Saba Lobzhanidze

Saba Lobjanidze
Lobjanidze in 2025
Personal information
Date of birth (1994-12-18) 18 December 1994
Place of birth Tbilisi, Georgia
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position Right winger
Team information
Current team
 Real Salt Lake
Number 12
Youth career
2004–2007 Norchi Dinamoeli
2007–2009 Tbilisi
2009–2013 Dinamo Tbilisi
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2014 Dinamo Tbilisi II 19 (5)
2014–2017 Dinamo Tbilisi 59 (12)
2016 → Chikhura Sachkhere (loan) 11 (10)
2017–2019 Randers 84 (28)
2020–2021 MKE Ankaragücü 52 (4)
2021–2023 Hatayspor 61 (9)
2023 → Fatih Karagumruk (loan) 10 (2)
2023–2026 Atlanta United 85 (14)
2026– Real Salt Lake 5 (0)
International career‡
2012–2013 Georgia U19 4 (0)
2014–2016 Georgia U21 8 (3)
2017– Georgia 40 (4)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19 August 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 7 September 2025 (UTC)

Saba Lobjanidze (Order of Honor) (Georgian: საბა ლობჟანიძე, romanized: saba lobzhanidze, pronounced [saba lobʒanidze]; born 18 December 1994) is a Georgian professional footballer who plays for Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake and the Georgia national team.

Club career

Born in Tbilisi, Lobjanidze started playing for Norchi Dinamoeli at the age of 10. Later he joined Dinamo Tbilisi.

Randers

In June 2017, Lobjanidze signed a three-year contract with Randers.[1] In April 2018, in six games Lobjhanidze scored six times for Randers, including a hat-trick against Sønderjyske, which won him the Player of the Month award among Georgian football players. Besides, he was twice named in team of the week in the Danish Superliga.[2]

MKE Ankaragücü

On 30 January 2020, Lobjanidze signed with Turkish club MKE Ankaragücü.[3] He made his debut on 2 February in a 1–1 league draw against Kasımpaşa.[4]

Hatayspor

In June 2021, Lobjanidze signed a three-year contract with Hatayspor, after Ankaragücü had relegated from the Süper Lig.[5]

Following a devastating earthquake in Turkey and subsequent withdrawal of Hatayspor from the league in February 2023, he joined Fatih Karagümrük on loan until the end of the season.[6]

Saba Lobjanidze with Atlanta United in 2025

Atlanta United

In early August 2023, Lobjanidze moved to MLS club Atlanta United on a three-year deal.[7] He finished the 2023 MLS Regular Season with 3 goals and 4 assists in 9 games.[8]

On 30 May 2024, Saba Lobjanidze was named Player of the Matchday after his first career MLS brace guided Atlanta United to 3-1 win at Inter Miami CF.[9] On 20 July 2024, Lobjanidze became the sixth player in club history to record at least 20 goal contributions in their first 30 matches with the team.[10] Lobjanidze finished the MLS Regular Season with 9 goals and 3 assists in 30 matches.[11] His goal on the final matchday of the season against Orlando City helped Atlanta United to earn a spot in the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. He then went on to score against Inter Miami CF on 25 October 2024 in the first game of the series. Atlanta United went on to win the series against Inter Miami.

On 1 July 2026, Atlanta United traded Lobjanidze and a third-round pick in the MLS SuperDraft to Real Salt Lake for up to $725,000 in General Allocation Money.[12]

International career

Lobjanidze made his debut for the Georgia national team on 23 January 2017 in a friendly against Uzbekistan, scoring one of the two goals of his team.[13]

