David Kipiani

David Kipiani (Russian: Давид Давидович Кипиани; November 18 1951 in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR - September 17, 2001 in Tbilisi, Georgia) was a famous Georgian football midfielder and manager. He played for FC Dinamo Tbilisi and Soviet Union National Team and also for a year for Lokomotiv Tbilsi. After retirement, he coached FC Dinamo Tbilisi, FC Torpedo Kutaisi, Shinnik Yaroslavl (Russia), Mechelen (Belgium), Olympiakos Nicosia (Cyprus) and Georgian National Team. He died from injuries sustained in a car crash on September 17, 2001. He was 50 years old. Many think, David Kipiani was the best Georgian midfielder and one of the best Georgian coaches. Among his titles as a player are Soviet League championship (1978), Soviet League Cup (1976 and 1979) and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1981) all with FC Dinamo Tbilisi. David Kipiani was named The Best Player of The Year in The USSR (1977). As a coach, he led FC Dinamo Tbilisi to 6 Georgian titles and FC Torpedo Kutaisi to 2. In spite of the fact that he was one of the best Soviet players, he was not given a chance to play World Cup finals. Many think his peak was in 1982, but Soviet National Team bosses refused to take him to Spain. Reasons are still unclear. After he was killed in a car crash, Georgian National Cup and the stadium in the town of Gurdjaani were given his name.