Data Sitchinava

Data Sitchinava
Personal information
Date of birth (1989-03-21) 21 March 1989 (age 35)
Place of birth Poti, Georgian SSR
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Sioni Bolnisi
Number 10
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2011 Kolkheti-1913 Poti 48 (17)
2011 Gagra 13 (2)
2012 Kolkheti-1913 Poti 6 (0)
2012 Dinamo Batumi 15 (1)
2013 Dinamo Brest 13 (0)
2013–2014 Kolkheti-1913 Poti 31 (17)
2015 Sioni Bolnisi 14 (5)
2015 Torpedo Kutaisi 14 (5)
2016 Kolkheti-1913 Poti 14 (1)
2016–2018 Rustavi 54 (43)
2018 → Merani Martvili (loan) 12 (2)
2019 Tskhinvali 14 (7)
2019 Rustavi 14 (2)
2020 Zugdidi 18 (9)
2021 Sioni Bolnisi 35 (20)
2022–2023 Kolkheti-1913 Poti 58 (36)
2024– Sioni Bolnisi 33 (21)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17 December 2024

Data Sitchinava (Georgian: დათა სიჭინავა; born 21 March 1989) is a Georgian professional footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Erovnuli Liga 2 club Sioni Bolnisi.

Born in the city of Poti, Sitchinava has spent eight seasons at his hometown club and twice, in 2010 and 2023, played a key role in their promotion to the top division. Apart from being named as Footballer of the Year in the second division, he is the two-times champion of the Erovnuli Liga 2.

Career

Sitchinava signed his first professional contract with Ameri Tbilisi.[1]

He spent the second half of 2011 at Gagra who had just gained promotion to Umaglesi Liga. With this team Sitchinava made his European debut on 14 July 2011 in a Europa League qualifier against Anorthosis Famagusta.[2]

While at Rustavi, in 2017 Sitchinava netted 30 goals and as a top scorer of the 2nd division received the Player of the Year award.[3]

He was a top goalscorer for Sioni Bolnisi in 2021 with 20 goals, largely contributing to the team's promotion to the top flight. Moreover, this season he was named the best player of the last quarter (Round 28–36).[4] On 24 November 2021, he scored his 100th goal in the second division in a 5–2 win over Chikhura Sachkhere in which he netted a hat-trick.[5]

Following this successful season, Sitchinava unexpectedly joined Liga 3 side Kolkheti 1913 in February 2022 for the fifth spell.[6] With 19 goals scored in 25 league appearances he once again proved his goalscoring abilities that helped the team achieve a long-awaited promotion.

In a decisive crunch game of the 2023 season against Gareji Sagarejo, Sitchinava scored a sublime long-distance free kick, which proved enough for Kolkheti 1913 to win the league.[7] Overall, he netted 17 goals this season and became the top goalscorer of his team.[8] However, the sides parted company before the start of the next season and Sitchinava returned to Liga 2 side Sioni Bolnisi for his third stint.[9]

Career statistics

As of match played 16 December 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Kolkheti 1913 2009–10 Pirveli Liga 21 13 4 1 – – 25 14
2010–11 Umaglesi Liga 27 4 1 0 – – 28 4
2011–12 Umaglesi Liga 6 0 – – – 6 0
2013–14 Pirveli Liga 16 11 3 0 – – 19 11
2014–15 Umaglesi Liga 15 6 4 4 – – 19 10
2015–16 Umaglesi Liga 14 1 – – – 14 1
2022 Liga 3 25 19 1 0 – – 26 19
2023 Erovnuli Liga 2 33 17 4 2 – – 37 19
Total 157 71 17 7 0 0 0 0 174 78
Gagra 2011–12 Umaglesi Liga 13 2 1 0 1[a] 0 – 15 2
Dinamo Batumi 2012–13 Umaglesi Liga 15 1 1 1 – – 16 2
Dinamo Brest 2013 Belarusian
Premier League 		13 0 – – – 13 0
Sioni Bolnisi 2014–15 Umaglesi Liga 14 5 – – – 14 5
2021 Erovnuli Liga 2 35 20 2 0 – – 37 20
2024 Erovnuli Liga 2 33 21 1 1 – 2[b] 0 36 22
Total 82 46 3 1 0 0 2 0 87 47
Torpedo Kutaisi 2015–16 Umaglesi Liga 14 5 5 1 – – 19 6
Rustavi 2016 Pirveli Liga 14 12 – – – 17 12
2017 Erovnuli Liga 2 35 30 3 1 – – 38 31
2018 Erovnuli Liga 5 1 – – – 5 1
2019 Erovnuli Liga 14 2 1 0 – 1[b] 0 16 2
Total 68 45 4 1 0 0 1 0 73 46
Merani Martvili (loan) 2018 Erovnuli Liga 2 12 2 1 0 – – 13 2
Tskhinvali 2019 Erovnuli Liga 2 14 7 1 0 – – 15 7
Dinamo Zugdidi 2020 Erovnuli Liga 2 18 9 1 0 – – 19 9
Career total 406 188 34 11 1 0 3 0 453 199
  1. ^ Appearance in Europa League qualifiers
  2. ^ a b Appearance in play-offs

Honours

Individual

  • Top scorer and Erovnuli Liga 2 Player of the Year: 2017

Team

References

  1. ^ "დათა სიჭინავა: "კოლხეთი" უკეთესი ადგილისთვის იბრძოლებს"". worldsport.ge (in Georgian). 4 December 2014.
  2. ^ "Anorthosis vs Gagra". uefa.com. UEFA. 14 July 2011.
  3. ^ "GFF Awards 2017". gff.ge (in Georgian). 27 December 2017.
  4. ^ "ეროვნული ლიგა 2-ის მე-4 წრის საუკეთესო ფეხბურთელი, მწვრთნელი და სიმბოლური გუნდი". vbetnews.com (in Georgian), 17 December 2021.
  5. ^ "100 გოლი ეროვნულ ლიგა 2-ში - სიჭინავა ლიგის ყველაზე სასარგებლო მოთამაშეა". 1tv.ge (in Georgian). 27 November 2023.
  6. ^ "კოლხეთში" ინვესტიციები იდება – დათა სიჭინავა და ახალი ინვესტორი". fanebi.com (in Georgian), 2 February 2022.
  7. ^ "ფოთის "კოლხეთი" ეროვნული ლიგა 2-ის გამარჯვებულია!". sportall.ge (in Georgian). Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Liga 2 statistics in 2023". eliga.ge.
  9. ^ "ფოთის "კოლხეთი" ერთ-ერთმა ლიდერმა დატოვა - დათა სიჭინავა "სიონში" ითამაშებს". 1tv.ge (in Georgian). Retrieved 21 January 2024.