1. Early Life and Background
1.1. Childhood and Early Personal Background
Zurab Khizanishvili was born on October 6, 1981, in Tbilisi, which was then part of the Soviet Union. His connection to football runs deep within his family, as he is the son of Nodar Khizanishvili, a former international defender who played for the USSR. This family background likely influenced his early life and path into professional football.
2. Playing Career
Zurab Khizanishvili's professional football career spanned nearly two decades, during which he played for several clubs across Europe and Asia, primarily as a central defender or right-back. His career included stints in the Georgian, Scottish, English, Turkish, and Azerbaijani leagues, as well as extensive participation with the Georgian national team.
2.1. Club Career
Khizanishvili's club career began in his home country before moving to major European leagues, gaining experience and success across different footballing cultures.
2.1.1. Early career in Georgia
Khizanishvili began his professional career in his native Georgia with FC Dinamo Tbilisi in the 1998-99 season. After just one season there, he transferred to FC Tbilisi in 1999 to gain more regular first-team playing opportunities. In 1999, he moved again, joining Lokomotiv Tbilisi, a city rival of his previous clubs. His impressive form at Lokomotiv garnered attention from several top European clubs. However, his later time at the club was affected by injury, which ultimately led to the termination of his contract and his release.
2.1.2. Scotland
In March 2001, Khizanishvili moved to Scotland, joining Dundee F.C. after unsuccessful trials with English clubs Arsenal, Fulham, and West Ham United. He quickly made a significant impact at Dens Park, which attracted the attention of fellow Scottish Premier League team Rangers F.C.. In July 2003, Khizanishvili joined Rangers on a Bosman transfer, effectively replacing defender Lorenzo Amoruso who had moved to Blackburn Rovers. He became a key figure in Rangers' defense.
2.1.3. England
Despite making 35 appearances in his inaugural season at Ibrox with Rangers, Khizanishvili gradually saw his playing time diminish. On August 31, 2005, he was loaned to Blackburn Rovers F.C. in the English Premier League for the remainder of the season. During this loan spell, he scored two goals: one in the league during a 2-0 home victory over Manchester City, and another in the League Cup in a 3-1 win against Huddersfield Town.
On April 10, 2006, Khizanishvili made his move to Blackburn Rovers permanent, in a deal reportedly worth around 500.00 K GBP. He played a crucial role in Blackburn's team during the 2006-07 season, starting over half of their matches as the club competed in domestic competitions and the UEFA Cup. However, he found it increasingly difficult to secure a consistent starting position under manager Mark Hughes, and later under Paul Ince and Sam Allardyce.
His first appearance of the 2009-10 campaign came on August 25, starting the League Cup 2nd Round tie against Gillingham at Priestfield Stadium, where he played the full 90 minutes alongside Gael Givet in a 3-1 victory. On September 17, 2009, Khizanishvili joined Championship team Newcastle United F.C. on a three-month loan deal, returning to Blackburn on December 19. Subsequently, on January 25, 2010, he signed for Reading F.C. on loan for the remainder of the 2009-10 season.
He rejoined Reading on a season-long loan for the 2010-11 season, being assigned the number 15 shirt at the Madejski Stadium. On March 13, 2011, Khizanishvili played the entire 90 minutes against Manchester City at Eastlands in an FA Cup quarter-final match, which Reading lost 1-0. On May 30, 2011, he started the Championship play-off final against Swansea City. In this crucial match, Khizanishvili received a booking after just 12 minutes and conceded a penalty kick in the 20th minute due to a clumsy challenge on winger Nathan Dyer. Reading eventually lost the final 4-2. He concluded his second loan spell with Reading having made 29 appearances across all competitions, including 24 league outings.
2.1.4. Turkey
After his release from Blackburn Rovers, Zurab Khizanishvili moved to Turkey, joining Kayserispor. He played for the Turkish Süper Lig club for three seasons, from 2011 to 2014, contributing to their league campaigns.
