Merab Megreladze
association football player
- January 26, 1956 · Ozurgeti
- January 25, 2012 · Kutaisi
- 55 years
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About Merab Megreladze
Merab Megreladze, 55, Georgian football player.
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Full Biography
|Merab Megreladze (26 January 1956 – 24 January 2012) was a Georgian football player.
Megreladze belongs to a football dynasty which stretches from his grandfather up to his grandson. He is the two-time most prolific striker of the Georgian top league as well as its all-time record topscorer with 41 goals netted in a single season.
Megreladze is regarded as a Georgian football legend.
Career
A product of Makharadze's youth sport school, Megreladze started taking first steps at his hometown team Mertskhali, representing it in the Soviet Second League at age 17. His professional career began at Guria in 1977. Two years later, Megreladze scored 31 goals in 46 games to become the league topscorer and greatly contributed to Guria's first ever promotion to the 2nd division. During this five-year period, he scored 88 goals in 188 games.
In early 1982, Megreladze joined Torpedo Kutaisi who had just gained promotion to the Soviet Top League. He spent five successive seasons at this club, including four years in the top flight. During his first season, Megreladze netted 18 times and finished as runner-up among the league topscorers behind Pakhtakor's Andrei Yakubik.
On 8 July 1985, Megreladze shone in a 3–1 away win over Dinamo Moscow, scoring a hat-trick. With Torpedo relegated the next year, he moved to Guria only to return to Kutaisi in 1988. Overall, between 1982 and 1998, Megreladze had four spells at Torpedo. When the team took part in a Soviet league for the last time in 1989 before nearly all Georgian teams withdrew, Megreladze netted 29 goals in the 2nd division, taking the second place among the league topscorers.
He returned to Guria in 1991 again playing in the recently formed Georgian Umaglesi Liga. In 1992, he moved to Samgurali where in his only season, he scored 41 goals in just 31 games at the age of 37, making him the top scorer in Europe for the season, although wasn't officially recognized as such. It remains a Georgian league record. In 1993, Megreladze joined Margveti where he was the league's top scorer again with 31 goals in 31 games. In total, he scored 104 goals in 140 matches in the Umaglesi Liga and 343 goals in 665 games in all competitions.
Megreladze kept scoring at 41 when he netted 13 goals during his final season for Torpedo. He announced retirement in 1999.
Death and memory
Megreladze suddenly died on 24 January 2012, at age 55.
The Imereti regional football federation regularly organizes a tournament named after Merab Megreladze among U11 teams.
Personal life
Merab's grandfather and father, Ilia and Nodar, both played for Mertskhali as strikers. His son Giorgi, born in 1978, joined the list of footballers with 100 and more Umaglesi/Erovnuli Liga goals in 2008. Therefore, this is the only family with two members in the club.
In the mid-1990s, for a year and a half Merab and his son were members of Torpedo Kutaisi at the same time.
Merab the junior, born 1999, also tried to continue his grandfather's steps in Torpedo and Samgurali. In 2022, he bagged a brace for Zana to help the team advance to the third round of the Georgian Cup.
Honours
Club
Guria
- Umaglesi Liga vice-champion: 1991
- Soviet Second League winner: 1979 (4th group)
- Soviet Second League vice-champion: 1978 (4th group)
Margveti
- Umaglesi Liga third place: 1993–94
Individual
- All-time Umaglesi Liga topscorer: 41 goals
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merab_Megreladze
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- October 21, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Merab Megreladze's archived record and the sources above.
1.Which club did Merab Megreladze play for at the same time as his son Giorgi in the mid-1990s?
- A.Samgurali
- B.Mertskhali
- C.Guria
- D.Torpedo Kutaisicorrect
In the mid-1990s, for a year and a half Merab and his son Giorgi were members of Torpedo Kutaisi at the same time.
Source: Personal life section
2.What is the total number of goals Merab Megreladze scored in the Umaglesi Liga?
