Georges_Mikautadze
Georges Mikautadze
Footballer (born 2000)
Georges Mikautadze (Georgian: გიორგი მიქაუტაძე Giorgi Mikautadze; born 31 October 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Metz, on loan from Eredivisie club Ajax. Born in France, he plays for the Georgia national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (2000-10-31) 31 October 2000 (age 23) | ||
| Place of birth | Lyon, France | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
Metz (on loan from Ajax) | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2008 | FC Gerland | ||
| 2008–2015 | Lyon | ||
| 2015–2016 | Saint-Priest | ||
| 2016–2018 | Metz | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2020 | Metz B | 24 | (9) |
| 2019–2023 | Metz | 42 | (25) |
| 2020–2022 | → Seraing (loan) | 49 | (28) |
| 2023– | Ajax | 6 | (0) |
| 2024– | → Metz (loan) | 13 | (8) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021– | Georgia | 24 | (9) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 April 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 7 April 2024 | |||
Early career
Mikautadze started taking first steps in football at Gerland before he joined the academy of Olympique Lyonnais. In 2016, he moved to FC Metz's football academy.[1]
Mikautadze made his professional debut with Metz in a 4–1 Ligue 1 loss to Nice on 7 December 2019.[2] On 10 December 2019, he signed his first professional contract with Metz which was a four-year deal.[3] He struggled to make an impact in his first season in France, playing mostly for the reserve team.[4]
Seraing
In June 2020, Mikautadze was one of six Metz players to join Belgian First Division B side Seraing on loan.[5] After his first nine matches with Seraing, he had scored 15 times, including four on his debut against Lommel.[6] Overall, with 19 goals he became a joint topscorer of the season. He netted three goals in an aggregate 6–3 play-off victory over Waasland-Beveren. For his contribution to Seraing's successful league campaign, Mikautadze was named in Team of the Season[7] and was awarded the Métallo d'Or, the title annually given to the best Seraing player, after the fans had voted for him.[8]
On 30 August 2021, he returned to Seraing on another loan, with the club now promoted to the Belgian top tier.[9] The team ended up in the relegation zone, although it remained in the league due to the only goal scored by Mikautadze in the play-offs against Molenbeek.[10]
Metz
In the summer of 2022, Mikautadze returned to Metz. From a very early stage of the team's 2022–23 league campaign, he emerged as a vital contributor to its promotion battle. By March 2023 Mikautadze was the leading goalscorer of the league. Taking into account his overall performance, the National Union of Professional Players (UNPF) named him Player of the Month.[11] Having added nine more goals in April and May, he was selected in Team of the Week six times in a row during this period.[12] By the end of the season he was the top goalscorer and best player of the league.[13]
With Metz promoted to Ligue 1 in 2023–24, Mikautadze had an impressive start to the new season, scoring twice and providing an assist in three matches.
Ajax
On 30 August 2023, Eredivisie club Ajax announced the signing of Mikautadze on a five-year contract for a reported fee of €16 million, potentially rising to €19 million with add-ons.[14][15] He made his debut, starting and playing the full game, in a 0–0 draw away at Fortuna Sittard.[16] During the first half of the 2023–24 campaign, Mikautadze made just nine appearances in all competitions for Ajax, failing to score a goal.[17]
Return to Metz
On 4 January 2024, Mikautadze returned to Metz, arriving on loan from Ajax until the end of the 2023–24 season.[18][19] The deal included an option-to-buy, reported to be around €10 million.[17]
He failed to score in his first five games, but then netted seven in as many matches, including a brace in a vital 2–1 win over Lens.[20] In mid-April, one of the media outlets found it incredible that a player with only 15 appearances in Metz's 29 matches accounted for 30% of the goals scored by the team.[21]
In February, Mikautadze was voted Player of the Month by Metz fans for the second time this season after August 2023.[22]
Mikautadze received a first call-up for the Georgia national team from French coach Willy Sagnol in March 2021. He told the press that he had been dreaming about playing for Georgia since his childhood.[23]
Mikautadze made his debut with the Georgia national team in a 1–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification loss to Sweden on 25 March 2021.[24] In June 2021, he netted his first international goal in a 2–1 away friendly win against Romania.[25]
On 12 October 2023, Mikautadze scored 4 goals, his first international hat-trick and poker, in an 8–0 win against Thailand, the record win of the Georgia national team.
