“Before an unforgettable footballing adventure had even begun, a nation had one man to thank. Such was the magnitude of Georgia’s penalty shootout win over Greece in March — a victory clinched by Giorgi Mamardashvili, and which ensured the country reached their first major international tournament — that every player, coach and member of the football federation received the Order of Honour from the national president. Mamardashvili’s reputation has rocketed after a shot-stopping clinic at that tournament, the European Championship in Germany this summer, with onlookers incredulous as the saves stacked up. It’s no surprise the man known as the ‘Georgian Wall’ has admirers — although Liverpool might not have been the first team on everyone’s lips to be among them. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
W – Giorgi Mamardashvili