One of the novelties of Valencia’s 2-1 victory over Real Madrid last weekend was Giorgi Mamardashvili’s penalty save to deny Vinicius Junior in the opening stages of the match at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Georgian goalkeeper dived to his left to keep out the spot-kick, and in doing so, he earned himself €50m.
Prior to the penalty being taken, Mamardashvili revealed that he made a bet with Vinicius that he would save the effort – which he did. However, it turns out that his is still awaiting payment from the Real Madrid superstar.
As per MD, Valencia striker Hugo Duro – who scored the winning goal at the Bernabeu – has confirmed that Mamardashvili has not received anything from Vinicius, despite it having been four days since Los Che’s victory.
“I think he has not paid him.”
It’s probable that Mamardashvili cares little about the money or the bet, considering that his penalty save directly led to Valencia winning at the Bernabeu for the first time since 2008. And even more importantly, it was a result that allowed Carlos Corberan’s side to break clear further of the relegation drop zone in La Liga.
Mamardashvili has been a sensational player for Valencia since his arrival from Dinamo Tbilisi on a permanent basis back in January 2022. However, Los Che must start to think about life after their star goalkeeper as he will be making the move to Liverpool at the end of the season, with a deal having already been in place since last summer.
Mamardashvili only has eight more matches to go as a Valencia player, but he will be determined to end his time at the club on a high. There is no doubt that he could be the difference between them staying in La Liga or dropping into the Segunda.
