1. Overview
Akaki Gogia (აკაკი გოგიაAkaki GogiaGeorgian) is a professional footballer of Georgian descent who represents Germany internationally. Born on January 18, 1992, in Rustavi, Georgia, he primarily plays as a winger or attacking midfielder. Gogia's career began in Germany, progressing through the youth ranks of VfL Wolfsburg before embarking on a journey through various German clubs, including Hallescher FC, Dynamo Dresden, and Union Berlin, where he contributed to their promotion to the Bundesliga. He also had a spell in England with Brentford F.C. and played a key role in FC Zürich's Swiss Super League championship win. Known for his technical abilities, Gogia has also earned caps for Germany's youth national teams. His career has been marked by both significant achievements and challenges, including several injuries.
2. Early Life and Background
Akaki Gogia's early life was shaped by his Georgian roots and an early relocation to Germany, which significantly influenced his formative years and subsequent football career.
2.1. Birth and Upbringing
Akaki Gogia was born on January 18, 1992, in Rustavi, Georgia. He spent his early childhood in his birth country before his family made a pivotal move to Germany.
2.2. Move to Germany
In 2001, at the age of nine, Gogia moved to Halle, Germany, with his parents. This move marked the beginning of his football journey in Germany. His parents later relocated to Hanover and then Augsburg, which subsequently influenced Gogia's early club affiliations, including spells at Hannover 96 and FC Augsburg. His nickname is "Andy".
3. Playing Career
Akaki Gogia's professional football career spans various clubs and leagues across Germany, England, and Switzerland, marked by periods of significant contribution and challenges with injuries.
3.1. VfL Wolfsburg
Gogia began his football career in Germany as a junior with FSV 67 Halle and Hannover 96 before joining VfL Wolfsburg in 2004. He progressed through the youth ranks, making his reserve team debut in February 2010, where he made nine appearances. Gogia was a prolific scorer for Wolfsburg's U17 and U19 teams, netting a total of 44 goals in 86 appearances. He was instrumental in the team's 2010-11 U19 Bundesliga victory, scoring in the final match. In December 2010, Gogia was promoted to the first team squad by general manager Dieter Hoeneß and coach Steve McClaren. He was included in the senior squad for a Bundesliga match against Bayern Munich on January 15, 2011, remaining an unused substitute. He received two more call-ups during the 2010-11 season but did not make a first-team appearance.
3.2. FC Augsburg (loan)
On May 11, 2012, Gogia joined Bundesliga club FC Augsburg on a loan deal for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. He made his professional debut on July 30, 2011, coming on as a substitute in a DFB-Pokal first-round victory over Rot-Weiß Oberhausen. During his time at Augsburg, he made 14 appearances. His loan spell was cut short due to torn ligaments in his left knee.
3.3. FC St. Pauli (loan)
In July 2012, Gogia moved to 2. Bundesliga club FC St. Pauli on loan for the 2012-13 season. He made 24 appearances and scored one goal before returning to VfL Wolfsburg at the end of the season. Gogia officially left VfL Wolfsburg in July 2013.
3.4. Hallescher FC
In July 2013, Gogia signed a two-year contract with his hometown club, Hallescher FC, which competed in the 3. Liga. During his two seasons with the club, he made 81 appearances and scored 26 goals. Gogia was the joint-top scorer in the 2014-15 Saxony-Anhalt Cup campaign and scored in the final, contributing to a 6-0 victory over local rivals VfL Halle 1896.
3.5. Brentford F.C.
On May 16, 2015, Gogia signed a "long term" contract with English Championship club Brentford on a free transfer. His first season in England was challenging; he missed almost all of September 2015 due to a thigh injury. Following a change in management and system in early October, Gogia found himself out of the starting lineup and often out of the squad by December, making only two substitute appearances in January 2016. A further injury in March 2016 kept him sidelined, though he returned to make four substitute appearances in April, finishing the season with 14 appearances in total.
3.6. Dynamo Dresden (loan)
After finding himself low in the midfield pecking order at Brentford during the 2016-17 pre-season, Gogia joined 2. Bundesliga club Dynamo Dresden on loan for the entire 2016-17 season, with an option for a permanent transfer. He quickly established himself in the starting lineup, scoring seven goals in 17 appearances before suffering an ankle ligament injury during a league match against 1. FC Nürnberg on January 29, 2017. Gogia returned to play on April 10 and concluded his loan spell with 10 goals in 24 appearances. He was recognized by Kicker as statistically the best 2. Bundesliga player during the 2016-17 season. On June 30, 2017, Gogia permanently joined Dynamo Dresden for an undisclosed fee, rumored to be 750.00 K EUR, but he departed the club just 24 hours later.
