The Georgian international was a popular figure with the Newcastle fans.
Ketsbaia is not only remembered for his performance, but also for his bizarre celebrations, such as throwing his shirt into the crowd and aggressively kicking the advertising hoardings (McDonald's and Adidas ones specifically) after scoring a late winning goal against Bolton Wanderers in 1998.
He later revealing he had done so in frustration at being left out of the starting line-up.
Which brings us onto the present day and Tsukasa Shiotani's goal for Sanfrecce Hiroshima away at the Central Coast Mariners ... which had a special significance, marking the third anniversary of the Japanese tsunami.
The 2011 tragedy can scarcely be conveyed in just statistics, but according to the National Police Agency of Japan, 15,884 people lost their lives, while around 1,000,000 buildings were either totally destroyed, largely destroyed or suffered some form of damage.
The area is still being rebuilt.
So when Shiotani nodded the Japanese ahead early in their Asian Champions League clash in Australia, the players lay on the ground and formed a "3" and an "11," marking today's date, March 11, three years since the natural disaster.