Who is Saba Kharebashvili? Age, club, position and stats

Saba Kharebashvili is an 18-year-old Georgian left-back who joined Başakşehir from Dinamo Tbilisi in the summer of 2026. He is in the conversation because he holds the record as the youngest player to feature in UEFA club competition and for Georgia’s senior side, and now has his first Süper Lig season under way.

Who is Saba Kharebashvili?

Saba Kharebashvili is a left-footed Georgian left-back, born in Tbilisi, who came through the Dinamo Tbilisi academy, broke into the first team in the spring of 2024 and moved to Turkey’s Başakşehir in the summer of 2026. At 184 centimetres he has a decent frame for a full-back, but the headline feature of his profile is how much senior football he has banked at such an age: Wikipedia’s career table credits him with roughly 75 official appearances for Dinamo Tbilisi alone before he left.

Age, club and role

He was born on 3 September 2008, which makes him 18 as of 11 November 2026. Başakşehir announced the agreement with Dinamo Tbilisi on 9 February 2026, when the player was still 17, and the move took effect once he turned 18. A transfer listing dates the switch to 1 July 2026 and Turkish press reported that a 4+1 year contract was expected after the medical. No fee has been disclosed in the sources we could verify, so we do not print one. He wears number 38 and is not on loan; we found no confirmed injury or suspension.

Positionally he is listed as a defender and described in the Turkish press as a left-back who reads the game well, defends with discipline and offers support going forward. That last description is a press characterisation, not a measured data set. His left foot gives him a natural angle down the touchline, and the profile could sit in a back four or at left wing-back in a back three.

Numbers so far: 2026/27 against 2025/26

The current season is a small sample. Wikipedia’s career table shows two Süper Lig appearances and no goals for Başakşehir; assists, minutes and advanced numbers are not available from a reliable public source. One stats site says he has started five matches this season, but it does not state the competition or the date, so we do not treat that as an official Süper Lig count. The gap between the two sources is itself a reason to read the sample cautiously.

Last season gives better context. For Dinamo Tbilisi he played 17 league games in the first part of 2025-26 without scoring, and in calendar year 2025 he made 29 league appearances. A full-back’s value is not measured in goals alone, but the recorded output from open play is low, so he reads as a balanced, developing defender rather than an attacking full-back who produces end product.

Career path and Georgia

After a handful of games for the Dinamo Tbilisi reserves he made his first-team debut on 26 April 2024 in a 0-0 league draw at home to Telavi. On 11 July 2024 he became the youngest player ever to appear in a UEFA club competition match, aged 15 years, 10 months and 8 days, and he was in the squad that lost the 2024 Georgian Cup final to Spaeri on penalties after a 2-2 draw. The Georgian federation named him its U17 Player of the Year for 2024.

He came through Georgia’s age groups from U15 to U19 and made his senior debut as a substitute in a friendly against the Faroe Islands in June 2025, a 1-0 win, as the youngest player in the national team’s history at 16 years, 9 months and 2 days. As of 26 September 2026 Wikipedia lists three senior caps. Georgia play Hungary in the Nations League on 14 November; we could not verify whether he is in that squad.

What kind of player is he?

The verifiable evidence is more about readiness than about style. A league debut against Telavi, a European record appearance and a senior international debut all came before his 17th birthday, which says something about how quickly coaches trusted him. What we could not find is a sourced match report on his individual performances for Başakşehir, so we are not going to invent a moment from a game. Where match references are missing we prefer the numbers, and the numbers say steady minutes, no end product yet.

If anything, the low goal and assist counts point to a full-back who joins build-up safely and defends the touchline rather than a wing-back who overlaps and delivers. But that is an inference from outputs, not from tracking data, and no public duel, tackle or progressive-carry numbers exist for him yet. Interesting profile, thin data.

Strengths and areas to improve

• Early maturity: roughly 75 senior appearances by 18 is rare for a full-back.
• Left foot and size: natural angle on the left, reasonable aerial presence at 184 cm.
• Output: recorded goal and assist numbers are low; final-third contribution is the obvious growth area.
• Adaptation: the Georgian league and the Süper Lig differ in tempo and physicality, and the speed of that adjustment is unproven.

How he looks in Football Manager 2027

This is game data, not a real-world performance indicator. Football Manager 2027 lists him as a left-back and left wing-back (D/WB L) at Başakşehir, so the game’s database matches reality here. His high potential rating in the game is the developers’ numerical projection, not a scouting verdict, and we use it only to confirm where the game places him.

How is he doing in the Turkish Süper Lig?

The usual question of whether he could suit a Süper Lig side does not apply because he already plays in one. The better question is what the opening sample says, and the answer is not much yet: two league appearances and no goals on Wikipedia, plus an undated third-party claim of five starts. Press reports that the staff intend to bring him into the first-team rotation gradually fit that picture. We cannot comment on his fee or contract since neither is public, and we will not give a specific figure for the foreign-player rule. Minutes and starts over the coming months will be the real test.

GegenSports view

The data show a defender who professionalised unusually early: a UEFA competition record, a senior Georgia debut as a record-breaker and about 75 official games. The current performance profile makes his first Süper Lig season worth monitoring, but the sample is small and advanced data are missing. This piece rests on public numbers and career events, not on any confirmed transfer talks or coaching statements, and it should be updated once starts and defensive metrics become available.

Frequently asked questions

How old is Saba Kharebashvili?

He was born on 3 September 2008 and is 18 as of 11 November 2026.

Where is Saba Kharebashvili from?

Tbilisi, Georgia; he is a Georgian citizen.

Which club does Saba Kharebashvili play for?

Başakşehir in the Turkish Süper Lig since summer 2026, wearing number 38. He previously played for Dinamo Tbilisi.

What position does Saba Kharebashvili play?

Left-back; left-footed, listed as a defender, with a profile that could also suit left wing-back.

What are Saba Kharebashvili’s stats this season?

Wikipedia lists 2 Süper Lig appearances and 0 goals for Başakşehir in 2026-27; assists are not available from a verified source.