Neither Kylian Mbappé, nor Álvaro Morata, nor Harry Kane, nor Cristiano Ronaldo. The top scorer of this Euro Cup so far is the Georgian Georges Mikautadze (Lyon, 23 years old), who scored three goals. The last of them, a penalty, sealed the surprising victory against Portugal (2-0) and the fairy tale that Georgia, Spain’s rival in the round of 16, is living. King Georgehe is nicknamed in France, where he has spent almost his entire career.
With the straight bangs that clear his entire forehead and the thickly outlined beard of a hipster customized to the latest, the Georgian attacker from Metz stood at the lectern in the mixed zone of the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, converted into a pulpit for all that Georgian international who wanted to stand, even if he was not obliged, to proclaim the greatness of the feat achieved. In its first participation in a major competition since emancipation from the USSR in 1991, Georgia has passed the group stage. For this reason, Mikautadze was received as a hero by the Georgian press and also by the groups of compatriots who crowded the railings of the stadium’s upper vomitoriums to cheer his name.
“I love it, I love it, it’s incredible,” he began to say when a conga line formed by his teammates emerged to the tune of “carnival, carnival” and the small Georgian striker joined in. Back on the platform equipped with two microphones, Mikautadze was still visibly excited. “I watched these games as a child and I really wanted to play them. Now I am the top scorer and Georgia is in the last 16. I know that the whole nation was behind me supporting me. Now I can understand everything that is happening in the streets of Georgia. I am very happy, but we are not going to stop. The Euro has just started. We know that our rival is Spain, but we have to do everything possible to get through to the next phase,” he warned. “Thoughts are flowing through my head, I could not imagine that I would give an assist and score a goal. I am a goalscorer, but since I was a child I have also worked on passing,” he said before saying goodbye to more applause.
Glory has come to Mikautadze at the age of 23, after having been a promise in French football, being an under-19 international, and digesting a few setbacks. Born in Lyon, he played in the youth team of his city club until he was cut. “He is a talented player. I think the fact that he is emerging a little late is because he is a player who, when he was young, did not work hard enough. He went through the Lyon academy where he did not do well. But he is a player who is beginning to understand that to get to the top you have to work very hard,” Sagnol recently said of him. In Lyon, where they compared him to Benzema, they appreciated that he lacked physicality to reach the elite.
With no chance of being called up for the French senior team, Sagnol recruited him for Georgia in 2021. By then he had already shown himself to be a good finisher for the Belgian Seraing before Metz brought him back for French football. The 21 goals he scored were decisive for Metz’s promotion to Ligue 1 in the 22-23 season. Ajax hired him for 16 million euros, but he did not adapt. In Amsterdam he found himself confined to a hotel for months and with little support. In January 2024 he was loaned back to Metz with an option to buy of 10 million euros. Metz have already exercised their rights and are now considering selling him to Monaco. Even in the French press the names of Lyon and Atlético de Madrid have been mentioned as possible destinations.
Mikautadze’s three goals in the tournament have also earned him entry into the history of the Euro Cup. He has entered the group of players who have scored goals in each of their first three games in the tournament. Viktor Ponedelnik (Czechoslovakia), Michel Platini (France), Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria), Savo Milosevic (Serbia), Milan Baros (Czech Republic), Van Nistelrooy (Netherlands) and Gareth Bale (Wales) are part of that select list. If he scores against Spain, Mikautadze will make history again.
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