GEORGIA’S plucky stars have been rewarded with an eye-watering £8.4million cash prize after reaching the knockout stage of Euro 2024.
And they will DOUBLE their money if they get past Spain in Sunday’s 8pm kick-off.
Georgia, competing in their first-ever tournament, were looking at a group stage exit last night after going into their final game against Portugal bottom of the table.
Despite putting in some impressive performances, they had only picked up one point from their first two matches against Turkey and the Czech Republic.
But Georgia gave themselves a fighting chance when Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia fired them ahead against Portugal in the second minute.
Georges Mikautadze then made it 2-0 in the second half, with Georgia sending supporters wild as they held out for the win.
Combined with the Czech’s 2-1 loss to Turkey, the result saw Georgia finish third in Group F, with their four points sending them through as one of the best-placed teams.
And Georgia’s players will now split an amazing £8.4m pot between themselves after being given the cash as a reward by former prime minister and billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvilli, who now leads the Georgian Dream party and has a reported net worth of £4.75bn.
A statement from his office confirmed the sum as a prize for Georgia’s stars achieving the near-impossible.
But Ivanishvilli, who was PM between October 2012 and November 2013, is providing his countrymen with even more incentive to reach the quarter-finals.
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That’s because he will throw in ANOTHER £8.4m if Georgia beat Spain, the only team to win all three of their group games.
The statement read: “30million GEL (£8.4m) will be awarded to the national team.
“At the same time, on the initiative of Bidzina Ivanishvilli, in case of winning the eighth-final meeting with advancing to the next stage, the national team of Georgia will receive an additional 30m GEL as a reward.
“The honorary chairman of ‘Georgian Dream’ thanks every player of the football team, the coaching staff and the Georgian fans for this historic and dream victory.”