Club
- As of match played 21 April 2024[26]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Metz B | 2018–19 | Championnat National 3 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | |||
| 2019–20 | Championnat National 3 | 18 | 8 | — | — | — | 18 | 8 | ||||
| Total | 24 | 9 | — | — | — | 24 | 9 | |||||
| Metz | 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2022–23 | Ligue 2 | 37 | 23 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 40 | 24 | |||
| 2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 2 | |||
| Total | 42 | 25 | 3 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 45 | 26 | |||
| Seraing (loan) |
2020–21 | Belgian First Division B | 21 | 19 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[lower-alpha 1] | 3 | 24 | 22 | |
| 2021–22 | Belgian Pro League | 28 | 9 | 3 | 4 | — | 2[lower-alpha 2] | 1 | 33 | 14 | ||
| Total | 49 | 28 | 4 | 4 | — | 4 | 4 | 57 | 36 | |||
| Ajax | 2023–24 | Eredivisie | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |
| Metz (loan) | 2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 8 | ||
| Career total | 134 | 70 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 148 | 79 | ||
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of match played 26 March 2024[27]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 2021 | 7 | 1 |
| 2022 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 9 | 7 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 24 | 9 | |
- Scores and results list Georgia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mikautadze goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 June 2021 | Ilie Oană Stadium, Ploiești, Romania |  Romania | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 2 June 2022 | Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi, Georgia |  Gibraltar | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C |
| 3 | 28 March 2023 | Batumi Stadium, Batumi, Georgia |  Norway | 1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
| 4 | 17 June 2023 | AEK Arena, Larnaca, Cyprus |  Cyprus | 1–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
| 5 | 12 October 2023 | Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia |  Thailand | 3–0 | 8–0 | Friendly |
| 6 | 4–0 | |||||
| 7 | 5–0 | |||||
| 8 | 7–0 | |||||
| 9 | 15 October 2023 | Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tblisi, Georgia | Cyprus | 4–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
Individual
- "მეცმა" ქართველთან კონტრაქტი გააფორმა - მიქაუტაძე ლოთარინგიაში სამი წელი ითამაშებს". 1tv.ge (in Georgian). 11 Dec 2019.
- "Nice vs. Metz - 7 December 2019 - Soccerway". Soccerway.
- "FC Metz Amid interest from the Premier League, set a price tag". FootballExpress.in. 13 May 2023.
- "Metz send 6 players on loan to Belgian 2nd division side & satellite club Seraing". getfootballnewsfrance.com. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- "Maak kennis met Georges Mikautadze: het doelpuntenfenomeen in 1B". sporza.be (in Dutch). 13 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- "D1B Pro League 'XI van het seizoen' // SPITS (2) // Georges Mikautadze (Seraing)" [D1B Pro League 'XI of the season' // STRIKER (2) // Georges Mikautadze (Seraing)]. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- "Georges Mikautadze reçoit le titre de Métallo d'Or" (in French). 17 April 2021.
- "MERCATO : GEORGES IS BACK" (in French). Seraing. 30 August 2021.
- "Molenbeek vs Seraing". fotmob.com. 23 April 2022.
- "GEORGES MIKAUTADZE SACRÉ EN LIGUE 2 BKT" (in French). UNPF. 18 April 2023.
- "მიქაუტაძე და დავითაშვილი ლიგა 2-ის ტურის სიმბოლურში ისევ ერთად მოხვდნენ". europop.ge (in Georgian). 24 May 2023.
- "Trophées UNFP: Palmarès des meilleurs joueurs" (in French). ligue2.fr. 28 May 2023.
- "Ajax signs Mikautadze". ajax.nl. 30 August 2023.
- Pietrzela, Andrea (30 August 2023). "Mikautadze all'Ajax, è ufficiale: contratto fino al 2028". Goal.com (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- "Ajax announce Georges Mikautadze departure". OneFootball. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- "Le roi est de retour!" [The king is back!] (in French). FC Metz. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- "Georges Mikautadze on loan to FC Metz". AFC Ajax. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- "Mikautadze double boosts Metz in relegation fight". Associated Press. 13 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- "GEORGES MIKAUTADZE – FROM AJAX OUTCAST TO METZ'S SAVIOUR?". getfootballnewsfrance.com. 13 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- "Georges Mikautadze Grenat du mois de février Equipe Pro" (in French). FC Metz. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- "მიქაუტაძე: ჩემი ქვეყნის ნაკრების ღირსების დაცვაზე ბავშვობიდან ვოცნებობდი". sportall.ge (in Georgian). 22 March 2021.
- "Match Report of Sweden vs Georgia - 2021-03-25 - WC Qualification". Global Sports Archive. 25 Mar 2021. Retrieved 26 Mar 2021.
- "Romania vs Georgia". EUROSPORT. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
- Georges Mikautadze at Soccerway
- "Mikautadze, Georges". soccerway.com. Soccerway. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- "Trophées UNFP. Le Messin Georges Mikautadze élu meilleur joueur de Ligue 2". ouest-france.fr (in French). 28 May 2023.
- "Ligue 2 : Arouna Sangante dans l'équipe type de la saison". Wiwsport.com (in French). 29 May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
- Georges Mikautadze – French league stats at LFP – also available in French (archived)
- Georges Mikautadze at Soccerway
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