу, r=sbórnaya SSSR po futbólu) was the national football team of the former Soviet Union.
After the breakup of the Union the team was transformed in ...
, and participated in the
1962 World Cup
The 1962 FIFA World Cup was the seventh edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held from 30 May to 17 June 1962 in Chile. The qualification rounds took place be ...
. He also appeared on the Soviet squad for the first-ever
European Nations' Cup in 1960, which the Soviets won.
In 1998, Meskhi was voted the best player in the history of
Georgian football, and a member of the 20th-century Georgian "Dream Team."
References
External links
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Photo Archiveat
National Parliamentary Library of Georgia
The National Parliamentary Library of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს პარლამენტის ეროვნული ბიბლიოთეკა, ''sakartvelos p'arlament'is erovnuli bibliotek'a'') is a governmenta ...
*
Profileat Biographical Dictionary of Georgia
*
Profileat Biographical Dictionary of Georgian Athletes
*
Mikheil Meskhiat
FC Dinamo Tbilisi official website
*
Profile and Statisticsat Dinamo-Tbilisi.ru
*
Biographyat Biograph.ru
*
Profile and Statisticsat FootballFacts.ru
*
at Rusteam.Permian.ru
1937 births
1991 deaths
Footballers from Georgia (country)
Soviet footballers
Soviet Union international footballers
Honoured Masters of Sport of the USSR
1962 FIFA World Cup players
1960 European Nations' Cup players
UEFA European Championship-winning players
FC Dinamo Tbilisi players
Meskhetians
Association football wingers
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