Mikheil Kavelashvili (R) is standing to become President of Georgia
Mikheil Kavelashvili (R) is standing to become President of Georgia
Former Manchester City forward Mikheil Kavelashvili is set to run for the presidency of Georgia, it has been confirmed from his political party.
The 53-year-old represented City from 1995 to 1997 and is most notably remembered for scoring on his debut against Manchester United in April 1996, a 3-2 loss at Maine Road just weeks before the team, managed by Alan Ball, were relegated from the Premier League.
Kavelashvili went on to net twice more for City in the First Division as they ended up 14th but didn't play enough matches for his work permit to be extended. He was loaned out to Swiss club Grasshoppers and left permanently the following summer.
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He joins a growing list of ex-footballers who have pursued public office in Georgia. Former AC Milan defender Kakha Kaladze, who won the Champions League in 2003 and 2007, has been serving as the mayor of the capital Tbilisi since 2017, while former Schalke and Hertha Berlin defender Levan Kobiashvili holds a seat in the Georgian parliament.
City, who had seen fellow Georgia international Georgi Kinkladze become a hit after signing in the summer of 1995, took a punt on Kavelashvili to rescue them from relegation when he was signed from Dinamo Tbilisi on transfer deadline day.
Despite securing seven points from their last three games, they were relegated on goal difference, unable to recover from earning only two points from their first 11 matches.
In Georgia, the role of president is mostly ceremonial, however, Kavelashvili's party Georgian Dream holds substantial influence as it controls the parliament.