Road to Ligue 1: Georges Mikautadze

Georges Mikautadze has ostensibly been a one-man fighting machine for FC Metz this season after returning to the club on loan from Ajax in the winter. With Les Grenats facing the daunting prospect of a relegation battle that could reach the final day, King Georges (as he is fondly nicknamed by Metz fans) has provided the spark of inspiration and goal-scoring touch that could keep the promoted side up this season.

Mikautadze has scored 10 goals in 17 Ligue 1 matches this season, with eight of those coming in 13 games after his move back to the Lorraine region at the start of 2024. Last season’s Ligue 2 BKT top scorer has now scored five goals in his last three matches in Ligue 1. It is, fair to say, a successful output since his return.

WATCH: Georges Mikautadze scores vital latest goal against Le Havre

Getting over early rejection at Lyon, Soaring at Seraing on loan

Mikautadze joined the Olympique Lyonnais youth academy at the age of eight, but had to go through a heart-breaking rejection by the age of 15. It was a set-back that the Georgian later admitted “shattered my childhood dreams”.

Playing in the same generation as Amine Gouiri (Rennes) and strikers with bigger physical qualities at Lyon such as Esteban Lepaul (Angers) and Mohamed Bahlouli (Sampdoria), Mikautadze was let go by Les Gones. He then moved to Metz, where he played for the reserve side before being sent to Belgium on loan.

Mikautadze was one of six Metz players to join Belgian second tier side Seraing on loan in the summer of 2020, a move which would mark his arrival in senior football and a chance to show his goal-scoring abilities. “When I arrived at the club, I was very quickly impressed by this player,” says former manager at Seraing, Jean-Louis Garcia. “Having him reassured me for the relegation battle. I was even surprised he was on loan. Speed, accuracy, composure, movement: he had it all.”

“Georges is not Mbappé, but he is the Mbappé of FC Metz”

Following a successful stint at the Belgian side (15 goals in 33 games), Metz manager László Bölöni took a chance on the youngster in a bid to fire Metz back to Ligue 1. “We had the courage to keep someone, to take a chance on someone who hadn’t really been taken seriously until that point,” said Bölöni.

Mikautadze rewarded the faith put in him with a sensational season in Ligue 2 BKT becoming the league’s top scorer with 23 goals as well as clinching the player of the season award. The Georgian international made his Ligue 1 debut against Rennes, showcasing his ability as a dangerous dribbler, with physicality, speed, and a deadly finishing ability in only a handful of games before joining Dutch giants Ajax last summer.

A difficult spell with the struggling Eredivisie side saw Mikautadze return to Ligue 1 in January, and he has certainly re-hit the ground running with Les Grenats. “Georges is not Mbappé, but he is the Mbappé of FC Metz,” said manager Boloni after his latest goal against Le Havre (0-1) on Sunday. “He’s back to his best today. When you have a striker, that’s the greatest joy.”

Having scored a brace against Lens at home, his follow-up against Le Havre saw his side rise into 15th place in the Ligue 1 table, and with a daunting fixture list against LOSC, Rennes, Strasbourg and PSG – Les Grenats will need all the help they can get from their King Georges.

>>Mikautadze helps Metz fight the drop

>>MATCH REPORTS: Metz climb out of relegation zone, Montpellier & Lille win