Introduction
Levan Kenia (Georgian: ლევან ყენია; born 18 October 1990) is a Georgian footballer who currently plays for Czech team Slavia Prague.
Club career
He joined Schalke 04 from Lokomotivi Tbilisi in January 2008, signing a contract with the club that ran until June 2012 Kenia made his debut for Schalke 04 against APOEL F.C. in a UEFA Cup match on 2 October 2008 coming on as a 65th-minute substitute for Gerald Asamoah. Formerly, Kenia trained for two weeks at the age of 14 with FC Barcelona.
On 11 April 2009, Kenia made his Bundesliga debut for Schalke in a match against Karlsruher SC.
On 14 August 2012, Kenia joined Ukrainian Premier League side FC Karpaty Lviv on a two-year contract. After spending one year in Ukraine, Kenia returned to Germany and signed a contract with Fortuna Düsseldorf for two years.
At Düsseldorf however he could never fulfill the expectations. Signed as the playmaker, he played only eleven games during the 2013-14 season. In the second half of the campaign he even earned just a single cap playing four minutes. On 1 July 2014, according to previous rumors, it was announced that his contract was dissolved.
International career
He made his debut for the national team on 8 September 2007 against Ukraine, replacing Alexander Iashvili. Georgia's former head coach Klaus Toppmöller said he had never before seen a player of his age with such accomplished technical abilities. Kenia, along with fellow teenagers Levan Mchedlidze and Giorgi Makaridze, played in their UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign starring in a 2–0 victory over Scotland. Toppmöller praised Kenia, "Kenia was one of the best on the pitch."
He scored his first international goal on 27 May 2008 against Estonia.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Lokomotivi Tbilisi | 2005-06 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2006-07 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | |
| 2007-08 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | |
| Total | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 4 | |
| Schalke 04 | 2008-09 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2009-10 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2010-11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2011-12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 11 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 1 | |
| Karpaty Lviv | 2012-13 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 4 |
| Total | 20 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 4 | |
| Fortuna Düsseldorf | 2013-14 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Total | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| Career total | 61 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 67 | 9 | |
International goals
- As of match played 27 May 2016. Georgia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Kenia goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 May 2008 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia | 9 |  Estonia | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 20 August 2008 | Liberty Stadium, Swansea, Wales | 11 |  Wales | 1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 6 September 2008 | Stadion am Bruchweg, Mainz, Germany | 12 |  Republic of Ireland | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 27 May 2016 | ASKÖ Stadion, Wels, Austria | 27 |  Slovakia | 1–3 | 1–3 | Friendly |
Personal
Levan is also the nephew of former SC Freiburg midfielder Georgi Kiknadze.