Vakhtang Salia
{{Short description|Georgian footballer}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Vakhtang Salia
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2007|08|30|df=y}}
| birth_place = Tbilisi, Georgia
| height = 1.81 m
| position = Attacker
| currentclub = Dinamo Tbilisi
| clubnumber = 7
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 = Dinamo Tbilisi
| years1 = 2023–
| clubs1 = Dinamo-2 Tbilisi
| caps1 = 3
| goals1 = 0
| years2 = 2023–
| clubs2 = Dinamo Tbilisi
| caps2 = 40
| goals2 = 7
| nationalyears1 = 2022–
| nationalteam1 = Georgia U17
| nationalcaps1 = 9
| nationalgoals1 = 1
| club-update = 15 April 2025
| nationalteam-update = 23:22, 14 October 2024 (UTC)
}}
Vakhtang Salia ({{lang-ka|ვახტანგ სალია}}; born 30 August 2007) is a Georgian footballer who plays as a striker for Dinamo Tbilisi in the Erovnuli Liga, and will join Newcastle United in the summer of 2025.
Career
= Club =
Rated as one of Georgia's biggest talents,{{Cite web |last=Green |first=Yasemine |title=A new Kvaratskhelia? Premier League clubs have begun the hunt for the 16-year-old Georgian forward |url=https://dailysports.net/news/a-new-kvaratskhelia-premier-league-clubs-have-begun-the-hunt-for-the-16yearold-georgian-forward/ |website=dailysports.net}}{{Cite web |date=2024-04-04 |title=El talento georgiano Vakhtang Salia, a punto de fichar por el Betis |url=https://onefootball.com/en/news/el-talento-georgiano-vakhtang-salia-a-punto-de-fichar-por-el-betis-38646589 |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=OneFootball |language=en}} Salia made his professional debut for Dinamo Tbilisi on 24 November 2023, in a 2–2 Erovnuli Liga draw against FC Torpedo Kutaisi.{{cite web |access-date=2024-04-04 |language=de |title=Torpedo Kutaisi - Dinamo Tbilisi 2:2 (Erovnuli Liga 2023, 34. Spieltag) |url=https://www.weltfussball.de/spielbericht/erovnuli-liga-2023-torpedo-kutaisi-dinamo-tbilisi_2/}} In the following 2024 season, the 16-year-old regularly featured in the starting team of his club. Salia scored his first goal in the Georgian top flight on 10 March 2024, against Torpedo Kutaisi. He scored the winning goal as Dinamo ran out 1–0 winners.{{cite web |access-date=2024-04-04 |language=de |title=Dinamo Tbilisi - Torpedo Kutaisi 1:0 (Erovnuli Liga 2024, 3. Spieltag) |url=https://www.weltfussball.de/spielbericht/erovnuli-liga-2024-dinamo-tbilisi-torpedo-kutaisi/}}
On 29 October 2024, Dinamo Tbilisi and Newcastle United announced that they had agreed a deal for the transfer of Salia in the summer of 2025 when he turns 18.{{cite web |title=ვახტანგ სალია ნიუკასლში |url=https://fcdinamo.ge/ge/news?n=105069&i= |website=fcdinamo.ge |publisher=FC Dinamo Tbilisi |access-date=30 October 2024 |language=Georgian |date=29 October 2024}}{{cite web |title=Newcastle United sign Georgian forward Vakhtang Salia |url=https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/newcastle-united-sign-georgian-forward-vakhtang-salia |website=newcastleunited.com |publisher=Newcastle United F.C. |access-date=30 October 2024 |date=30 October 2024}}
= National team =
Salia made his debut for Georgia's under-17 national team in a 3–1 defeat against Israel on October 25, 2022.{{cite web |access-date=2024-04-04 |language=de |title=Georgien - Israel 1:3 (U17 EM-Qualifikation 2022/2023, Gruppe 3) |url=https://www.weltfussball.de/spielbericht/u17-h-em-qualifikation-2022-2023-gruppe-3-georgien-israel/}}
Career statistics
=Club=
{{updated|match played 1 November 2024}}{{soccerway|vakho-salia/878359|accessdate=1 November 2024}}
| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||||
| rowspan=2|Club
!rowspan=2|Season !colspan=3|League !colspan=2|Domestic Cup !colspan=2|Continental !colspan=2|Other !colspan=2|Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan=3|Dinamo Tbilisi
|2023 |rowspan=2|Erovnuli Liga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0{{efn|Appearance(s) in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Conference League}} | 0 | 0{{efn|Appearance(s) in Georgian Super Cup|name=GSC}} | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2024 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2{{efn|Appearance(s) and goal(s) in the UEFA Conference League}} | 1 | 2{{efn|name=GSC}} | 0 | 30 | 6 |
| colspan="2"|Total
!28 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 6 | |
| colspan="3"|Career Total
!28 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 6 |
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{FC Dinamo Tbilisi squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salia, Vakhtang}}
Category:Footballers from Tbilisi
Category:Men's footballers from Georgia (country)
Category:Georgia (country) men's youth international footballers
Category:21st-century sportsmen from Georgia (country)
Category:Men's association football forwards
Category:FC Dinamo Tbilisi players