League 1 : "Mikautadze is the Mbappé of Metz"… How the Georgian revived his team in the race to maintain
A return to the sources which brings happiness to the Garnets. “Georges (Mikautadze), he’s not Kylian Mbappé, but he’s the Kylian Mbappé of FC Metz.” From the top of the stage of the Océane stadium, Laszlo Bölöni exults: announced candidate for the descent into Ligue 2 since the start of the season, the Lorraine club is in 15th position, just above the relegation zone, before receiving Lille, Sunday April 28, for the 31st day.
This place, the Lorraines, who signed a second consecutive victory in Le Havre (1-0) last Sunday, owe a lot to “King Geroges”. Author of the only goal of the game in Normandy, the Georgian has already reached the mark of 10 goals this season, in only 16 matches played with the Grenats.
On August 30, Georges Mikautadze set down his bags in the port of Amsterdam, after having scored 23 goals in Ligue 2 and propelled Messins into Ligue 1. By signing up with Ajax until 2028 in exchange for a check for 16 million euros, the young 23-year-old Georgian hoped to reach a new level and discover the European Cup. But in the Netherlands, the striker dragged on his spleen and concluded his first six months with only nine short matches played for three starts, without the slightest goal scored. Enough to give rise, even before the winter break, to the idea of a return to a Metz team that is nevertheless moribund.
“Georges is suffering in Amsterdam. I am always afraid of operations like that, especially if the patient is from my family. I of course hope to see Georges return, but we must be wary if that happens. I have already recovered from ‘former players, sometimes it worked, sometimes not’, said the Metz coach about the striker at the end of December. On January 4, the Georgian international with 23 caps finally returns to the lands of its success, as part of a six-month loan with an option to purchase. FC Metz is then 14th in Ligue 1, third worst attack in the championship with only 16 goals, including two already scored by Mikautadze before flying to the Johan Cruyff Arena.
“Everyone was waiting for it. Even the players among themselves. Some were going to ask the team manager ‘Georges will really come back?’ We knew that if we wanted to have a chance of surviving, it had to be done through him.”, tells franceinfo: sport an internal source. The substitutes for “King George” – Simon Elisor, Oscar Estupinan, Benjamin Tetteh – only scored one goal between them in Ligue 1. “You shouldn’t expect him to be a superhero”however proclaimed Christophe Hérelle, Metz central defender, on his return.
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