Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) —  Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former Georgian footballer known for his performances with the national team and English club Manchester City, has become the president of Georgia.

Interestingly, in the early 1990s, Kavelashvili was a teammate of legendary Uzbek footballer Mirjalol Qasimov at the Russian club Alania Vladikavkaz.

Kavelashvili began his professional career in 1989 and played for various clubs, including Georgian Dynamo Tbilisi and Swiss club Zurich. He played for Alania from 1994 to 1995, sharing the field with Qasimov.

Kavelashvili's political career started in 2016 when he became a member of parliament from the "Georgian Dream" party.

In recent years, he has actively supported ideas of rapprochement with Russia, making his figure controversial amid Georgia's push for Eurointegration.

Kavelashvili's election took place amid mass protests and accusations of electoral violations. The opposition boycotted the elections, alleging fraud. The current president, Salome Zurabishvili, called his victory illegitimate.