He was a fan favourite at Napoli, but now Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is at Paris Saint-Germain, and his ability to shine can give Luis Enrique’s side another significant threat.
You would have to go a long way to find a set of fans who revere a former player like Napoli fans idolise Diego Maradona.
The impact the Argentina legend had in Naples was profound, starring as the club lifted their first two Serie A titles in 1987 and 1990, as well as their only major European trophy to date with the UEFA Cup in 1989.
There are murals of Maradona all over Naples, with the Stadio San Paolo even renamed after him in 2020.
When Napoli ended a 33-year wait for another Scudetto in the 2022-23 season, one player made such an impression in landing that prize in his first season at the club that the fans christened him ‘Kvaradona’.
Luciano Spalletti’s side were perhaps not as reliant on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as that previous Napoli team was on Maradona, but that fans sincerely made the comparison was quite the compliment.
Kvaratskhelia was a modern idol for Neapolitans thanks to his ability to light up a game with a swivel of the hips, a dribble towards goal and, often, a goal or assist. That’s why it was so painful for them to see him move to Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month.
It’s anyone’s guess which PSG legend-inspired nickname he might inherit in France should he enjoy more success there. Edinson Kvar-vani? Kvar-lian Mbappé?… Ney-Kvar?
Kvaratskhelia came through the academy at Dinamo Tblisi before moving to fellow Georgian side Rustavi. After a loan in Russia with Lokomotiv Moscow, he joined Rubin Kazan but then opted to suspend his contract following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. That saw him briefly sign with Dinamo Batumi back in Georgia.
The form he had shown in the Russian Premier League caught the attention of some of Europe’s big boys, including Napoli, who signed him from Batumi for a reported fee of €10 million.
He had only recorded 17 goal involvements (8 goals, 9 assists) in 67 games in the Russian top flight for Rubin, though. How would he fare in one of Europe’s top five leagues?
Pretty well, it turned out. On his debut at Hellas Verona, he claimed a goal and assist in a 5-2 win. Within weeks of the 2022-23 season starting, Kvaratskhelia had become one of the biggest names in football, and not just because he has 13 letters in his surname.
He managed six goals and five assists in his first 12 Serie A games, with his eye-catching dribbling, maverick creativity and fashionably rolled-down socks securing the admiration of Napoli fans and the rest of the football world alike. His performance in the electric 4-1 Champions League win over Liverpool was arguably the game that catapulted him into the mainstream consciousness, but he was also doing these things week in, week out in Serie A, where he recorded 22 goal involvements (12 goals, 10 assists) in 2022-23.
On 16 October 2022, he provided an assist for Victor Osimhen’s winner in a 3-2 victory over Bologna, playing a perfect ball through for the striker to finish. Their partnership would be the sprinkling of stardust that allowed Napoli fans to ultimately realise their dreams.
Six of Kvaratskhelia’s 10 assists in the league were for Osimhen in 2022-23 as they lifted the Scudetto together, but Napoli could not repeat the trick the following season.
Spalletti left after the title win, while Osimhen fell out with the club over some rather bizarre social media activity that appeared to poke fun at their own striker missing a penalty against Bologna. Napoli ultimately finished way down in 10th place, and although Kvaratskhelia didn’t hit the heights of the previous season, he still managed 17 goal involvements (11 goals, 6 assists) in Serie A.
The player’s agent publicly said his client wanted to leave Naples in the summer of 2024. Incoming manager Antonio Conte convinced Kvaratskhelia to give him time to prove that he could take the club back to the top, and in fairness, after Matchday 22, Napoli sit at the summit of Serie A.
Their promising start was not enough to convince Kvaratskhelia, though, who had five goals and three assists in 17 Serie A games when Conte revealed the player had told him he wanted to leave in the winter transfer window.
“He asked the club to be sold, without mincing his words. This is what was said to me, the player has confirmed his decision to me,” Conte said. “Personally, I feel very disappointed because I spent six months trying to make Kvara feel at the centre of the project, working with him, showing him that we could do something great… From my point of view, it’s a great disappointment.
“I can’t keep those who want to leave… I did that in the summer and had six months to convince all the parties to find a solution. I realise that the news has come out of the blue, but now I am taking a step back and it’s right that the club and Kvara’s entourage resolve the situation.”
And resolve it they did. There was rumoured Premier League interest from Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea that didn’t materialise, but the 23-year-old had his heart set on Paris.
Kvaratskhelia completed a move for a reported €70m, a huge profit for Napoli but likely to be considered a potential bargain by those who have marvelled at the Georgian in recent seasons.
Since he joined Napoli in 2022, Kvaratskhelia completed the most successful dribbles (196), had the most touches in the opposition box (491), created the second-most chances (145), had the second-most shots (263), and had the third-most shots on target (94) among all Serie A players.
Anyone who saw PSG’s dismantling of Manchester City in the Champions League last week will have been impressed, particularly by their attack. Bradley Barcola, Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé were all bright in the 4-2 comeback victory, tearing down the flanks with pace and directness, and making Pep Guardiola’s side look quite ordinary.
Barcola and Dembélé have 18 goal involvements each in all competitions this season (both 13 goals, 5 assists), while Lee Kang-in has nine (6G 3A) and Doué has six (3G 3A).
In a post-Kylian Mbappé era, PSG are trying to do things slightly differently, arguably with more modesty. The era of Mbappé, Neymar and Lionel Messi is long gone, with a bright young attack of less glamorous but hungry players, and Luis Enrique will hope Kvaratskhelia fits into that mould, as well as their style of play.
They like to attack with width, this season primarily down the right (41.1%). But now Kvaratskhelia has arrived, perhaps the intention is to vary things a little more.
Looking at league games only this season, of the top 18 players in Europe’s big five leagues for chances created from open play per 90 minutes (minimum 400 minutes played), PSG have five representatives. That will clearly be due to their general dominance of games in Ligue 1, but Kvaratskhelia should only add to that given his creative numbers in Serie A previously mentioned.
His dribbling potency will also likely be a key attribute for Luis Enrique’s team. Doué and Barcola are 10th and 13th respectively in Europe’s top five leagues for dribbles attempted (min. 400 minutes played).
One question that has been raised is about how the boss will manage having Kvaratskhelia and Barcola, who both prefer to play on the left of a front three.
The latter has played on the right and up front on rare occasions, but 89% of his minutes this season have been on the left, while 97% of Kvaratskhelia’s minutes at Napoli were in a similar role.
Luis Enrique stated his belief prior to giving his newest signing his debut against Reims on Saturday that he can manage his squad, saying: “I can create any type of combination with the seven attacking players. All combinations are possible.”
Kvaratskhelia was ineligible to play against Man City, but he started the 1-1 draw with Reims at the weekend and even managed an assist for Dembélé’s opener in typically dynamic fashion. He dribbled in from the left before playing a one-two with Doué, then slipped the ball to the right of the penalty area for Dembélé to finish.
The Georgian mostly played on the left in his 83 minutes on the pitch but did spend a short period as the central attacker. Barcola split his 30 minutes relatively evenly between the left (57%) and right (43%).
Napoli fans won’t need telling that their loss will likely be PSG’s gain. Kvaratskhelia shone in Italy, and playing in an even more dominant side in Ligue 1 should lend itself to him sparkling again in France.
He can’t play in PSG’s crucial final league phase game of the Champions League at Stuttgart on Wednesday, but will be able to feature in the knockout stage should they make it through.
Who knows? If Kvaratskhelia can help guide the club to their first ever Champions League title, maybe they’ll change their name to ‘Kvaris Saint-Germain’.
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