Georgian football is entering a new era, with the country’s rising stars making waves across top European leagues. FromKhvicha Kvaratskhelia’s record-breaking transfer to PSG to a new wave of young talent emerging from local academies, Georgia is quickly becoming a footballing powerhouse. With increasing international attention and success at the club and national team level, the future looks bright for Georgian footballers making their mark on the global stage.
Breaking records
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has just signed for PSG after two-and-a-half seasons playing in Italy at SSC Napoli. The 23-year-old became the 54th most expensive signing ever with his €70M signing fee – by far the priciest Georgian player ever. Standing at second is national team goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, after his €30M transfer from Valencia CF to Liverpool FC (next summer).
Other notables
Notable players also include Zuriko Davitashvili, who signed from Girondins de Bordeaux to AS Saint-Etienne for €6M last summer. He has been a key performer for “Les Verts” this season, scoring six and assisting two in 18 Ligue 1 appearances so far. 24-year-old striker Georges Mikautadze has found it more difficult to integrate into his new club Olympique Lyonnais, which he joined from Ajax Amsterdam last summer. Though he is slowly finding his rhythm now with eight goals and one assist in all competitions for the French side.
Georges had ended the 23/24 season off strongly, playing a great part in Georgia’s historic run in the 2024 Euros, making it out of the group stage for their first-ever participation in the competition, finishing the tournament as joint-first top scorer with three goals.
Turning to academy football
One thing is for certain, Georgian football has never been in a better place, and top European clubs have begun to take notice – turning to academy football to uncover the next big talent to emerge from the country.
Spotlight on Dinamo
The first example of this has been Newcastle United confirming the signing of 17-year-old striker Vakhtang Salia, who is to officially join the side in the summer. He comes from Dinamo Tbilisi Academy, as did “Kvara”, Mamardashvili and Davitashvili. The top club in Georgia for talent development, Dinamo repeatedly reels in the best Georgian talents to have them develop in their well-known academy. There, players have plenty of space to flourish and push for first-team minutes, while also having the chance to shine in the UEFA Youth League.
On the rise
Other players on the rise within the youth ranks include the likes of Nikoloz Tsetskhladze (2005), Aleksandre Peikrishvili (2006), Saba Samushia (2006), Giorgi Meparishvili (2006), Mate Sauri (2006) and Saba Kharebashvili (2008).
Georgia’s future
As Georgian football continues to rise on the global stage, the talent pipeline shows no signs of slowing down. With emerging stars now on the radar of top European clubs, the future is bright for this footballing nation. From promising youth prospects to newly-established stars, Georgia is making its presence known, and the best may still be yet to come.
