If shining with your country in major international competitions is normal for attackers like Thomas Müller, Kylian Mbappé or Cristiano Ronaldo, donning the German, French or Portuguese tunic seriously increases the chances of participating in a major tournament. However, qualifying your country for the first time in its history for the European Championship can already be a feat for other footballers.
The best proof? Georgia, qualified at the end of the suspense in a penalty shootout won against Greece in Tbilisi last March (0-0, 4-2 tab). In the Crusaders goal, Giorgi Mamardashvili took responsibility for stopping the opposing shots. Thanks to a decisive save and a validated ticket for Germany this summer, the 23-year-old goalkeeper, eager to kiss the Georgian crest in front of grateful supporters, helped to make his entire homeland proud. And again, it was only the beginning.
Bordalás: “I started him from the first day of the championship”
Since landing across the Rhine with the selection led by Willy Sagnol, Mamardashvili has been learning by leaps and bounds. After a baptism of fire that ended in a defeat against Turkey (3-1), this colossus close to two meters (1m99, 90 kg) has transformed himself into an imposing wall against opposing attempts. Result of the races: a man of the match trophy for his 11 saves made during the duel against the Czech Republic (1-1), then a new XXL performance to disgust CR7’s Portugal (2-0).
Giorgi Mamardashvili in front of Georgian supporters after the victory against Portugal (2-0).
Credit: Getty Images
Impassable in Gelsenkirchen, as illustrated by his magnificent save on a curling shot from Diogo Dalot in the final seconds of the match, Mamardashvili has earned the respect of all the coaches in La Liga for three seasons now, starting with José Bordalás. “The first time we met was during the first training sessions in Valencia,” recalls the coach who was on the Chés bench between 2021 and 2022. “From the start, I noticed that he was a reliable and fast goalkeeper. That said, he was young and did not speak Spanish, which led to logical difficulties in adapting.”
At the La Paterna training center, Mamardashvili’s performances were such that Bordalás made a radical decision. “We had detected his potential with the staff and even if some considered this choice risky, I started him from the first day of the championship, confides the current coach of Getafe. His greatest quality is reliability. He is of the caliber of goalkeepers who give you points, neutralize opposing chances and win matches.”
A Georgian? Stop messing around!
Loaned with an option to purchase by Locomotive Tbilisi to Valencia and initially made available to the reserve team, Mamardashvili played very big from the first hectometers of his Spanish adventure. But at the final whistle of his first on the Mestalla pitch, the rookie made ten saves, obtained the man of the match trophy and, despite largely unfavorable offensive statistics with 22 shots conceded for only 4 attempted, FC Valencia won against… Getafe (1-0).
“With my assistants, I was proud and satisfied to have hit the nail on the head with him,” Bordalás admits. “I saw the fruits of this choice appear quickly. Mamardashvili was happy with his performance, but he wanted to continue to improve and do even better in the next match. This constant desire to progress is also one of his great strengths.” It is therefore not surprising to learn that during his formative years in the country, Mamardashvili, whose role models ranged from Iker Casillas to Gianluigi Buffon and Manuel Neuer, took Cristiano Ronaldo as an example of diligence and professionalism.
Once in competition with Jasper Cillessen, who initially helped him improve his English as a “little kid”, Mamardashvili is now one of the pillars of Valencia CF. This winter, the club even turned down an offer of 25 million euros from Newcastle United. However, his agent Antonio Lopez, who took him under his wing following a European Cup match between Granada and Locomotive Tbilisi, has painful memories of placing his player in one of the best European leagues.
Giorgi Mamardashvili, here in the Valencia jersey in La Liga, is a regular on Spanish pitches.
Credit: Getty Images
“I contacted Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, Girona, Villarreal, Betis… They all said: ‘A Georgian? Stop messing around!’ I was going bald because I had seen that ‘Mama’ was an exceptional goalkeeper. Seeing all this, Giorgi said to me very humbly: ‘I have to be there in the right place at the right time.'” His chance finally came, and he grabbed the opportunity like a ball: with a firm hand.
50% of penalties saved in La Liga
At the end of this 2023-2024 season, the Murciélagos goalkeeper is the starting goalkeeper with the highest number of penalties saved in the league (3) and the highest success rate in this area (50%). “I see him as one of the five best goalkeepers in the world at the moment,” says Bordalás. “His reliability, his ability to win points and his ongoing development place him among the references in his position.”
Opposed to the Georgian sensation in the round of 16, can Spain worry about facing a goalkeeper well known to the majority of the squad? “What is certain is that his opponents know that Mamardashvili transmits a lot of security to his teammates, assures Bordalás. I am certain that he will complicate the task of Spain. We must expect a very hard.” After all, Mamardashvili is not one to settle for what he already has.
