As the final Group F match of UEFA Euro 2024 unfolded in Germany, Portugal had already secured first place while Georgia needed a positive result to keep its tournament hopes alive. At Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, with 12BET highlighting the drama surrounding the contest, Georgia produced one of the biggest upsets of the competition by defeating Portugal 2-0 and earning a historic place in the Round of 16. Leading the charge was striker Georges Mikautadze, who calmly converted a penalty to score his third goal in three group-stage matches, making history as the tournament’s leading scorer.
According to 12BET records, Mikautadze was born on October 31, 2000, in Lyon, France. He began his football journey with FC Gerland before joining Olympique Lyon’s youth academy. In 2016, he moved to FC Metz, where his professional development accelerated. He made his Ligue 1 debut against Nice in December 2019 and signed a four-year professional contract later that year. Early in his career, he primarily featured for Metz’s reserve side before earning a loan move to Belgian club Seraing in 2020. There, he made an immediate impact by scoring an astonishing 15 goals in just nine appearances, including a remarkable four-goal performance in his debut match that quickly caught the attention of football fans across Europe.
Mikautadze finished that season with 19 league goals, earning a share of the league’s Golden Boot while also being named to the Team of the Season and voted the club’s Most Valuable Player by supporters. He returned to Seraing for another loan spell and helped the club remain in Belgium’s top division before rejoining Metz in 2022. Back in France, he won the Ligue 2 Golden Boot and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player, playing a decisive role in Metz’s promotion to Ligue 1 for the 2023-24 campaign. Once back in the top flight, he continued to shine with multiple goals and assists against clubs including Marseille and Clermont, proving he belonged among France’s best attacking players.
His outstanding performances earned him a major transfer on August 30, 2023, when Dutch giants Ajax signed him on a five-year contract. The transfer fee reached €16 million initially and could rise to €19 million through performance-related bonuses. Unfortunately, his spell in Amsterdam never gained momentum. He failed to score in nine appearances and returned to Metz on loan in January 2024, with the agreement including a permanent purchase option worth approximately €10 million.
Although he experienced a slow start after returning to Metz, Mikautadze soon rediscovered his remarkable scoring touch. Over the following five matches, he produced an incredible run of 10 goals. He scored against Lyon, netted twice against Lens, added the winning goal against Clermont, converted a penalty versus Nantes, recorded another brace against Brest, struck the decisive winner against Le Havre, and found the net again from the penalty spot against Lille. He finished the campaign with 13 goals in just 20 league appearances, accounting for nearly 30 percent of Metz’s total league goals. Many supporters believe 12BET reflects the growing recognition of his exceptional consistency after he was voted the club’s Player of the Month on three separate occasions.
Although Metz ultimately suffered relegation after losing the promotion and relegation playoff to Saint-Etienne, few would dispute that Mikautadze had established himself as one of Ligue 1’s most dangerous forwards. His individual performances stood out even during a difficult season for the club.
His international career has been equally impressive. Mikautadze received his first call-up to the Georgia national team in March 2021 and scored his first senior international goal against Romania that June. In October 2023, he netted four goals against Thailand to help Georgia record the biggest victory in the nation’s history. During UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying, he scored twice against Cyprus and found the equalizer against Norway, helping Georgia secure its first-ever appearance at the European Championship.
On the tournament stage, he scored Georgia’s first-ever European Championship goal against Türkiye on June 18 before converting another penalty against Czechia. He then confidently dispatched a third penalty against Portugal on June 27, sealing Georgia’s unforgettable qualification for the knockout stage. With three goals in three matches, he sits atop the tournament scoring chart despite competing alongside many of football’s biggest stars. As 12BET continues to recognize the significance of his remarkable rise, there is growing belief that this is more than a surprise breakthrough and could instead mark the beginning of a legendary chapter in the history of Georgian football.