PROFILE | Zuriko Davitashvili – the other maverick Georgian lighting up European football | OneFootball

The explosive Georgian forward was one of the few figures to escape from the wreckage of Bordeaux’s demise this summer relatively unscathed. Having joined from Dinamo Batumi in 2022, Zuriko Davitashvili was one of the standout players of Les Girondins’ ill-fated two-year stint in France’s second tier, scoring 13 goals in 67 appearances.

Although frustratingly inconsistent, Davitashvili instantly stood out on arrival as a distinct, dynamic profile in French football through his daring dribbles. While his goalscoring prowess is ostensibly seasonal (seven of his eight goals last season came after the turn of the year), the winger’s consistently high workrate and adventurous approach are beyond doubt.

Stylistically similar to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the Tbilisi native is most comfortable on the left wing – a position he has more consistently occupied this calendar year. His versatility remains one of his prominent assets, though, having played across the frontline and in midfield several times in his short career so far.

It was during Bordeaux’s ultimately futile late-season revival that Davitashvili began to draw attention from beyond the banks of the Garonne. With ten goal contributions in the last nine games of the campaign, the winger was able to steer the six-time Ligue 1 champions away from a relegation battle – even if his efforts would prove to be in vain.

When Bordeaux later financially imploded and tumbled down into amateur football, it was no surprise to see the Georgian land on his feet. In the wake of a history-making run to the Euro 2024 last 16 with his country, the forward joined Saint-Étienne – another fallen giant of French football, who, unlike Bordeaux, had managed to haul themselves out of Ligue 2 and back into the top flight.

Davitashvili names Player of the Month in October

An ill-fitting squad has made for an arduous first season back in Ligue 1 for Les Verts, who look destined for another relegation scrap this coming spring. The few highlights of the campaign, though, have chiefly been delivered by an electric Davitashvili.

He would hit his stride in October, a month which he opened with a hat-trick against Auxerre, and closed out with a double against Angers. The winger was duly handed the player of the month award, and has remained Saint-Étienne’s most dangerous forward this winter. For the time being, Davitashvili’s full potential is hindered by his own fickle form and, at times, a lack of altruism.

While it’s his fellow countryman in Naples who’s been grabbing headlines on the continental stage, Davitashvili is not to be overlooked as a prominent member of an exciting Georgian generation that’s only just getting started.

GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin