Luka Lochoshvili

Luka Lochoshvili
Lochoshvili playing for Wolfsberger AC in 2022
Personal information
Date of birth (1998-05-29) 29 May 1998
Place of birth Tbilisi, Georgia
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position Centre-back
Team information
Current team
1. FC Köln
Number 24
Youth career
2014–2016 Dinamo Tbilisi
2017–2019 Dynamo Kyiv
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014 Dinamo Tbilisi B 1 (0)
2016–2017 Dinamo Tbilisi 22 (1)
2017–2019 Dynamo Kyiv 0 (0)
2018 → Dinamo Tbilisi (loan) 21 (0)
2019 → Žilina B (loan) 10 (1)
2019 → Žilina (loan) 3 (0)
2020 Dinamo Tbilisi 10 (0)
2020–2022 Wolfsberger AC 53 (2)
2022–2025 Cremonese 54 (1)
2025 → Salernitana (loan) 18 (0)
2025–2026 1. FC Nürnberg 33 (5)
2026– 1. FC Köln 0 (0)
International career‡
2014–2015 Georgia U17 6 (0)
2015–2016 Georgia U19 7 (0)
2017–2020 Georgia U21 15 (2)
2021– Georgia 32 (4)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18 May 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 5 June 2026

Luka Lochoshvili (Order of Honor) (Georgian: ლუკა ლოჩოშვილი; born 29 May 1998) is a Georgian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for German Bundesliga club 1. FC Köln and the Georgia national team.

Club career

Dinamo Tbilisi

Lochoshvili initially played in Dinamo Tbilisi youth teams before his promotion to the first team in 2016. He made a debut in a 4–0 win against Lokomotive Tbilisi on 18 November 2016.[1]

Dinamo Kyiv

The next summer, Lochoshvili signed a five-year deal with Dinamo Kyiv,[2] although in March 2018 was loaned back to his boyhood club and later, in February 2019, to Slovak side Žilina.[3]

Loan to Žilina

Lochoshvili made his professional Fortuna Liga debut for Žilina against DAC Dunajská Streda on 6 April 2019.[4]

Dinamo Tbilisi

In early 2020, Dinamo Kyiv and Lochoshvili terminated the existing contract. The player spent next several months at Dinamo Tbilisi.

Wolfsberger AC

In mid 2020, Lochoshvili moved to Austria to join Wolfsberger AC.[5] He opened his goal account in a 5–3 away win against Austria Wien on 21 March 2021.[6]

In February 2022, while playing for Wolfsberger AC against Austria Wien in Vienna, Lochoshvili took out the tongue of Austria player Georg Teigl. Teigl collided with an opposition player and was lying unconscious, unable to breathe, as he had swallowed his own tongue.[7] Shortly afterwards, Lochoshvili was awarded with the Dignity Cross by the grateful Carinthia state governor.[8] He won the Fair Play award at The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022 for his actions.[9] The only goal scored by Lochoshvili in the 2021–22 season in a 4–1 away victory over Sturm Graz was recognized as the best of week 31 by fans.[10]

Cremonese

On 10 August 2022, Lochoshvili signed with Cremonese in Italy.[11] He made a first appearance for his new club against AS Roma on 22 August.[12] Lochoshvili netted his first Serie A goal in a 3–2 away win over Sampdoria on 8 April 2023.[13]

Salernitana (loan)

On 10 January 2025, Lochoshvili joined Serie B side Salernitana on loan for the remainder of the season with the option to buy.[14]

1. FC Nürnberg

On 12 July 2025, Lochoshvili moved to Germany and signed with 1. FC Nürnberg in 2. Bundesliga.[15]

1. FC Köln

On 2 July 2026, Lochoshvili moved to 1. FC Köln in the German top-tier Bundesliga on a three-year deal.[16]

International career

Lochoshvili made his debut for the Georgia national football team on 5 September 2021 in a World Cup qualifier against Spain, a 4–0 away loss. He started the game and played the whole match.[17]

On 12 October 2023, he scored in a friendly match against Thailand scoring the sixth goal just before half time.

