He is the Georgian man-mountain who has been one of the standout performers at the 2024 European Championship.
Giorgi Mamardashvili made 30 saves in four matches — the second-most in a single edition of the competition, after Igor Akinfeev’s 32 for Russia in 2008 — as Georgia bowed out in the last 16 against Spain. But the goalkeeper’s heroics were no surprise to anyone who watched him at Valencia last season.
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Mamardashvili, 23, arrived in Germany as La Liga’s top-performing keeper. Based on the expected goals (xG) of the shots on target he faced, he prevented more goals than any other goalkeeper in the league (+11.3 — conceding 39 from an xG on target of 50.3) and he carried that impressive form into the Euros.
Before the tournament, he was already on the radar of a number of European clubs such as Newcastle United, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, but his outstanding displays this summer will only add to the buzz.
The third-youngest goalkeeper at the Euros, he is valued at around €50million ($54m; £42m) by Valencia — although he has a contract until June 2027 and a buyout clause of €100m. Despite the interest from top sides, no formal offer has been tabled.
Asked about a potential move to Bayern last week, Mamardashvili made clear his desire to only go somewhere as No 1.
“Bayern still have the best goalkeeper in the world,” he said. “Therefore, it’s currently not possible to move there. I would only go there if I’ll play. If I don’t play, then no.”
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Mamardashvili was Georgia’s hero in goal and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia their danger man up top as they beat Portugal 2-0 in their final group game to reach the knockout stages at their first major tournament after a 3-1 loss against Turkey and a 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic.
Mamardashvili made a record-equalling 21 saves in the group stage — eight more than any other goalkeeper — and prevented 3.6 goals, based on expected goals on target (xGOT). That was the best-ever performance recorded in the group stage.
Over Georgia’s four matches, including their 4-1 last-16 defeat to Spain, he stopped 3.17 goals based on xGOT, as shown below.
That was off the back of his exploits for Valencia last season, where he was La Liga’s outstanding goalkeeper. He played 37 of 38 games in the Spanish top flight, conceding 34 goals, kept 13 clean sheets and saved three of the six penalties he faced.
His saves prevented around 10 goals more than the average keeper would be expected to concede, based on xG, which was the most impressive goalkeeping display in La Liga since Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak in 2020-21.
Mamardashvili’s rise to becoming one of Europe’s best goalkeepers is the result of hard work, dedication and taking his chance when the opportunity presented itself.
He spent nine years with Dinamo Tbilisi in the Georgian capital at the start of his career, a club which has produced other national team stars including former Manchester City and Derby County midfielder Giorgi Kinkladze and Kvaratskhelia. Mamardashvili’s father Davit was also a goalkeeper, and later worked as a goalkeeping coach.
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Eager for first-team experience, the man now known as ‘Mama’ moved from Dinamo to Rustavi and then Locomotive Tbilisi on loan, where he was named the best goalkeeper in the Georgian league in 2020 after a breakout campaign.
But he caught Valencia’s attention with an exceptional match in the third qualifying round of the Europa League against fellow Spanish side Granada in September of that year.
“I was told there was a goalkeeper at Locomotive Tbilisi who was outstanding, so I started following him,” Antonio Lopez, the agent who brought him to Valencia, told the online outlet Breaking the Lines.
“After seeing him against Granada, I decided (to act). I contacted Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Girona, Villarreal, Betis… but they all told me, ‘A Georgian? Don’t kill me’. I was pulling my hair out because I saw that he was a top goalkeeper.”
He joined Valencia in the summer of 2021 on an initial year-long loan deal, with an option to buy for €800,000 (£680,000; $870,000) at the end of the season.
The plan was for Mamardashvili to start with the reserves, who play in the fifth tier of Spanish football, but he excelled in pre-season with first- and second-choice options Jasper Cillessen and Jaume Domenech injured. That meant he started Valencia’s opening match of the season against Getafe, where he kept a clean sheet.
While he lost his place to Cillessen when the Dutchman returned to fitness, he forced his way back into the side in February 2022. The 6ft 6in (199cm) keeper has been a mainstay ever since, playing every minute of the 2022-23 season.
Willy Sagnol, the Georgia manager and former France right-back, describes him as a “fantastic goalkeeper” to The Athletic. He first selected Mamardashvili when he was a backup for Dinamo Tbilisi and has witnessed his impressive evolution at Valencia.
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“When we had a conversation, I said to him, ‘If you work every day with great players, you will get better’,” Sagnol says of Mamardashvili’s start at Valencia. “Two goalkeepers got injured very quickly and the third one wasn’t very good at the beginning, so he got the chance and he took it. And three years later, for me, he is one of the best goalkeepers in Europe. Match after match, he is putting in top performances.”
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“He had a really strong tournament for us and he was outstanding in a number of games,” adds David Webb, who was part of Sagnol’s coaching team in Germany. “He got man of the match against the Czech Republic and rightly so.
“He is an excellent communicator, comes for crosses and is extremely hard-working in training. The progression he has had at Valencia in a short period of time is exceptional and you can see why he is so highly regarded in Europe.”
Under Gennaro Gattuso, the former AC Milan midfielder and Mamardashvili’s second of four permanent managers since joining Valencia, he was encouraged to play out more from the back. A midfielder would often drop in between the centre-backs to receive the ball from the Georgian.
This helped him to work on his distribution, but it remains the part of his game that requires the most improvement. He can look awkward under pressure with the ball at his feet.
Earlier this summer Valencia signed another goalkeeper, Stole Dimitrievski, on a free transfer from Rayo Vallecano. That may suggest they are preparing for life after Mamardashvili if their owner Peter Lim receives an offer he cannot refuse.
But Lim will only let go of one of his star assets if he feels it suits Valencia. Sources close to Mamardashvili — who asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships — say he is waiting for an offer to be first-choice at an elite club, although he is happy to stay with his current team if that does not materialise.
With Europe��s big boys circling after his superb tournament, plenty will be watching with interest as to what’s next for the ‘Georgian Wall’.
Additional reporting: Guillermo Rai
(Top photo by James Baylis – AMA/Getty Images)
