Murtaz Shelia

Murtaz Shelia is a Georgian former professional footballer who played as a defender. Born on 25 March 1969, he played for clubs including Dinamo Tbilisi, 1. FC Saarbrücken, Spartak-Alania Vladikavkaz, Manchester City and Lokomotivi Tbilisi. With Dinamo Tbilisi he was part of a team that won the Georgian league championship for five consecutive seasons from 1991 to 1995, and in his first season with Spartak-Alania Vladikavkaz he helped the club win the Russian league title. He joined Manchester City two years later, marked his debut with a goal at Birmingham City, and saw his time there limited by injuries, the last of which, against Reading in October 1998, was career threatening. He was capped 29 times by the Georgia national team between 1994 and 1998, and he retired in 2001 after a short comeback attempt with Lokomotivi Tbilisi.