15 fun facts about Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

It didn't take long at Napoli for Kvaratskhelia to earn himself a coveted nickname. He’s been dubbed affectionately “Kvaradona” after a lightning start to life in Italy; one which has captured the imagination of the football-mad city.

You see, there have been many great players to don the famous Partenopei shirt, including the likes of club's all-time leading scorer Dries Mertens, local hero Lorenzo Insigne, Marek Hamsik, and Ezequiel Lavezzi. But none have been more famous – or loved by Napoli fans – than Diego Maradona, who is almost a deity-like figure in Naples.

Maradona's legacy at the club was such that after his death in 2020, they renamed their stadium after him, as he led them to their only Scudetto titles in 1986/87 and 1989/1990 in arguably the greatest underdog stories of the time, as well as the club's only European success with the 1988/89 UEFA Cup.

So to be compared to Maradona by the Napoli faithful comes with the hope that with it will bring the success the Argentine brought with him. And Kvaratskhelia has lived up to the nickname, having steered them to the brink of their first league title since the Argentine legend's heyday.

“Obviously I like the nickname,” Kvaratskhelia said in an interview. “I can’t come close to Maradona, but I will give everything to become a big player for this club.”

As alluded to above, you know by now that the Napoli fans call him Kvaradona. But what we didn’t tell you is that the Georgian earned that name even before he made his first outing for the Italian giants. So, during his initiation after signing with the club, Kvaratskhelia performed the famous song by Opus, Live is Life.

That song was popular on its own back in the day, but it became much more well-known when Maradona danced to it on the pitch before a UEFA Cup semi-final match between Napoli and Bayern Munich in 1989.

With 70,000 fans packed into the stadium and the song "Live is Life" booming from the speakers, the Bayern and Napoli players ran out to the pitch for the pre-match warm-up. Everybody was warming up usually, then there’s Maradona just loving the beat, enjoying himself, juggling, and doing flicks at a rapid pace to match the rhythm of the song as he entertained the crowd. Even the Bayern players stopped their warmup to watch the magician do his thing.

That show he put on had a huge impact on Napoli supporters and the rest of Italy. The song has since been used multiple times in the Napoli stadium as a tribute to the great Argentinian. Kvaratskhelia, a Georgian boy, who wasn’t even born until 12 years after the famous funky warmup, then performed that song in his initiation ceremony after signing for Napoli.

Of course, that's no coincidence, and the act was always going to endear him to fans. Perhaps that was the reason that the Georgian gained his nickname after Maradona aside from the fact that his real name is just so difficult to pronounce.

Khvicha grew up with two brothers in a close-knit family. He's the middle of the three, while the youngest brother Tornike also aspires to be a professional footballer.

Khvicha's first coach was his father, Badri Kvaratskhelia, a former Azerbaijani international football player. Maka Lukava, his mother, has been his ardent supporter throughout his career and has been nothing short of a loving parent as a former footballer.

The youngsters' love of football was clear from an early age, and his parents pushed him to pursue his aspirations, but they never had to compel him to take part in training sessions or become a footballer.

Blessed with bags of technical talent, creative flair, an ability and confidence to dribble past defenders, comfortable with both feet, it's no wonder Kvaratskhelia has been dubbed "the Georgian Messi" by fans and journalists. His quick feet and eye for goal from distance are a sight to behold.

Despite those comparisons, it is the PSG playmaker's perennial rival that the Napoli winger idolises. He loves Ronaldo so much that he wanted to wear the number 7 shirt at Napoli. But since he was already taken by North Macedonian talent Elif Elmas, he decided to wear 77.

The 22-year-old has a tongue-twister of a name - Khvicha Kvaratskelia. Try saying that name out loud 5 times, and we bet you'll come up with a different pronunciation each time.

As a result of their struggle to pronounce his name correctly, many fans have opted to refer to the Georgian as Kvaradona to keep things simple. For those of you who want to do things precisely, Kvaratskhelia is pronounced phonetically as follows: koo-EE-cha koo-ah-RAHT SKEH-lee-ah, with the capital letters stressed, and both "H" sounds coming from deep within the throat.

Still confused, you can read the full illustration on GOAL!

Along with his siblings, Kvaratskhelia supported Madrid as a child and has been open about his desire to play for Los Blancos in the future.

"My biggest dream is to win the Champions League with Real Madrid," he said, according to Marca.

"I've been a Real Madrid fan since I was a child. With my brothers, we were always watching their games."

Additionally, the agent of the Napoli winger admitted he'd like him to join Barcelona, the club his father supports. However, Mamuka Jugeli says the Georgian is a true Madridista.

Mumuka told AS: “His father, Badri, and I are fans of Barcelona, but Kvara loves Madrid. He’s a player who has what it takes to play at that level; he’s good enough to play for any team in the world. If I saw him in the Barca shirt, I’d be very happy - but he’s a Madridista.”

In an interview with Corriere dello Sport, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia revealed that he idolised Guti Hernandez while growing up, even before he started idolising Ronaldo. He said that he used to write Guti’s name and jersey number on the back of a white shirt to emulate him while playing on the streets of Tbilisi because Real kits weren't available when he was a child in Georgia.

Indeed, Guti was a Madrid cult-hero and one of the foremost magicians on the football pitch during his time, however the underrated attacking midfielder isn’t usually mentioned by footballers as an idol. Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo Nazario, and Zinedine Zidane are the usual suspects.

