of the team, in contrast to the restrained style of play that Berdyev favoured. He provided an assist in four consecutive matches. The most important of these was against Zenit St. Petersburg, in a match that decided a place in the following year's UEFA Cup. Subsequently, he received a recall to the Georgian national squad for friendlies against Bulgaria and Jordan. However, a muscle strain meant he missed both national team games and Rubin's final league match. He ended the 2005 season with seven assists and two goals in nine appearances for Rubin. Rubin delayed in offering Kinkladze a contract extension, leading Anorthosis to make an attempt to re-sign him early in the pre-season, but Kinkladze rejected the offer as he wished to stay at Rubin. By late December, Rubin expressed a desire to retain him but contract talks were delayed due to family reasons, and it took until mid-January for a new one-year contract to be agreed. During his successful 2005 season, 32-year-old Kinkladze said he hoped to play on well into his thirties. The 2006 season, however, was his last. He sustained an injury in Rubin's first competitive match, a 1–0 cup match defeat against Shinnik which proved to be the last time he played a full match. A recurrence of an old injury meant he was sidelined for longer than expected, only making his return to full training in late May. Kinkladze continued to struggle to maintain fitness, making five further appearances for Rubin, two of which were starts. A match against Rostov on 20 August 2006 was the last of Kinkladze's playing career. In September, he was called to the Georgia national team but did not play or appear on the substitutes' bench. A short time later he had to undergo another course of medical treatment. He also passed a thorough medical examination, the results of which were reported as the deciding factor for his future at the club. In October, he was an unused substitute just once; he and his compatriots were the subject of criticism from Rubin's general director who announced to the press "there are questions about the Georgians in the team regarding their training and attitude to football". In November, Kinkladze again suffered an injury and missed the remainder of the season. After a disappointing year for Kinkladze, Rubin decided not to renew his contract. In January 2007, he held talks with