Dundee great Giorgi Nemsadze dies aged 54
Peter Martin remembers the Georgian number 10 who lit up Dundee at the start of the millennium and earned a place in the club's Hall of Fame.
By PLZ Soccer,
Giorgi Nemsadze has died aged 54. On The Football Show, Peter Martin, who commentated on the Georgian during his time with Dundee, paid tribute to a number 10 he described as "absolutely majestic".
Nemsadze was part of a remarkable period for the Dark Blues at the start of the millennium, when the club brought in Claudio Caniggia, Zurab Khizanishvili, Fabián Caballero and Juan Sara to play alongside Barry Smith. Martin recalled it as a time when "Dundee were signing players that some would look at and wonder how they managed to do it."
A number 10 who had time on the ball
Martin began by picturing a young supporter in the city today: "Somewhere in Dundee, whether it's a housing scheme or in a block of flats, there's probably a wee boy with a framed number 10 shirt of Giorgi Nemsadze on his wall, probably given to him by his dad and he's wondering how good he was as a player."
His answer was emphatic. "A Georgian with 69 caps, but when he got the ball, not only could he dribble, he could score goals, wonderful goals at that," he said. "And he was an absolute delight and no surprise voted into the Dundee Hall of Fame."
Martin added: "He always looked as if he had so much time on the ball." He called the news of Nemsadze's death at 54 "an absolute tragedy", saying: "I know a lot of people in the Dundee area will be shedding a tear and looking back with some great memories of him strutting his stuff in the middle of the park."
A night out in Georgia
Martin also shared a personal memory. When Scotland played Georgia in Georgia, he, Alan Rough and a number of journalists were invited for a night out with Nemsadze and his friends.
He and Rough were collected in a car with no windows by two men Martin said "looked as if they were part of the Russian mafia." His recollection of the moment: "We're going to die in the middle of Georgia." He added: "It was incredibly funny and scary at the same time in equal measure."
At the restaurant, around 25 to 30 people sat at one table, and each in turn paid tribute to Nemsadze before downing a shot, which Martin said was a mark of tradition and respect. "By the time I walked out of that restaurant, I was three sheets to the wind. But better for it," he said.
He summed up Nemsadze as "a genius and a legend", adding that "watching him on the park was a joy."