Luka Lochoshvili: Everything you need to know about the FIFA Fair Play Award winner | OneFootball

The football world celebrated The Best on Monday night as the sport's elite were crowned for their achievements in 2022.

Nine awards were dished out, the vast majority of which accounted for the virtuosity and skill displayed on the pitch, but FIFA's Fair Play award was given out to someone whose impact transcended mere footballing brilliance.

Luka Lochoshvili is a name almost none of us were familiar with before Monday night, but his heroics during an Austrian Bundesliga fixture last year were rightfully recognised with the distinguished award.

Here's everything you need to know about him.

Who is Luka Lochoshvili?

Lochoshvili is a 24-year-old Georgian defender who currently plies his trade for Serie A strugglers Cremonese. He's a towering centre-back who has already played for five clubs spanning five countries since making his senior debut for Dinamo Tbilisi B in 2014.

After breaking through at the aforementioned Georgian club, Lochoshvili moved to Dynamo Kyiv in 2017 but he didn't feature for the Ukranian giants. He was instead sent back to Tbilisi on loan before enjoying a temporary spell at Slovakian outfit Zilina.

The defender returned to his hometown club in 2020 but he was quickly on the move again, this time joining Wolfsberger AC in the Austrian Bundesliga. After two successful seasons there, Lochoshvili signed for Cremonese last summer and has made 14 Serie A appearances.

Lochoshvili represented Georgia at various youth levels and amid his impressive stint in Austria, the centre-back earned his first cap for the senior side. He's since played four times for his country.

Why did Luka Lochoshvili win the FIFA Fair Play Award?

🔗 Instagram

Lochoshvili's act of heroism came during an Austrian Bundesliga game between Wolfsberger and Austria Wien in February 2022.

Lochoshvili sprinted over to Austria Wien full-back Georg Teigl, who suffered a head injury after colliding with the knee of an opponent. Quickly realising the seriousness of the collision, Lochohvili reached into Teigl's mouth and appeared to remove his tongue from his throat to prevent him from choking.

He did so just before medical assistance arrived from the touchline.

How did teammates and managers react to the incident?

The defender unsurprisingly received widespread praise for his quick thinking, selflessness, and decisive action. After the game ended, players from both sides ran over to thank and congratulate Lochoshvili for helping and potentially saving Teigl's life.

His former manager Robin Dutt described the act as "incredible", while Austria Wien boss Manfred Schmid further congratulated the 24-year-old.

"We can only congratulate and thank Lochoshvili for what he did," Schmid said. "Even if you have the right training, it's not always easy to step up when a situation like that presents itself."

What did Luka Lochoshvili say at The Best ceremony?

Lochoshvili was crowned with the FIFA Fair Play award at The Best ceremony on Monday night. Appearing via video link, the 24-year-old said: "This is a huge honour for me, I would like to thank you for this award.

"I'm very happy about that, but even happier that I was able to save Georg's life. The most important things in football are fair play and respect," he added.