Lochoshvili received a call-up to the national team for the 2024 UEFA Euro and took part in all four matches that Georgia played in the tournament. On 2 July 2024, along with other squad members he was awarded the Order of Honour.[18]

Career statistics

Club

As of 24 August 2026[19]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Dinamo Tbilisi II 2013–14 Pirveli Liga 10———10
Dinamo Tbilisi 2016 Umaglesi Liga 5010——60
2017 Erovnuli Liga 17110——181
Total 22120——241
Dinamo Tbilisi (loan) 2018 Erovnuli Liga 210202[b]0—250
Žilina (loan) 2018–19 Slovak First Football League 3000——30
Žilina II (loan) 2018–19 Slovak 2. Liga 51———51
2019–20 Slovak 2. Liga 50———50
Total 101———101
Dinamo Tbilisi 2020 Erovnuli Liga 100—1[c]01[d]0120
Wolfsberger AC 2020–21 Austrian Bundesliga 211408[b]01[e]0341
2021–22 Austrian Bundesliga 29140——331
2022–23 Austrian Bundesliga 20101[c]0—40
Total 522909010712
Cremonese 2022–23 Serie A 25120——271
2023–24 Serie B 24020—2[f]0280
2024–25 Serie B 7010——80
Total 56150—20631
Salernitana (loan) 2024–25 Serie B 180——2[f]0200
1. FC Nürnberg 2025–26 2. Bundesliga 33510——345
1. FC Köln 2026–27 Bundesliga 0010——10
Career total 226102001206026410
  1. ↑ Includes Georgian Cup, Austrian Cup, Coppa Italia, DFB-Pokal
  2. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. 1 2 Appearance in UEFA Champions League
  4. ↑ Appearance in Georgian Super Cup
  5. ↑ Appearance in Austrian Bundesliga play-offs
  6. 1 2 Appearances in Serie B play-offs

International

As of match played 5 June 2026
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Georgia 202120
202230
202351
2024100
202582
202641
Total324
Scores and results list Georgia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lochoshvili goal.
List of international goals scored by Luka Lochoshvili
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 12 October 2023 Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia  Thailand 2–0 8–0 Friendly
2 5 June 2025 Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi, Georgia  Faroe Islands 1–0 1–0 Friendly
3 18 November 2025 Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria  Bulgaria 1–2 1–2 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
4 5 June 2026 Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia  Bahrain 1–0 2–0 Friendly

Honours

Dinamo Tbilisi

Žilina

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Dinamo Tbilisi vs Lokomotive". soccerway.com.
  2. ↑ "ოფიციალურად: ლუკა ლოჩოშვილი კიევის "დინამოში"". sportall.ge (in Georgian), 30 August 2017.
  3. ↑ "ლუკა ლოჩოშვილი კარიერას "ჟილინაში" გააგრძელებს". fanebi.com (in Georgian), 8 February 2019.
  4. ↑ DAC VS. ŽILINA 1 - 0 6 April 2019, soccerway.com
  5. ↑ "ოფიციალურად: ლოჩოშვილი ვოლფსბერგერში ითამაშებს". crystalsport.ge (in Georgian), 24 August 2020. 24 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "ლოჩოშვილმა სადებიუტო გოლი ჟორდანიას გუნდს გაუტანა". 1tv.ge (in Georgian), 21 March 2021.
  7. ↑ Lochoshvili als Teigls Lebensretter, orf.at, 27 February 2022.
  8. ↑ "ლუკა ლოჩოშვილი ღირსების ჯვრით დააჯილდოვეს!". lelo.ge (in Georgian), 8 March 2022.
  9. ↑ "FIFA fairplay winner revealed". fifa.com. FIFA. 27 February 2023.
  10. ↑ "Luka Lochoshvili erzielt das tor der runde 31". skysportuastria.at (in German). 20 May 2022.
  11. ↑ "LOCHOSHVILI NUOVO CALCIATORE DELLA CREMONESE" (in Italian). Cremonese. 10 August 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  12. ↑ "ლუკა ლოჩოშვილის დებიუტი სერია A-ში და კარგი თამაში "რომასთან"". pia.ge (in Georgian). 22 August 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  13. ↑ "Sampdoria vs Cremonese". sport.sky.it (in Italian). 8 April 2023.
  14. ↑ "Luka Lochoshvili è un giocatore della Salernitana" [Luka Lochoshvili is a player of Salernitana]. salernitana.it (in Italian). 10 January 2025. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  15. ↑ "Luka Lochoshvili entscheidet sich für den Club" [Luka Lochoshvili chooses the club] (in German). 1. FC Nürnberg. 12 July 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  16. ↑ "FC sign Luka Lochoshvili". 1. FC Köln. 2 July 2026. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  17. ↑ "Spain v Georgia game report". FIFA. 5 September 2021.
  18. ↑ "პრეზიდენტი - მინდა, ერთობის სახელით, ეს ჯილდო გადავცე ბიჭებს და ვუსურვო, რომ გზა მათი გამარჯვებისა უსასრულო ყოფილიყოს". president.ge (in Georgian). 2 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  19. ↑ Luka Lochoshvili at Soccerway
  20. ↑ "საქართველოს ფეხბურთის ფედერაციის ყოველწლიური დაჯილდოება GFF Awards". gff.ge (in Georgian), 29 December 2020. 29 December 2020.