Kakha Kaladze
Kakhaber "Kakha" Kaladze (Georgian: კახაბერ "კახა" კალაძე, pronounced [kʼaχabeɾ kʼaɫadzɛ]; born 27 February 1978) is a Georgian politician and former footballer who has served as the Mayor of Tbilisi since November 2017. A versatile player, he was capable of playing both as a centre-back and as a left-back, or even as a wide midfielder. He played for the Georgia national team from 1996 to 2011. He was voted Georgian Footballer of the Year in 2001–2003, 2006 and 2011 and was considered one of Georgia's most important players.
Kakha Kaladze | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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კახა კალაძე | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kaladze in 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10th Mayor of Tbilisi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 13 November 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Davit Narmania | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister of Energy of Georgia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 26 November 2016 – 10 July 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Giorgi Kvirikashvili | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Ilia Eloshvili | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Ilia Eloshvili | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 25 October 2012 – 9 September 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Bidzina Ivanishvili Irakli Garibashvili Giorgi Kvirikashvili | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Vakhtang Balavadze | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Ilia Eloshvili | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 25 October 2012 – 12 July 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Bidzina Ivanishvili Irakli Garibashvili Giorgi Kvirikashvili | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Ekaterine Tkeshelashvili | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Mikheil Janelidze | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 27 February 1978 Samtredia, Georgia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Georgian Dream (2012–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Parent(s) | Karlo Kaladze Medeya Kaladze | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Tbilisi State University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kaladze started his football career in 1993 at Umaglesi Liga club Dinamo Tbilisi and made 82 appearances in a five-year spell. In 1998, he moved to the Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv and made 71 appearances until 2001, when he was signed by the Italian Serie A club Milan. He has won one Serie A, three Ukrainian Premier League and five Umaglesi Liga titles. With Milan, he won the Champions League on two occasions, the UEFA Super Cup once and the FIFA Club World Cup once. After captaining his country 50 times in 84 appearances, Kaladze announced his retirement from the Georgian national team on 11 December 2011.
Born in Samtredia, a town in Imereti Province, Kaladze comes from a footballing family as his father played for Lokomotiv Samtredia and was also president of the team for some time. His brother was kidnapped in a high-profile case in 2001 and officially declared dead in 2006, resulting in two men being sentenced to prison for a combined total of 30 years. Outside of football, he owns a company called Kala Capital and an organisation called Kala Foundation, as well as being an ambassador for SOS Children's Villages. He is married to Anouki Areshidze, with whom he has four children.
Kaladze became involved in the politics of Georgia as a member of the opposition Georgian Dream–Democratic Georgia party, founded by Bidzina Ivanishvili in February 2012. He was elected to the Parliament of Georgia on 1 October 2012 and approved as Deputy Prime Minister as well as Minister of Energy in Ivanishvili's cabinet on 25 October 2012. He continued to occupy both of these position under the succeeding cabinet of Giorgi Kvirikashvili until July 2017, when he resigned to run for the Mayor of Tbilisi as a Georgian Dream candidate in the October 2017 election, which he won with 51.13%. In 2021, he was reelected as the Mayor of Tbilisi, gaining 55.61% of the vote in the second round of the election.