Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been a key driver of a superb season for Napoli, who face Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg on Tuesday.
You had to be a connoisseur of Eastern European football, or a regular at the Football manager video game, to have felt such a phenomenon happening. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, with an easy surname coming from Georgia, a nation not referenced as a supplier of talent, did not have one of the wealthiest marital status to be remembered. The attacker could have remained only a young nugget for sleuthing the round ball. Here he is now one of the men to follow in the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League between his club, Naples, and Eintracht Frankfurt, Tuesday February 21.
Nicknamed “Kvaradona” in Naples
Among the Neapolitans, the 22-year-old Georgian quickly earned an evocative nickname. We only talk about “Kvaradona”, for his ability to make differences with the ball, all in technique, like the immortal idol of the Neapolitan people, Diego Maradona. “It’s a great responsibility to be mentioned in the same sentence as him, explained the person concerned during his presentation. I can’t get closer to Maradona, but I will give everything to be a great player for this club.”
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is a species apart, that of artists capable of anything and unpredictable. It’s brilliant, often, and decisive, frequently. “He is unique in his dribbling and in his touch on the ball, and it’s difficult to defend like him. He is exceptional and will have a great future”, praised his trainer Luciano Spalletti.
Far from the spotlight before last summer
The war waged in Ukraine by Russia could have marked a halt to his career. Little present on the map of recruiters, Georgia quickly became too small for his talent. He then revealed himself to Rubin Kazan, in the Russian championship, where he was voted best hope in 2020 and 2021, before the war broke out.
The players of the Russian and Ukrainian championships being able to free themselves from their contract due to the geopolitical context, and for lack of suitors to win his services, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is forced to return to his native country for a few months, at Dinamo Batumi. In less than four months, he scored eight goals and provided two assists in 11 games. What seemed like a step back will actually allow him to take off better. Naples is seduced.
An unbreakable pair with Victor Osimhen
With Napoli, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia finds a welcoming land and an ideal teammate. With nine assists and 10 league goals, he is Italy’s top assist provider and fourth-best goalscorer, eight behind team-mate Victor Osimhen. Six of his nine assists were passed on to the former Lille striker, who has become even more effective with the Georgian.
Carried by this infernal pair at the origin of 40 of the 56 goals scored in the league, the club is at the top of Serie A with 15 points ahead of Inter. On the European stage, Napoli won five of their six games in the group stage, and finished ahead of Liverpool, finalists of the last edition. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, author of two goals and three assists in C1, and Victor Osimhen will discover the final phase of C1 on the lawn of Frankfurt on Tuesday. The opportunity to impose a little more on the front of the European scene.