2.1.5. Azerbaijan and return to Georgia
In June 2015, Khizanishvili signed a six-month contract with Azerbaijan Premier League side Inter Baku PIK. He remained with Inter Baku until 2017. Following his spell in Azerbaijan, he returned to the Georgian league for his final playing years, with stints at FC Dinamo Tbilisi during the 2014-15 season and FC Samtredia in 2015.
2.2. International Career
Zurab Khizanishvili was a prominent member of the Georgia national football team, accumulating a significant number of caps during his international career. He made his debut for the senior national team on June 5, 1999, in a match against Greece. Over his career with the national team, he played in 93 matches. Khizanishvili scored his only international goal on June 6, 2009, against Moldova in a friendly match, which Georgia ultimately lost 1-2. His tenure with the national team extended until 2015.
3. Coaching Career
After retiring from his playing career in the summer of 2017, Khizanishvili transitioned into football coaching. He was appointed as the assistant manager for the Georgian U-21 national team, working under head coach Gia Geguchadze.
4. Personal Life
Zurab Khizanishvili is married to the Georgian model Salome Ghviniashvili. The couple has three children. As previously mentioned, his father, Nodar Khizanishvili, was also a professional footballer who played as an international defender for the USSR.
5. Career Statistics
5.1. Club statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dinamo Tbilisi | 1998-99 | Umaglesi Liga | 2 | 1 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 2 | 1 | ||||
| FC Tbilisi | 1999-2000 | Umaglesi Liga | 9 | 0 | - | - | - | 9 | 0 | |||||
| Locomotive Tbilisi | 1999-2000 | Umaglesi Liga | 5 | 1 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 5 | 1 | ||||
| 2000-01 | 11 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | - | 12 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | ||||
| Dundee | 2000-01 | Scottish Premier League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2001-02 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 20 | 0 | ||||
| 2002-03 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 25 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 43 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 0 | ||
| Rangers | 2003-04 | Scottish Premier League | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | - | 38 | 0 | |
| 2004-05 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | - | 25 | 0 | |||
| 2005-06 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 42 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 0 | ||
| Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 2005-06 | Premier League | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | - | - | 32 | 2 | ||
| Blackburn Rovers | 2006-07 | Premier League | 18 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | - | 30 | 0 | |
| 2007-08 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 17 | 0 | |||
| 2008-09 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | - | 12 | 0 | ||||
| 2009-10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2010-11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 36 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 0 | ||
| Newcastle United (loan) | 2009-10 | Championship | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 7 | 0 | ||
| Reading (loan) | 2009-10 | Championship | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 15 | 0 | ||
| 2010-11 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 3 | 0 | 27 | 0 | |||
| Total | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 0 | ||
| Kayserispor | 2011-12 | Süper Lig | 33 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 4 | 0 | 39 | 1 | ||
| 2012-13 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 29 | 0 | |||||
| 2013-14 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | 21 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 80 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 89 | 1 | ||
| Dinamo Tbilisi | 2014-15 | Umaglesi Liga | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Samtredia | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 14 | 0 | |||||
| Inter Baku | 2015-16 | Azerbaijan Premier League | 24 | 3 | 3 | 0 | - | 6 | 0 | - | 33 | 3 | ||
| 2016-17 | 26 | 3 | 5 | 0 | - | - | - | 31 | 3 | |||||
| Total | 50 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 64 | 6 | ||
| Career total | 355 | 10 | 36 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 445 | 10 | ||
5.2. International statistics
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 June 2009 | Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia | Moldova | 1 - 2 | 1-2 | Friendly |
6. Honours
Zurab Khizanishvili achieved several significant honors during his playing career, particularly during his successful spell in Scotland.
6.1. Club honours
Rangers
- League Cup: 2004-05
- Scottish Premier League: 2004-05
6.2. Individual honours
- SFWA Young Player of the Year: 2002-03