New Delhi: Every major International tournament brings with itself an opportunity for players to shine on a larger stage than they are used to and in every tournament we see players land huge moves for themselves cause of the same. Some of the moves work out, some don’t but players who perform at the International stage, they’re sure to get recognized and earn a big move from their current club.
In the 2022 FIFA World Cup, we saw Enzo Fernandez win the World Cup and earn a move to Chelsea on the back of that performance, while Azzedine Ounahi moved to Marseille following his displays in Morocco’s dream run to the semi-finals. In the 2018 FIFA World Cup, there were Mateo Kovacic and Benjamin Pavard who earned big moves to Chelsea and Bayern Munich are impressing in Russia.
Even at the UEFA Euros, players have gone on to a bigger club after shining in Europe’s premier International tournament. Joao Mario and Mikkel Damsgaard both performed for their national side in the 2016 and 2021 editions leading them to moves to Inter Milan, and Brentford in the Premier League.
While the tournament is not yet over, with the semi-finals still remaining, one such star of the tournament could wrap up his next club before UEFA Euro 2024 concludes, and that being Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze. He was the top scorer of the tournament after the group stages and was instrumental in Georgia’s run to the last 16 stage of their debut UEFA European Championships campaign.
Georges Mikautadze’s Club Performances
Georges Mikautadze’s performances for Metz earned him a move to Ajax (Photo by ANP via Getty Images)
Georgian striker Mikautadze has been performing brilliantly at club level for the past two seasons now with his form for Metz, helping the side gain promotion to Ligue 1 at the end of the 2022/23 season. He scored 23 goals and provided a further 8 assists in Ligue 2, helping his side finish second and earn promotion to Ligue 1. His performances in the second division of French football helped him earn a move to Ajax.
However, he struggled to get meaning gametime with the club, making only nine appearances for the club. After struggling to perform at Ajax, he moved back to Metz where he found his form again, scoring 14 goals and providing 4 assists in just 22 games for Metz but his good form for the club couldn’t help them maintain their Ligue 1 status as they dropped back down to Ligue 2.
Georgia’s star at UEFA Euro 2024
Georges Mikautadze was his country’s best player at UEFA Euro 2024. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
Mikautadze proved to be the unlikely hero for the Gerogians as his performances for his country powered them to the knockout stages of the tournament in their debut campaign. Their tournament was off to a bad start as a 3-1 defeat to Turkey had them laguishing at the foot of table in the Group F. He was the only one who had any impact on the game for Gerogia and got a goal for his efforts.
While Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was expected to be the star for their campagian, Mikautadze stole the show in the team. He became the only player to score on all three matchdays and was the leading the golden boot race when the group stages ended. He scored in Georgia’s draw with Czechia and was instrumental in his side’s victory over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal as he contributed to both of the match, scoring one and assisting the other.
Even though his team couldn’t make it past the round of 16, reaching that stage was an achievement in itself was a nation playing its first major International tournament. His form over the summer was sure to pique interest in the striker once the tournament ended and as it turned out, that happened even before the UEFA Euro 2024 reached its conclusion.
The impact of his performances
There is a need for strikers at Monaco after Ben Yeder’s exit. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
As the UEFA European Championship is a chance for a player to shine on the world stage, drawing eyeballs from a much wider audience, Georges Mikautade made full use of the platform he was given and showed the world that a young Georgian star could be on the rise once again.
His form in the second half of the Ligue 1 season, combined with his ability to perform at a grand stage like the UEFA Euros, drew the interest of Ligue 1 side AS Monaco, who make their return to the UEFA Champions League next season. According to reports on social media, the Ligue 1 side have now already agreed personal terms with the 23-year-old striker and remain keen on wrapping the deal before UEFA Euro 2024 concludes to gain an advantage over other clubs that might look to get the Georgian.
AS Monaco have just seen their star forward, Wissam Ben Yeder, leave the club after his contract expired. The French striker scored 118 goals for the club, becoming their second highest goal-scorer ever. The need a reliable goalscorer up front because none of their current strikers have produced the form or consistency for them till now.
Folarin Balogan scored only eight goals after moving to Moncao, Myron Boadu had an injury riddled campaign both at Moncao and at FC Twente on loan, and the same goes for Breel Embolo who only played five games last season due to a long term injury, scoring just a solitary goal.
If Monaco manage to get this deal completed, which in all likelihood seems like a real possibility, they would’ve gotten a reliable and proven option in the French league and could be someone who can go on to lead the line for AS Moncao for years.
Georgia’s star Georges Mikautadze had a breakthrough campaign at the UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany this summer, playing a key role in debutants Georgia beating Portugal and making it to the tournament’s knockout stages. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
