Vitaly Daraselia

Who was Vitaly Daraselia?

Vitaly Kukhinovich Daraselia was a Georgian football player.

Born to a Georgian father and Abkhaz mother, Daraselia played for FC Dinamo Tbilisi and Soviet Union national team. Daraselia is mostly remembered for his wonderful winning goal for FC Dinamo Tbilisi in 1981, in the final game of UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, rushing into the penalty area past two defenders, just 3 minutes before the full time whistle. He died in a car crash in 1982, the same year he played his only World Cup, at the peak of his career.

His son, Vitaly Daraselia Jr., is a talented soccer player too. In September 1978, when FC Dinamo Tbilisi was going to play against SSC Napoli in Italy, Vitaly's wife was expecting their second child. Before the game Daraselia told his teammates, that he would name his son after the one who would score the goal. Vitaly scored himself.

The stadium in Daraselia's home town of Ochamchire in Abkhazia bears his name. In December 2009, Daraselia's mother reported that the footballer's house-museum in Ochamchire was plundered and burned down.