Mikheil Kavelashvili is set to become the next president of Georgia (Image: EURONEWS)
Former Manchester City forward, Mikheil Kavelashvili, is poised to become the next president of Georgia after his political party confirmed he will be their candidate.
As the ruling party, Kavelashvili is almost certain to be elected. The next president will be chosen by the 300-seat electoral college, which is largely controlled by Georgian Dream.
The 53-year-old, who played for City between 1995 and 1997, is best known for scoring on his debut against Manchester United in April 1996, despite a 3-2 defeat at Maine Road just weeks before the team, managed by Alan Ball, were relegated from the Premier League.
Kavelashvili scored two more goals for City in the First Division, but didn’t play enough matches for his work permit to be renewed. He was subsequently loaned to Swiss club Grasshoppers and left permanently the following summer.
He joins a growing list of ex-footballers seeking public office in Georgia, including former AC Milan defender Kakha Kaladze, who has been mayor of Tbilisi since 2017, and former Schalke and Hertha Berlin defender Levan Kobiashvili, who is a member of the Georgian parliament.
City had hoped that Kavelashvili, like fellow Georgian international Georgi Kinkladze, would help them avoid relegation when he was signed from Dinamo Tbilisi on transfer deadline day.
Despite earning seven points from their final three games, they were relegated on goal difference, unable to recover from gaining only two points from their first 11 matches.
In Georgia, the role of president is mostly ceremonial, however, Kavelashvili’s party – Georgian Dream – holds substantial power through its control of parliament.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1981505/Man-City-Mikheil-Kavelashvili-Georgia