Luka Kutaladze
{{short description|Georgian footballer (born 2001)}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Luka Kutaladze
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|4|27|df=y}}
| birth_place = Tbilisi, Georgia
| height = 1.90 m
| position = Goalkeeper
| currentclub = Gareji
| clubnumber = 1
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 = Merani Tbilisi
| youthyears2 =
| youthclubs2 = Dinamo Tbilisi
| years1 = 2019–2023
| clubs1 = Dinamo Tbilisi
| caps1 = 24
| goals1 = 0
| years2 = 2023–2024
| clubs2 = Samgurali
| caps2 = 13
| goals2 = 0
| years3 = 2025–
| clubs3 = → Gareji (loan)
| caps3 = 4
| goals3 = 0
| nationalyears1 = 2019
| nationalteam1 = Georgia U19
| nationalcaps1 = 2
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 2021–2023
| nationalteam2 = Georgia U21
| nationalcaps2 = 6
| nationalgoals2 = 0
| club-update = 2 April 2025
}}
Luka Kutaladze ({{lang-ka|ლუკა კუტალაძე}}; born 27 April 2001) is a Georgian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Erovnuli Liga club Gareji, on loan from Samgurali.
Kutaladze is the three-time Erovnuli Liga winner with Dinamo Tbilisi. He was named Goalkeeper of the Year in 2022.
Career
=Club=
Kutaladze started playing football at Merani Tbilisi before joining Dinamo Tbilisi youth team. In 2019, he was promoted to the main team as a substitute for José Perales, although he did not make a debut for Dinamo until 11 April 2021 when they secured a 2–1 home win over Samredia.{{cite web |title=Dinamo Tbilisi vs Samtredia match report |url=https://erovnuliliga.ge/ge/game/5600-dtb-sam |website=eliga.ge (in Georgian) |date=11 April 2021}}
The next year, Kutaladze was initially used as a second-choice goalkeeper after Andrés Prieto, but after the summer he made a significant progress. He took part in last 12 unbeaten league matches, keeping six clean sheets. As Dinamo claimed yet another champion's trophy, Kutaladze was hailed as one of its key players. Besides, Kutaladze saved all three after-match penalties in a Georgian Cup game against league champions Dinamo Batumi to help his team advance into the quarterfinals.{{cite news |title=კუტალაძის გმირობა – თბილისის "დინამომ" ჩემპიონი თასს გამოთიშა |url=https://atiani.ge/2022/09/15/kutaladzis-gmiroba-thbilisis-dinamom-chempioni-thass-gamothisha/ |publisher=atiani.ge (in Georgian) |date=15 September 2022}} At the end of this season, the 21-year-old player was named as Goalkeeper of the Year and included in Team of the Year.{{cite web |url=https://erovnuliliga.ge/ge/news/6843-crystalbet-eliga-awards-2022-nominantebi-da-gamarjvebulebi |website=eliga.ge |title=CRYSTALBET ELIGA AWARDS 2022 ნომინანტები და გამარჯვებულები |date=26 December 2022 |language=KA}}
After ten league games in goal in 2023, Dinamo loaned Kutaladze to Samgurali, replacing him with Giorgi Loria.{{cite web |title=ლუკა კუტალაძე იჯარით სამგურალში |url=https://fcdinamo.ge/ge/news?n=104677&i=28 |website=dinamo.ge (in Georgian) |date=20 July 2023}} In 2024, Kutaladze became a full squad member but due to insufficient playing time he opted to join newly promoted Erovnuli Liga club Gareji on loan.{{cite news |title="გარეჯი 1960-მა" ახალგაზრდულ ევრო 2023-ზე ნათამაშები მეკარე დაიმატა |url=https://1tv.ge/news/gareji-1960-ma-akhalgazrdul-evro-2023-ze-natamashebi-mekare-daimata-1tvsport/ |access-date=27 February 2025 |publisher=1tv.ge (in Georgian) |date=26 January 2025}}
=International=
Kutaladze was called up by coach Georgi Nemsadze to the U17 team first for a ten-day training session in February 2017.{{cite web |title=17-წლამდელთა შეკრება და სიახლეები |url=https://www.worldsport.ge/ge/page/150881_17-wlamdelta-shekreba-da-siaxleebi?ShowAllAdvSpaces |website=worldsport.ge (in Georgian) |access-date=22 February 2017}} He was also a squad member during friendlies against Belarus in September 2017,{{cite news |title=საქართველოს 17-წლამდელთა ნაკრები ბელარუსს უმასპინძლებს |url=https://www.worldsport.ge/ge/page/159683_saqartvelos-17-wlamdelta-nakrebi-belaruss-umaspindzlebs?ShowAllAdvSpaces |access-date=27 February 2025 |publisher=worldsport.ge (in Georgian) |date=28 September 2017}} followed by 2018 European Championship qualifiers a month later.
Kutaladze featured in two 2020 European U19 Championship qualifiers held in October 2019 in Hungary. Although the team progressed to the elite round after three convincing wins, the tournament was abruptly cancelled due to COVID-19.
Since Georgia was a co-host nation for 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, their U21s did not have to go through a qualifying campaign, taking part in friendlies instead. Kutaladze made history by becoming Georgia's first goalkeeper in a major international U21 tournament. His performance in a 2–0 win over Portugal on 21 June 2023 was rated as second highest by some media outlets.{{cite news |title=საქართველო u21 vs პორტუგალია u21 - ვინ დასახელდა მატჩის საუკეთესო ფეხბურთელად? |url=https://goal.ge/news/saqartvelo-u21-vs-portugalia-u21-vin-dasakhelda-matchis-sauketeso-fekhburtelad-shefasebebi-202306 |access-date=27 February 2025 |publisher=goal.ge (in Georgian) |date=21 June 2023}}
Honours
=Club=
Dinamo Tbilisi
- Erovnuli Liga winner: 2019, 2020, 2022
- Supercup winner: 2023
Individual
- Erovnuli Liga Goalkeeper of the Year in Georgia: 2022
- Erovnuli Liga Team of the Year: 2022
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Soccerway|429741}}
- [https://erovnuliliga.ge/ge/player/4548-luka-kutaladze Profile on Erovnuli Liga]
- [https://nakrebi.ge/ka/team/u21/squad/player/4531 Profile in national youth teams]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lutaladze, Luka}}
Category:Men's footballers from Georgia (country)
Category:21st-century sportsmen from Georgia (country)
Category:Men's association football goalkeepers
Category:FC Dinamo Tbilisi players
Category:FC Samgurali Tskaltubo players
Category:Erovnuli Liga players
Category:Georgia (country) men's under-21 international footballers