- A.31
- B.104correct
- C.41
- D.343
Merab Megreladze scored 104 goals in 140 matches in the Umaglesi Liga.
Source: Career section
3.What is the birth year of Merab Megreladze's son, Giorgi?
- A.1992
- B.1999
- C.1956
- D.1978correct
Merab Megreladze's son Giorgi was born in 1978.
Source: Personal life section
4.Which team did Merab Megreladze play for when he was the league's top scorer with 31 goals in 1993?
- A.Guria
- B.Samgurali
- C.Margveticorrect
- D.Torpedo Kutaisi
In 1993, Merab Megreladze joined Margveti where he was the league's top scorer with 31 goals in 31 games.
Source: Career section
5.How many goals did Merab Megreladze score during his first season at Torpedo Kutaisi in 1982?
- A.31
- B.29
- C.18correct
- D.13
During his first season with Torpedo Kutaisi, Merab Megreladze netted 18 times.
Source: Career section
6.On what date was Merab Megreladze born?
- A.26 January 1956correct
- B.15 May 1978
- C.8 July 1985
- D.24 January 2012
Merab Megreladze was born on 26 January 1956.
Source: biographical introduction
7.Which team did Merab Megreladze first represent at age 17 in the Soviet Second League?
- A.Torpedo Kutaisi
- B.Margveti
- C.Samgurali
- D.Mertskhalicorrect
Merab Megreladze started taking his first steps at his hometown team Mertskhali.
Source: Career section
8.In what year did Merab Megreladze announce his retirement from professional football?
- A.2012
- B.1999correct
- C.1992
- D.1989
Merab Megreladze announced his retirement from football in 1999.
Source: Career section
9.How many goals did Merab Megreladze score in his 1992 season with Samgurali?
- A.31 goals
- B.41 goalscorrect
- C.29 goals
- D.13 goals
In 1992, Merab Megreladze scored 41 goals in 31 games while playing for Samgurali.
Source: Career section
10.What is the name of the tournament organized in memory of Merab Megreladze?
- A.The Imereti Regional U11 Tournamentcorrect
- B.The Guria-Kutaisi Cup
- C.The Georgia Football Dynasty Tournament
- D.The Merab Megreladze Memorial Cup
The Imereti regional football federation organizes a tournament named after Merab Megreladze among U11 teams.
Source: Death and memory section
11.Who was the Soviet Top League topscorer in 1982 when Merab Megreladze finished as runner-up?
- A.Merab the junior
- B.Giorgi Megreladze
- C.Nodar Megreladze
- D.Andrei Yakubikcorrect
During his first season with Torpedo, Merab Megreladze finished as runner-up behind Pakhtakor's Andrei Yakubik.
Source: Career section
12.How many goals did Merab Megreladze score in total across all competitions during his career?
- A.343correct
- B.665
- C.140
- D.104
Merab Megreladze scored 343 goals in 665 games in all competitions.
Source: Career section
13.Which family member of Merab Megreladze also played for the team Mertskhali as a striker?
- A.His grandson Merab
- B.His father Nodarcorrect
- C.His son Giorgi
- D.His brother Andrei
Merab Megreladze's father, Nodar, played for Mertskhali as a striker.
Source: Personal life section
14.In what year did Merab Megreladze score a hat-trick against Dinamo Moscow?
- A.1989
- B.1985correct
- C.1992
- D.1982
On 8 July 1985, Merab Megreladze scored a hat-trick in a match against Dinamo Moscow.
Source: Career section
15.How many total spells did Merab Megreladze have at Torpedo Kutaisi between 1982 and 1998?
- A.Two
- B.Five
- C.Fourcorrect
- D.Three
Between 1982 and 1998, Merab Megreladze had four spells at Torpedo.
Source: Career section
16.At what age did Merab Megreladze pass away?
- A.55correct
- B.37
- C.51
- D.56
Merab Megreladze suddenly died on 24 January 2012, at age 55.
Source: Death and memory section
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