While players from the biggest clubs on the biggest European stages can become superstars over the course of a European league season, it is the major international tournaments where players from smaller nations can become household names.
One player who will receive a lot of attention at Euro 2024 is Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who has just finished a standout season with Valencia and has helped his national team surprise the rest of Europe.
Mamardashvili, who played a pivotal role in his country’s first ever appearance at a European Championship, was in the spotlight early and often as Georgia qualified for the last 16 as third-placed team from Group F. They sensationally beat Portugal in their final group game to advance, capitalising on a mental slip by Portugal, who had already secured top spot in the group.
That earned the tiny ex-Soviet nation a clash against Spain in their opening knockout game, a formidable test against a team that beat them twice in Euro 2024 qualifying. Once again, Mamardashvili will be the centre of attention against one of the most in-form attacking teams on the Euro 2024 field.
Who is Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili?
Giorgi Mamardashvili, 23, has become one of the best goalkeepers in Europe.
Born in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, he began his club career in the youth ranks of FC Gagra, but was signed by national giants Dinamo Tbilisi at the age of 12. He did not play a single game for Dinamo, but was loaned out. to two other national clubs, first in Rustavi and then in Locomotive Tbilisi.
The latter of those two loan spells gave Mamardashvili his rise to prominence, as he starred for Locomotive in a few matches in the early rounds of the Europa League, including when they defeated Russian giants Dynamo Moscow in the second round. That year he won the Georgian Football Goalkeeper of the Year award for his efforts.
That summer, he was sent to Spanish side Valencia, initially on a one-year loan deal. He immediately won the starting job at the LaLiga club at just 20 years old, and it took Valencia until December of that year to sign him permanently on a deal worth a bargain €850,000 ($910,600/£720,400), signing a contract of three years. One-year contract until the summer of 2024, with the option of one more season.
Mamardashvili stars in Euro 2024 with Georgia
Mamardashvili has led Georgia to the knockout stages of Euro 2024 in the country’s first appearance at a major tournament.
In the first three group stage matches, Georgia allowed a whopping 71 shots, 16 more than any other team on the pitch. Those 71 shots translated into 25 shots on goal, four more than any other team in the group stage.
Despite that, Mamardashvili conceded just four goals, two of which came on stunning shots in the opening game against Turkey. This leaves Mamardashvili with a +3.58 xGOTA*/goals conceded differential, the best mark of any team in the tournament until the end of the group stage. Seven teams at Euro 2024 conceded more goals than Georgia in the group stage, despite the high volume of shots conceded.
Giorgi Mamardashvili with another great save for Georgia! ??? image.twitter.com/CrLksLFXfL
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 18, 2024
*xGOTA is a post-contact value assigned to each shot on goal based on shot location, shot placement, and defender position, which identifies the probability of that inpidual effort resulting in a goal.
Mamardashvili has had an exceptional season with Valencia
Although Giorgi Mamardashvili announced himself to the world at Euro 2024, by the time the summer tournament rolled around he had already become one of the best goalkeepers in Europe.
At Valencia for the 2023/24 season, Mamardashvili recorded an incredible campaign that helped the club finish in ninth place in LaLiga. That followed a 2022/23 season in which Valencia narrowly avoided relegation, improving seven places in the table.
According FBref.comThe 23-year-old goalkeeper recorded a differential of 10.2 xGOTA +/-, which was the best of all LaLiga goalkeepers and third among players from the big five European clubs, slightly behind Monza’s Michele Di Gregorio and Gianluigi Donnarumma of PSG.
Mamardashvili’s contract, salary at Valencia
After joining Valencia in the summer of 2021 and signing a four-year contract, the young goalkeeper immediately became a vital player for the LaLiga club.
With his strong performance upon joining the Spanish side, Mamardashvili has earned a new contract, signing a five-year deal in September 2022 that ties him to the club until the summer of 2027.
According to contract and financial tracker CapologyMamardashvili’s current contract sees him earn €1.5m ($1.61m/£1.27m) per season, or around €28,850 ($30,930/£24,450) per week. This makes him the club’s ninth-highest earning player, a list topped by Jose Gaya and Mouctar Diakhaby.
Reports claim Mamardashvili has a release clause in his contract worth €100m ($107.5m/£85m), which would be an extremely high fee for a goalkeeper.
Mamardashvili linked with transfer to Liverpool and Newcastle in summer
After a season like his, a player will always be the centre of attention in the transfer window, and that is exactly the case with Giorgi Mamardashvili this summer.
One of the most prominent clubs with a potential goalkeeping need is Liverpool, who could offload Alisson and head to Saudi Arabia in a multi-million-pound transfer. That could open the door for Mamardashvili, who has been linked with a move to Merseyside by Liverpool. Radio MARCA in Spain.
He has also been linked with another Premier League club as Newcastle are reportedly seeking his signature, but according to Spanish store Relevo The Magpies have refused to pay Valencia’s asking price of €35m ($37.5m/£29.7m).
Mamardashvili told the media Before Euro 2024 began, he said he was “very close” to joining Bayern Munich last summer, but the German side ultimately turned down the chance to get over Valencia’s financial threshold, which was the same €35m reported for transfers this summer.