Temur Ketsbaia, Cult Georgian footballer and martial artist

Temur Ketsbaia was one of the first ever Georgians to play in the English Premier League. He joined Newcastle United after winning the league with Dinamo Tbilisi and also went on to win the league in Cyprus with Anorthosis before retiring and moving into management. His career was a success, and spanned from 1987-2007. A midfielder, Ketsbaia scored 139 goals in 488 appearances, which by soccer standards is very credible.

Before this in his youth, Ketsbaia was apparently also a keen Judo practitioner and martial artist. In many ways, this isn’t too surprising as Georgia has a rich history of grappling and Judo. In fact, the country in general is quite sporty and also has a solid rugby team. Funnily enough for Ketsbaia, he made headlines whilst playing for Newcastle United. In 1998 after scoring a late winner he went over and kicked an advertising board in frustration. This violent gesture became a cult moment in soccer history and to this day is still spoken about.

However, his teammates would have known better to try and cross him during this outburst, as he was not only in physically good shape – but also trained in Judo. Whilst this level was only ever at hobbyist – it’s still enough to take a many down with ease. On a separate note, his behaviour also showed the world two things about Georgians. Firstly, they are tough people, and secondly they are highly passionate. Could Temur Ketsbaia have made it as a professional Judoka? No…but you still wouldn’t want to annoy him as you may get thrown or kicked, depending on his temper at the time!