View source for Murtaz Khurtsilava

{{Short description|Georgian footballer (born 1943)}}
{{family name hatnote|Kalistratovich|Khurtsilava|lang=Eastern Slavic}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name           = Murtaz Khurtsilava
| image          = Murtaz Khurtsilava 1973.jpg
| upright        = 1.1
| caption        = Khurtsilava in 1973
| full_name      = Murtaz Kalistratovich Khurtsilava
| birth_date     = {{Birth date and age|1943|1|5|df=yes}}
| birth_place    = [[Bandza]], [[Martvili District]], [[Georgian SSR]], [[Soviet Union]]
| height         = 1.75 m
| position       = [[Defender (association football)|Defender]]
| youthyears1    = 
| youthclubs1    = 
| years1         = 1961–1975
| clubs1         = [[FC Dinamo Tbilisi|Dinamo Tbilisi]]
| caps1          = 293
| goals1         = 15
| years2         = 1975–1976
| clubs2         = [[FC Torpedo Kutaisi|Torpedo Kutaisi]]
| caps2          = 47
| goals2         = 4
| totalcaps      = 340
| totalgoals     = 19
| nationalyears1 = 1965–1973
| nationalteam1  = [[USSR national football team|USSR]]
| nationalcaps1  = 69
| nationalgoals1 = 6
| manageryears1  = 
| managerclubs1  = [[Lokomotiv Samtredia]]
| manageryears2  = 1977
| managerclubs2  = [[Dinamo Zugdidi]]
| manageryears3  = 1982
| managerclubs3  = [[Guria Lanchkhuti]]
| manageryears4  = 1987–1989
| managerclubs4  = [[FC Dinamo Tbilisi|Dinamo Tbilisi]] (assistant)
| manageryears5  = 1997–1999
| managerclubs5  = [[FC Dinamo Tbilisi|Dinamo Tbilisi]]
| manageryears6  = 1999
| managerclubs6  = [[FC Lokomotivi Tbilisi|Lokomotivi Tbilisi]]
| manageryears7  = 1999–2001
| managerclubs7  = [[Georgia national under-21 football team|Georgia U21]]
| manageryears8  = 2001–2003
| managerclubs8  = [[Georgia national football team|Georgia]] (assistant)
| medaltemplates = 
{{MedalCountry|{{URS}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[UEFA European Championship]]}}
{{Medal|RU|[[UEFA Euro 1972|1972 Belgium]]|}}
{{MedalOlympics}}
{{MedalBronze | [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Munich]]| [[Football at the 1972 Summer Olympics|Team]]}}
| medaltemplates-expand = yes
}}

'''Murtaz Kalistratovich Khurtsilava''' ({{lang-ka|მურთაზ ხურცილავა}}, {{langx|ru|Муртаз Калистратович Хурцилава}}, born 5 January 1943) is a [[Georgia (country)|Georgian]] former [[association football|football]]er who played as a [[defender (association football)|defender]].

Khurtsilava was discovered while playing football in the school garden in Gegechkori, a small town in Caucasus – now known as Martvili – where he learned to play football with a ball made of hay and rags.<ref name=r1>Firat Yalgin (21 February 2011) [https://web.archive.org/web/20120326201030/http://kontrataka.net/?p=25 Memorable Players : Murtaz Khurtsilava]. kontrataka.net</ref>

He was part of the [[USSR national football team|USSR]] side that finished fourth at the [[1966 FIFA World Cup]], third at the [[1972 Summer Olympics]]<ref name=sr>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200418060427/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/kh/murtaz-khurtsilava-1.html Murtaz Khurtsilava]. sports-reference.com</ref> and second in the [[1972 UEFA European Championship]]. After the [[UEFA Euro 1972]] along with his teammates by [[Soviet Union national football team|Soviet Union national team]] — [[Revaz Dzodzuashvili]] and [[Evgeni Rudakov]] — he was included in the team of the tournament, where also were presented such great players like [[Franz Beckenbauer]], [[Gerd Müller]], [[Paul Breitner]], [[Uli Hoeness]] and [[Günter Netzer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/season=1972/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111116162418/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/season=1972/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 November 2011|title=TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT of the 1972 UEFA European Championship|publisher= [[UEFA]]|access-date=31 January 2017}}</ref> He was also one of the only two Georgians, alongside [[Alexandre Chivadze]], to have captained the Soviet Union national team. At the club level he played for [[FC Dinamo Tbilisi|Dinamo Tbilisi]].

After retiring in 1977, Khurtsilava set up his own business in [[Tbilisi]], where he now resides with his family.<ref name=r1/>

In November 2003, to celebrate [[UEFA]]'s Jubilee, he was selected as the [[UEFA Jubilee Awards|Golden Player]] of Georgia by the [[Georgian Football Federation]] as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100204022159/http://www.uefa.com/uefa/news/Kind=256/newsId=130150.html Golden Players take centre stage]. uefa.com. 29 November 2003</ref>

==Honours==
'''Dinamo Tbilisi'''
*[[Soviet Top League]]: [[1964 Soviet Top League|1964]]

'''Soviet Union'''
*[[Olympic Games]] bronze medal: [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972]]
*[[UEFA European Championship]] runner-up: [[UEFA Euro 1972|1972]]

'''Individual'''
*[[The best 33 football players of the Soviet Union]] (10): No. 1 (1968, 1969), (1971–1973); No. 2 (1965, 1966); No. 3 (1963, 1970); N/A (1967)
*[[Soviet Footballer of the Year]]: Second Place: 1967, 1968; Third Place: 1972.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/ussrpoy.html|title=Statistics from RSSSF}}</ref>
*[[UEFA European Championship Teams of the Tournament|UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament]]: 1972<ref>{{cite news |title=1972 team of the tournament |url=https://www.uefa.com/euro2024/news/0253-0d7bd0da58f2-d557c23f55fa-1000--euro-1972-team-of-the-tournament/ |work=Union of European Football Associations |access-date=23 January 2015}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070312231533/http://www.uefa.com/uefa/history/associationweeks/association=57157/newsId=174864.html UEFA.com – Georgia's Golden Player]
* [http://www.rusteam.permian.ru/players/khurtsilava.html RussiaTeam biography] {{in lang|ru}}

{{UEFA Jubilee Awards}}
{{UEFA Euro 1972 Team of the Tournament}}
{{Soviet Union squad 1966 FIFA World Cup}}
{{Soviet Union squad UEFA Euro 1968}}
{{Soviet Union squad 1970 FIFA World Cup}}
{{Soviet Union squad UEFA Euro 1972}}
{{Soviet Union football squad 1972 Summer Olympics}}
{{FC Zugdidi managers}}
{{FC Dinamo Tbilisi managers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khurtsilava, Murtaz}}
[[Category:1943 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Footballers from Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti]]
[[Category:Mingrelians]]
[[Category:Soviet men's footballers]]
[[Category:Men's footballers from Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:UEFA Golden Players]]
[[Category:Dynamo Sports Club sportspeople]]
[[Category:1966 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:UEFA Euro 1968 players]]
[[Category:1970 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:UEFA Euro 1972 players]]
[[Category:Footballers at the 1972 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic footballers for the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Soviet Union men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Soviet Top League players]]
[[Category:FC Dinamo Tbilisi players]]
[[Category:FC Torpedo Kutaisi players]]
[[Category:FC Dinamo Tbilisi managers]]
[[Category:Dinamo Zugdidi managers]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in football]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Men's association football defenders]]
[[Category:Soviet football managers]]
[[Category:Football managers from Georgia (country)]]