In 2024, Lobjanidze was called up by Georgia for the 2024 European Championships.[14]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 2 June 2026[15]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Dinamo Tbilisi II 2012–13 Pirveli Liga 10–––10
2013–14 Pirveli Liga 185–––185
Total 195000000195
Dinamo Tbilisi 2014–15 Umaglesi Liga 24161–1[b]0312
2015–16 Umaglesi Liga 15210––162
2017 Erovnuli Liga 137–––137
Total 52107100106011
Chikhura (loan) 2016 Umaglesi Liga 129322[c]0–1711
Randers 2017–18 Danish Superliga 29921–[d]433513
2018–19 Danish Superliga 378–––378
2019–20 Danish Superliga 158–––158
Total 81252100438729
MKE Ankaragücü 2019–20 Süper Lig 151–––151
2020–21 Süper Lig 37310––383
Total 524100000534
Hatayspor 2021–22 Süper Lig 37830––408
2022–23 Süper Lig 211–––211
Total 589300000619
Fatih Karagümrük (loan) 2022–23 Süper Lig 102–––102
Atlanta United 2023 MLS 12300–3[e]0153
2024 MLS 3510102[f]1–3811
2025 MLS 330–3–1–361
2026 MLS 13 2 1 0 14 2
Total 931320513010317
Career total 37779184728341088
  1. ↑ Includes Georgian Cup, Danish Cup, Turkish Cup
  2. ↑ Appearance in Supercup
  3. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa League qualification round
  4. ↑ Appearances in play-offs
  5. ↑ Appearances in MLS Cup Playoffs
  6. ↑ Appearances in Leagues Cup

International

As of 7 September 2025
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Georgia 201731
201820
201931
202050
202190
202270
202361
202420
202531
Total404
Scores and results list Georgia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lobzhanidze goal.
List of international goals scored by Saba Lobzhanidze[16]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
123 January 2017The Sevens Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan2–12–2Friendly
210 June 2019Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark Denmark1–11–5UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
325 March 2023Batumi Stadium, Batumi, Georgia Mongolia6–16–1Friendly
48 June 2025Ramaz Shengelia Stadium, Kutaisi, Georgia Cape Verde1–01–1Friendly

Honours

Dinamo Tbilisi

References

  1. ↑ "BRANDVARM GEORGIER TIL RANDERS FC" (in Danish). randersfc.dk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  2. ↑ "აპრილის საუკეთესო – საბა ლობჟანიძე". worldsport.ge (in Georgian). 5 May 2018.
  3. ↑ "Saba Lobjanidze solgt til Ankaragücü". randersfc.dk (in Danish). 30 January 2020. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020.
  4. ↑ "Ankaragücü vs. Kasımpaşa – 2 February 2020". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  5. ↑ Hoffskov, Ole (23 June 2021). "Tidligere Superliga-stjerne skifter klub". Tipsbladet.dk (in Danish).
  6. ↑ "საბა ლობჟანიძე ანდრეა პირლოს ხელმძღვანელობით ითამაშებს: ტრანსფერი დადასტურდა". worldsport.ge (in Georgian). Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  7. ↑ "Atlanta United signs winger Saba Lobjanidze from Turkish Süper Lig". atlutd.com. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  8. ↑ atlutd. "Saba Lobjanidze | Atlanta United FC". atlutd. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  9. ↑ mlssoccer. "Atlanta United's Saba Lobzhanidze named Player of the Matchday | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  10. ↑ atlutd. "First professional brace earns Stian Gregersen spot on MLS Team of the Matchday | Atlanta United FC". atlutd. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  11. ↑ mlssoccer. "Saba Lobjanidze | MLSsoccer.com". mlssoccer. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  12. ↑ atlutd. "Atlanta United acquires up to $725,000 in General Allocation Money from Real Salt Lake | Atlanta United FC". atlutd. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "Uzbekistan draws with Georgia in friendly". The Tashkent Times. 24 January 2017.
  14. ↑ Roberson, Doug. "Atlanta United's Saba Lobjanidze called up by Georgia for European Championships". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  15. ↑ Saba Lobzhanidze at Soccerway
  16. ↑ "Lobjanidze, Saba". National Football Teams. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
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