Irakli Azarovi Explained

Irakli Azarovi
Birth Date:2002 2, df=yes
Birth Place:Batumi, Georgia
Height:1.79 m
Position:Left-back
Clubnumber:16
Youthyears1:2012–2019
Youthclubs1:Dinamo Tbilisi
Years1:2019–2020
Clubs1:Dinamo Tbilisi
Caps1:12
Goals1:0
Years2:2021–2022
Clubs2:Dinamo Batumi
Caps2:53
Goals2:3
Years3:2022–2023
Caps3:21
Goals3:0
Years4:2023–
Caps4:22
Goals4:0
Nationalyears1:2017–2018
Nationalteam1:Georgia U17
Nationalcaps1:7
Nationalgoals1:0
Nationalyears2:2019
Nationalteam2:Georgia U18
Nationalcaps2:1
Nationalgoals2:0
Nationalyears3:2019
Nationalteam3:Georgia U19
Nationalcaps3:3
Nationalgoals3:0
Nationalyears4:2020–
Nationalteam4:Georgia U21
Nationalcaps4:9
Nationalgoals4:0
Nationalyears5:2021–
Nationalteam5:Georgia
Nationalcaps5:18
Nationalgoals5:0
Club-Update:11 May 2024
Nationalteam-Update:27 November 2023

Irakli Azarovi (Georgian: ირაკლი აზაროვი; born 21 February 2002) is a Georgian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk and the Georgia national team.

Azarovi has won the Georgian, Serbian and Ukrainian top league trophies five times in a row. He has also been recognized as the Erovnuli Liga Defender of the Year and best young player of the season.[1]

Club career

Dinamo Tbilisi

Born in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, Azarovi joined Dinamo Tbilisi, aged 10. He trained regularly in the youth teams of the club all the way until 2019 when he debuted for the Dinamo first team. Playing mostly as a reserve, he made seven appearances in 2019, and five in the 2020 season, contributing in both for Dinamo to win the Georgian national title.

Dinamo Batumi

In 2021, Dinamo Batumi was betting strong and bringing quality reinforcements, so Azarovi made a move that earned him much more play time and becoming a regular in the starting line-up, resulting in a successful season crowned with a 2021 Georgian championship. This also made him became a regular call in the Georgian national team, resulting in a widespread interest from clubs from abroad.

Red Star Belgrade

Soon, after a half season with Dinamo Batumi in the 2022 season, Serbian club Red Star Belgrade brought Azarovi to their ranks. In December 2022, he was announced as a top 10 most talented left-backs in world football.

Azarovi made 21 league appearances for the club, who clinched the league title this season. This success made him a four-time champion at the age of 21.

Shakhtar Donetsk

On 22 August 2023, Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk announced signing Azarovi on a five-year deal.[2] He played 32 matches in all competitions and with Shakhtar winning the Premier League and the national cup added two more titles to his tally.[3] [4]

Following this season, Azarovi joined the list of top five highest valued Georgian players.[5]

International career

Azarovi made his international debut for Georgia on 2 June 2021, starting in a friendly match against Romania. He took part in most of Georgia's 2022–23 UEFA Nations League matches which paved the way for their first ever qualification for a major international tournament.

Before that, he was a regular in all youth team squads since 2017. He also took part in all four games of the national U21 team in 2023 European U21 championship.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
2019Erovnuli Liga701080
2020501060
Total120101000140
Dinamo Batumi2021Erovnuli Liga3532051424
20221804010230
Total533209110654
Red Star2022–23Serbian Super Liga2004010250
2023–241010
Total210401000260
Shakhtar Donetsk2023–24Ukrainian Premier League220406000320
Career total1083110171101374

International

[6]

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Georgia202160
202240
202380
Total180

Honours

Dinamo Tbilisi

Dinamo Batumi

Red Star Belgrade

2022–23

2022–23

Shakhtar

2023–24

2023–24

Individual

Notes and References

  1. Web site: სფფ-ის ყოველწლიური ტრადიციული დაჯილდოება 29 დეკემბერს ონლაინ-რეჟიმში გაიმართება . 1tv.ge (in Georgian) . 27 December 2021.
  2. Web site: Офіційно: Азарові — гравець Шахтаря . football.ua (in Ukrainian) . 23 August 2023.
  3. Web site: Шахтар — чемпіон України сезону-2023/24 . football.ua . 12 May 2024 . Ukrainian.
  4. Web site: Winners of the Ukrainian Cup! . shakhtar.com . 16 May 2024.
  5. Web site: "ტრანსფერმარკტზე" ირაკლი აზაროვის სატრანსფერო ფასი ხუთ მილიონ ევრომდე გაიზარდა . 1tv.ge (in Georgian) . 7 June 2024 . 8 June 2024.
  6. Web site: Azarovi statistics . 27 November 2023.
  7. Web site: GFF Awards 2021 . gff.ge (in Georgian) . 29 December 2021.