Georges Mikautadze

Georges Mikautadze (გიორგი მიქაუტაძე ; born 31 October 2000) is a Georgian 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.

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.

Mikautadze made his professional debut with Metz in a 4–1 Ligue 1 loss to Nice on 7 December 2019.

On 10 December 2019, he signed his first professional contract with Metz which was a four-year deal.

He struggled to make an impact in his first season in France, playing mostly for the reserve team.

In June 2020, Mikautadze was one of six Metz players to join Belgian First Division B side Seraing on loan.

After his first nine matches with Seraing, he had scored 15 times, including four on his debut against Lommel.

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 and was awarded the Métallo d'Or, the title annually given to the best Seraing player, after the fans had voted for him.

On 30 August 2021, he returned to Seraing on another loan, with the club now promoted to the Belgian top tier.

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.

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.

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.

By the end of the season he was the top goalscorer and best player of the league.

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.

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.

He made his debut, starting and playing the full game, in a 0–0 draw away at Fortuna Sittard.

During the first half of the 2023–24 campaign, Mikautadze made just nine appearances in all competitions for Ajax, failing to score a goal.

On 4 January 2024, Mikautadze returned to Metz, arriving on loan from Ajax until the end of the 2023–24 season.

The deal included an option-to-buy, reported to be around €10 million.

In February, Mikautadze was voted Player of the Month by Metz fans for the second time this season after August 2023.

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.

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.

In June 2021, he netted his first international goal in a 2–1 away friendly win against Romania.

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.

Individual