Barry Smith remembers Dundee legend Giorgi Nemsadze
Former Dundee captain Barry Smith joined Peter Martin on The Football Show to pay tribute to Giorgi Nemsadze, who has died aged 54.
By PLZ Soccer,
Barry Smith has paid tribute to his former Dundee teammate Giorgi Nemsadze, who has died at the age of 54.
On The Football Show, Smith, who captained Dundee during Nemsadze's time at the club, joined Peter Martin to remember a player who arrived in Scotland at the start of the millennium and went on to become one of the most beloved figures in the club's history. Smith described him as "a top, top bloke", a man who had time for everyone.
The heartbeat of a star-studded side
The conversation went back to the Dundee of the Bonettis era, a period Smith recalled as having two dressing rooms. He also remembered Nemsadze swearing in Georgian.
That Dundee side brought a string of international names to Dens Park, and Smith looked back on playing alongside Caniggia, Juan Sara, Fabián Caballero and Zurab, as well as Nemsadze himself. On how the midfield worked, the line from the show was clear: "My job was to win the ball and get it to Georgie." Put more simply still: "Everything went through Georgie."
Nemsadze was a midfielder of real quality, remembered for his majestic skill on the ball. The pair also revisited his chip in the derby, one of the moments that defined his time at the club.
Hall of Fame and home brew
Nemsadze was inducted into the Dundee Hall of Fame, an honour the panel felt he rightly deserved, and Smith shared a dressing room story connected to it.
Beyond his football, the two men spoke about his character, the joy he brought to the pitch and the special connection he had with supporters and teammates. Martin recalled a night out in Georgia, while Smith remembered the home brew Nemsadze once brought in an Irn-Bru bottle.
The discussion closed on how Nemsadze will be remembered, and on his impact on Scottish football. For those who watched him play in the middle of the park for Dundee, his death is a sad loss.