3.7. 1. FC Union Berlin
On July 1, 2017, Gogia signed a four-year contract with 2. Bundesliga club Union Berlin. He made 22 appearances and scored two goals during the 2017-18 season. Gogia was part of the squad that achieved promotion to the Bundesliga via the 2019 Bundesliga relegation play-offs. However, on his third appearance of the 2019-20 season, in a league match against Eintracht Frankfurt on September 27, 2019, Gogia sustained a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury. He recovered to make eight appearances during the 2020-21 season and was released when his contract expired. Gogia made a total of 64 appearances and eight goals during his four seasons at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
3.8. FC Zürich
On July 28, 2021, Gogia signed a two-year contract with Swiss Super League club FC Zürich on a free transfer. He made 17 appearances and four goals during the club's 2021-22 season, which saw them win the Swiss Super League championship. After making only three appearances during the initial six weeks of the 2022-23 season, Gogia's contract was terminated by mutual consent on August 29, 2022. He concluded his 13-month spell at the Letzigrund with 21 appearances and four goals.
3.9. Return to Dynamo Dresden
On August 29, 2022, Gogia returned to Dynamo Dresden, signing a two-year contract with the 3. Liga club. He made 14 appearances during the 2022-23 season. His contract was mutually terminated on July 31, 2023. Across his two spells with Dynamo Dresden, Gogia made a total of 38 appearances and 10 goals.
3.10. Lower-league Football
On August 1, 2023, Gogia signed a contract with Regionalliga Nordost club VSG Altglienicke on a free transfer. He made 26 appearances and scored six goals during the 2023-24 season. Subsequently, on August 1, 2024, he transferred to Oberliga Nordost-Süd club SC Freital. As of December 15, 2024, he has made 15 appearances and scored 3 goals for SC Freital.
4. International Career
Akaki Gogia has represented Germany at the youth international level. He earned seven caps for Germany at the U18 and U19 levels. He scored one goal in a 2-1 friendly defeat against Belgium on March 25, 2011. In May 2015, reports indicated that the Georgian Football Federation had contacted Gogia about a potential call-up to their national team.
5. Personal Life
Akaki Gogia was born in Rustavi, Georgia, and moved to Halle, Germany, with his parents in 2001 when he was nine years old. His parents' subsequent moves to Hanover and then Augsburg influenced his club choices during his youth career. After establishing his family in Berlin during and after his tenure with Union Berlin, Gogia and his family relocated to Dresden in 2024. He is known by the nickname "Andy".
6. Statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other competitions | Total | Notes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| VfL Wolfsburg II | 2009-10 | Regionalliga Nord | 4 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 4 | 0 | |||||
| 2010-11 | Regionalliga Nord | 5 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 5 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 9 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 9 | 0 | |||||||
| VfL Wolfsburg | 2010-11 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| FC Augsburg (loan) | 2011-12 | Bundesliga | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | 14 | 0 | ||||
| FC St. Pauli (loan) | 2012-13 | 2. Bundesliga | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 24 | 1 | ||||
| FC St. Pauli II (loan) | 2012-13 | Regionalliga Nord | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Hallescher FC | 2013-14 | 3. Liga | 36 | 8 | - | - | - | 5 | 1 | 41 | 9 | Saxony-Anhalt Cup | |||
| 2014-15 | 3. Liga | 35 | 11 | - | - | - | 5 | 6 | 40 | 17 | Saxony-Anhalt Cup | ||||
| Total | 71 | 19 | - | - | - | 10 | 7 | 81 | 26 | ||||||
| Brentford | 2015-16 | Championship | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 14 | 0 | |||
| Dynamo Dresden (loan) | 2016-17 | 2. Bundesliga | 22 | 10 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | 24 | 10 | ||||
| Union Berlin | 2017-18 | 2. Bundesliga | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 22 | 2 | ||||
| 2018-19 | 2. Bundesliga | 28 | 6 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 0 | Bundesliga relegation play-offs | 31 | 6 | |||
| 2019-20 | Bundesliga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 3 | 0 | |||||
| 2020-21 | Bundesliga | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 8 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 60 | 8 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 0 | 64 | 8 | |||||
| FC Zürich | 2021-22 | Swiss Super League | 15 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | 18 | 4 | ||||
| 2022-23 | Swiss Super League | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 17 | 3 | 4 | 1 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 21 | 4 | |||||
| Dynamo Dresden | 2022-23 | 3. Liga | 12 | 0 | - | - | - | 2 | 0 | Saxony Cup | 14 | 0 | |||
| Total | 34 | 10 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 0 | 38 | 10 | |||||
| VSG Altglienicke | 2023-24 | Regionalliga Nordost | 25 | 5 | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | Berlin Cup | 26 | 6 | |||
| SC Freital | 2024-25 | Oberliga Nordost-Süd | 15 | 3 | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | Saxony Cup | 16 | 3 | |||
| Career total | 279 | 49 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 8 | 308 | 58 | |||
7. Honours
Hallescher FC
- Saxony-Anhalt Cup: 2014-15
Union Berlin
- Bundesliga relegation play-offs: 2019
FC Zürich
- Swiss Super League: 2021-22
8. Assessment and Impact
The provided source material primarily focuses on factual career progression and statistics, and does not contain specific content for a critical assessment or analysis of Akaki Gogia's broader social or historical impact within the sport or related areas.