Who is Georges Mikautadze? Georgia's Ajax flop who's emerged as the unlikely leader of the Euro 2024 Golden Boot race

Mikautadze may represent Georgia at international level, but he was born in Lyon, France, in 2000. His parents emigrated there from war-torn Georgia in the late 90s and would only return home in the summers, although they would teach their son his mother tongue.

His footballing journey began at FC Gerland in 2007, in the shadow of Lyon's former stadium of the same name in the south of the city. Perhaps inevitably, he was soon scouted by the then-serial Ligue 1 winners and would spend seven years of his development with his hometown club.

After leaving Lyon in 2015 and a brief spell with Saint-Priest on the outskirts of the city, Mikautadze would join current club Metz, 460km away, in 2017. There he would spend two years in the academy before swiftly being promoted to the B team - who play in the French third tier - having caught the eye.

In the 2019-20 season, Mikautadze's form in the B team earned him a place in the senior Metz squad for three consecutive games in December, and he would come off the bench to make his senior debut against Nice in a seven-minute cameo. That wouldn't end up being a major breakthrough, though, as the forward would be forced to wait patiently to get his chance at Metz.

Instead, it was a loan in Belgium when Mikautadze was 20 years old that proved to be a watershed; he spent two seasons with Seraing, on the outskirts of Liege, and demonstrated his potential to become a prolific goal-scorer. Eventually firing Seraing to promotion from the Belgian second tier in his first campaign, Mikautadze started as he meant to go on as he scored FOUR times on his debut against Lommel. After just nine games he had 15 strikes to his name, including a further two hat-tricks.

Although his goal rate would decrease in the second half of the season, he would still finish the regular league term with 19 goals in 22 games. And he would come up clutch when it mattered most, scoring twice and providing an assist across a two-legged promotion/relegation play-off against Beveren as Seraing triumphed 6-3 on aggregate.

Mikautadze would be loaned back to Seraing for their promotion campaign, showcasing that he could score goals in a European top flight as he netted nine times in the Belgian Pro League, making another fast start with seven goals in his first 10 appearances. He could not prevent his side finishing in the relegation play-off place, but once again came up clutch with the only goal in two legs against Molenbeek to keep Seraing up.

The attacker returned to Metz for 2022-23 having finally earned the opportunity to be a starter - it was just unfortunate for him that Les Grenats had been relegated from Ligue 1 the previous season. Nevertheless, he would make the most of the platform in Ligue 2, making 31 goal contributions in 37 games in a stellar individual term as he once again played a huge role in a promotion campaign, finishing as the French second tier's top scorer and being named player of the season.

His form back in France piqued the interest of a European giant, with Ajax shelling out €16 million (£13.5m/$17m) to bring Mikautadze to Amsterdam in the summer of 2023. He said he "didn't hesitate for a second" when Ajax came calling, but his big move went awry amid the overarching chaos at the Johan Cruyff Arena as he made just nine appearances in a bit-part role in the first half of the season. In November, caretaker manager John van't Schip suggested he was struggling to adjust. "With him, he may still have to adapt to the way we want to play as Ajax," he said. "If you lose the ball, what do you do? And how are you going to apply pressure? These are things that he may need a little more time for. But it is clear that he can play football."

In January 2024 the drastic decision was taken to loan Mikautadze back to Metz - a move that would pave the way for the exceptional form we have witnessed at the Euros. He almost singlehandedly saved Metz from relegation as he scored 11 times back in familiar surroundings, including a run of eight goals in seven games to finish the league campaign.

Metz manager Laszlo Boloni said in April: "He lost quite a bit of his honour at Ajax. Now, he’s rediscovering his wellbeing. For the whole team, when you have a goal-scorer, it’s the most joyous thing. Mikautadze isn’t Kylian Mbappe, but he’s FC Metz’s Mbappe!” Ultimately, though, it was not enough to save Les Grenats, who were defeated 4-3 on aggregate by Saint-Etienne in the promotion/relegation play-off despite another Mikautadze strike.

Two of Mikautadze's three Euro 2024 goals have come from the penalty spot, but his first - an instinctive first-time finish against Turkey - demonstrated that he is a penalty-box poacher who knows just how to finish off an opportunity, while his pace and trickery are also eye-catching.

"My strong point is my finishing," the striker said during his time with Seraing. "Dribbling, accelerating and shooting: that's what I'm good at, that's my main quality. I've been doing that since I was a child. I'm used to playing as a No.9, appearing in front of goal, creating chances and shooting on goal."

The Georgian hitman also remarkably boasts the ability to play off either his left or his right, having worked on his two-footedness as soon as he was playing. "Yes, it's [two-footedness] a big advantage," he said in an interview upon signing with Ajax. "Since I was a child I would train my weaker left foot all the time, and little by little my left foot would become equal to my right."

Capable of operating across the frontline and in attacking midfield, his versatility is also a huge asset. His former manager Emilio Ferrera described him as "a phenomenon". Speaking to Sporza, he said: "He can score in all possible ways: in a moment, after a dribble, with a long shot, with the left, with the right... just not with his head."

Mikautadze doesn't have any obvious flaws in his game at this early stage in his career, but his Ajax boss Van't Schip alluded to his work off the ball and pressing in his assessment of why he wasn't getting minutes in Amsterdam. Ferrera also mentioned his heading ability, but that is probably fair enough when you consider the forward's fairly slight 5'8 frame.

Given his versatility and the fact he likes to drift around the frontline, it's perhaps unsurprising that his positioning can suffer somewhat, and that can also contribute to him being a little passive defensively as he may not be in the right place at the right time.

Metz have reportedly already triggered a €13m (£11m/$14m) option to buy in Mikautadze's loan deal from Ajax, but he is certain to be sold on again for a handsome profit after his exploits at Euro 2024 and Les Grenats' relegation to Ligue 2.

Monaco are said to have found a verbal agreement with the striker and have made an offer to Metz, while fellow Ligue 1 side Lens and his hometown club Lyon have previously been credited with an interest.

The principality club may have to move quickly, however, with Mikautadze's form for his country in Germany bound to draw more admirers from across Europe's top leagues. Wolves, Burnley, AC Milan and Juventus have all been touted as potential destinations in the past, and he will surely be aiming high as he fights for the European Championship Golden Boot.

For what it's worth, the player himself claims he is as yet undecided on his next move: "Hello everyone, just a bit of news regarding my transfer. I still haven’t made my choice regarding my future club. I will be delighted to announce my decision," he wrote earlier in June. Wherever he ends up, he has demonstrated the potential to become a lethal marksman.