Giorgi Oniani

Georgi Oniani
Personal information
Full name Giorgi Oniani
Date of birth (1983-11-23) 23 November 1983
Place of birth Tbilisi, Soviet Union
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position Defender
Team information
Current team
Samgurali (head coach)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2005 Locomotive 86 (4)
2005–2006 Dinamo Batumi 15 (3)
2006–2007 Olimpi 20 (3)
2007 Sioni 24 (0)
2007–2008 Carl Zeiss 13 (0)
2008–2009 Spartak Nalchik 1 (0)
2009–2012 Zestaponi 96 (6)
2012–2013 Dila 20 (3)
2013 Torpedo 4 (0)
Total 279 (19)
International career
2004 Georgia U21 1 (0)
Managerial career
2018 Guria
2019 Dinamo Batumi 2
2022 Guria
2022–2023 Gareji
2023–2025 Gagra
2026– Samgurali
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Giorgi Oniani (Georgian: გიორგი ონიანი; born 7 September 1983) is a Georgian retired football defender and manager, currently working as head coach of Samgurali.

Career

Born in Tbilisi, Oniani began his career with Locomotive. He made a debut in a 5–0 away win over Margveti.[1] In January 2006, he moved to Dinamo Batumi and after six months joined Olimpi. In January 2007, he transferred to Sioni,[2] but stayed only half a year. Oniani then moved to German club Carl Zeiss in July 2007,[3] He left Jena after one year and moved to Spartak Nalchik.

Oniani spent most successful time at Zestaponi, where he won four trophies, including the national league twice.

Torpedo Kutaisi was the last club he played for. On 10 April 2013, during a Georgian Cup quarterfinal game against Sioni Bolnisi, Oniani crashed into a protective pole for nets and lost consciousness. With his neck seriously injured, Oniani underwent three surgeries.[4]

His managerial career began in 2018. After two spells at Guria, in September 2022 he took charge of Liga 2 side Gareji, but in June 2023, with the club under his guidance sitting on top of the table eight points clear in title race, the sides parted company.[5]

On 1 August 2023, Oniani was appointed at Erovnuli Liga club Gagra as head coach. He left the team in October 2025.[6]

On 18 January 2026, Samgurali announced that Oniani would be new manager of the team.[7]

Honours

References

  1. ^ "გიორგი ონიანი: გული მომიკვდა, მაგრამ ცხოვრება ამით არ მთავრდება". sportall.ge (in Georgian). 1 December 2013.
  2. ^ "Georgi Oniani". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  3. ^ "Oniani, George" (in German). Kicker. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  4. ^ "გიორგი ონიანი: მითხრეს, თუ სიცოცხლე გინდა, მოედანზე აღარ უნდა გახვიდეო". sportall.ge (in Georgian). 28 November 2013.
  5. ^ ""გარეჯი" უკრაინელ დენის ხომუტოვს ჩააბარეს". lelo.ge (in Georgian). Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  6. ^ Lasha Tabagari (17 October 2025). "ონიანი "გაგრას" "ტორპედოსთან" მარცხით დაემშვიდობა" [Oniani leaves Gagra with defeat against Torpedo]. atiani.ge (in Georgian). Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  7. ^ ""სამგურალს" გიორგი ონიანი გაწვრთნის" [Giorgi Oniani set to train Samgurali] (in Georgian). Lelo. 18 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.