Levan Kenia
Encyclopedia
Levan Kenia is a Georgian
footballer who plays for Schalke 04
in the German Bundesliga
and the Georgian national team
.
against APOEL F.C. in a UEFA Cup
match on 2 October 2008 coming on as a 65th minute substitute for Gerald Asamoah
. Formerly, Kenia trained for two weeks at the age of 14 with FC Barcelona
.
On 11 April 2009, Kenia made his Bundesliga
debut for Schalke in a match against Karlsruher SC
.
, replacing Alexander Iashvili
. Georgia's former head coach Klaus Toppmöller
said he had never before seen a player of his age with such accomplished technical abilities. Kenia, along with fellow teenagers Levan Mchedlidze
and Giorgi Makaridze
, played in their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign starring in a 2–0 victory over Scotland
. Toppmöller praised Kenia, "Kenia was one of the best on the pitch."
He scored his first international goal in 27 May 2008 against Estonia
.
midfielder
Georgi Kiknadze
.
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
footballer who plays for Schalke 04
FC Schalke 04
Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...
in the German Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
and the Georgian national team
Georgia national football team
The Georgia national football team is the national association football team of Georgia and is controlled by the Georgian Football Federation. The Georgian team's first match took place in 1990, while Georgia was still part of the Soviet Union. The team have attempted to qualify for each major...
.
Club career
He joined Schalke 04 from Lokomotivi Tbilisi in January 2008, signing a contract with the club that runs until June 2012 Kenia made his debut for Schalke 04FC Schalke 04
Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...
against APOEL F.C. in a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
match on 2 October 2008 coming on as a 65th minute substitute for Gerald Asamoah
Gerald Asamoah
Gerald Asamoah is a Ghanaian-born German footballer. He last played as a forward for FC St.Pauli, following an 11-year long stay at Schalke.-Club career:...
. Formerly, Kenia trained for two weeks at the age of 14 with FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
.
On 11 April 2009, Kenia made his Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
debut for Schalke in a match against Karlsruher SC
Karlsruher SC
Karlsruher SC is a German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg. KSC rose out of the consolidation of a number of predecessor clubs. They currently play in the 2...
.
International career
He made his debut for the national team on 8 September 2007 against UkraineUkraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
, replacing Alexander Iashvili
Alexander Iashvili
Alexander Iashvili is a Georgian football striker. He currently plays for German club Karlsruher SC.He started his career in Dinamo Tbilisi, where he was a great goalscorer. With 24 goals in 24 games and 26 goals in 25 games he attracted interest from foreign clubs, and decided to join VfB...
. Georgia's former head coach Klaus Toppmöller
Klaus Toppmöller
Klaus Toppmöller is a former football player and the coach of Georgia national football team from 2006 to April 1, 2008.He earned 3 caps and scored 1 goal during his international career for Germany.-Coaching career:...
said he had never before seen a player of his age with such accomplished technical abilities. Kenia, along with fellow teenagers Levan Mchedlidze
Levan Mchedlidze
Levan Mchedlidze is a Georgian professional football player who is currently playing with Italian club Empoli.- Career :...
and Giorgi Makaridze
Giorgi Makaridze
Giorgi Makaridze is a Georgian footballer. He plays for Le Mans in France.-Career:He began his career in the youth from Dinamo Tbilisi and moved on 10 January 2009 for 800.000 €uro to Le Mans UC72 who signed a four year contract with a fee from 85.000 €uro.-International:At age of 17, Makaridze...
, played in their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign starring in a 2–0 victory over Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
. Toppmöller praised Kenia, "Kenia was one of the best on the pitch."
He scored his first international goal in 27 May 2008 against Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
.
Club performance
As of: 4 October 2008| Club | Season | League | Cup | European Competition | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Lokomotivi Tbilisi FC Lokomotivi Tbilisi FC Lokomotivi Tbilisi is a Georgian football club from the capital, Tbilisi. During the existence of the USSR the club was a part of the Lokomotiv Voluntary Sports Society. The club has strong connections with the Georgian Railways.-History:*1936: Founded.... |
2007-08 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 |
| Total | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | |
| Schalke FC Schalke 04 Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major... |
2008-09 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Career Totals | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 3 | |
International goals
Personal
Levan is also the nephew of former SC FreiburgSC Freiburg
Sport-Club Freiburg, commonly known as SC Freiburg, is a German association football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. SC Freiburg has played in the Bundesliga, the top tier of German football, since their promotion in 2009...
midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
Georgi Kiknadze
Georgi Kiknadze
Georgi Kiknadze is a Georgian footballer and coach who played for FC Dinamo Tbilisi, FC Torpedo Kutaisi, Samsunspor, Freiburg, Lokomotivi Tbilisi, Spartaki Tblisi and the Georgian national team as a midfielder. As part of the Dinamo Tbilisi team he won the Umaglesi Liga five times running from...
.