Guti urged Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to move to the Spanish giants upon knowing he has a fan.

He said: "I hope one day he can come to Real. I didn't know I was his idol and if it helped him to see me play like that it was worth it.

“What can I say to him? Maybe I could send him an autographed shirt of mine if he comes to Madrid, so he doesn't have to write on it the number 14 I used to wear."

His glowing performances with Rubin Kazan and Georgia already had scouts across Europe sitting up and taking note, especially at Napoli. But Italy always seemed destined to be the next step - despite heavy Premier League interest.

AC Milan were linked with him but Juventus were understood to be the frontrunner with sporting director Fabio Paratici having a deal all agreed until he left for Spurs.

“We had a preliminary agreement with Juventus when Paratici was there,” his agent Mamuka Jugeli told Nobel Arustamyan on YouTube, quotes relayed by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“However, Paratici went to Tottenham, but if he hadn’t changed team, Khvicha would be playing for the Bianconeri now. Milan had also asked for information, but Napoli moved more concretely.”

Juventus' loss has undoubtedly become Napoli's gain, as they launched a surprise Scudetto bid this season with Kvaratskhelia.

Spurs have missed out on some big names that have gone on to prove their quality in the Premier League, and abroad. And the latest name to be added to that list appears to be Kvaratskhelia.

As Fabio Paratici joined Tottenham Hotspur, his interest in Kvaratskhelia moved to north London as well. Recently, former Rubin Kazan manager Leonid Slutsky revealed on Sky Sports that the winger was actually really close to joining Tottenham around a year ago.

“A year ago, there was very serious interest from Tottenham,” Slutsky added. “It was almost a done deal.”

The 22-year-old has always been described as shy, disciplined boy off the field but makes his mark on it. The youngster is fearless, always demanding possession and wanting to take responsibility as he let's his football do the talking for him.

He almost avoids interviews because he fears being misunderstood despite his versatility in multiple languages. He would rather concentrate on his training. In this heavily-influenced, and manipulative media world, we recommend the same.

“I invited him up to my house for a cup of tea on the afternoon he signed the contract,” Napoli boss Spalletti recalled.

“He is able to control any ball and make it clean, he has this very shy way of doing things, he never wants to be the centre of attention, but when he plays football, he is so confident.”

It is already pretty evident that Napoli have a really special talent on their hands who has the potential to become one of the best players in the game.

Still in the early stages of his promising career, there aren't many notable records to Kvaratskhelia's name as of yet. However, one that shows you the type of fast start he has had since moving to Italy.

While he didn't arrive with much fanfare, his hype became real amongst the Napoli fanbase as he scored two and set up another on his unofficial friendly debut. And he then went onto became the first player in Napoli’s history to score three goals in their first two league matches as he was named player of the month for August in a scintillating start.

In two games, Kvaratskhelia completed a perfect hat-trick, with one goal with his head and one with either foot, showcasing his end-product. Since then, the lightning has struck countless times at the Maradona as he continues to dazzle Napoli fans.

He is also a two-time Georgian player of the year and will no doubt add more silverware to his ever-expanding trophy cabinet.

The Georgian winger has made light work of adapting to a new league after moving over from Rubin Kazan in the summer as he became the first player ever to score 10+ goals and 10+ assists in his debut Serie A season. In fact, he's the first player to achieve 10 goals and 10 assists in his very first season in the Big-5 European Leagues since Diego in 2006/07, according to Opta. What's more, he achieved this feat by March, and promises significant goal contributions to his account between now and the end of the season.

Outside of football, Kvaratskhelia enjoys playing tennis, basketball, trekking, and video games. He's a big fan of the NBA side Golden State Warriors and American basketball player Steph Curry. In off-seasons, he always goes to watch basketball games with his girlfriend. Kvaratskhelia often socialises with his old pals or heads up into the mountains to relax when he has the chance to fly back home to Georgia, exemplifying his down-to-earth lifestyle.

He loves simplicity and minimalism and is not so much interested in luxuries such as flashy cars. It's worth mentioning that he has no major endorsements or brand deals as of now. But when it comes to food, he can't resist having a slice of pizza served at Luciano Sorbillo's in Naples.

Although Khvicha keeps his personal life private to avoid controversies, and remains low-key, the press have made some headway in finding out about the growing star's love life.

Khvicha is said to be in a relationship with Nitsa Tavadze, a 21-year-old who seems to have stolen his heart. While he switched to Italy to pursue his football career, Nitsa stayed behind in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, to pursue her ambitions of becoming a medical professional.

However, despite their distance, the couple remain in a long-distance relationship, with Nitsa often spotted cheering for him from the stands of the Maradona Stadium on visits. Nonetheless, she is even more discreet than her partner when it comes to social media posting.

Needless to say, Kvaratskhelia has become one of the most sought-after commodities on the face of the earth this season thank to his impressive performance, and it's no surprise the elite clubs have taken heavy notice of the Georgian wizard.

Manchester City are showing strong interest, as are Real Madrid, cash-rich Newcastle United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and PSG. It will be interesting to see who'll break the bank to secure the coveted talent, or dare we say, generational.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, who has a reputation for being a tough negotiator and drive a hard bargain, recently admitted offers may arrive for Kvaratskhelia that he might not be able to refuse.

He said to TNT Sports: "I am very good at making contracts, so when they [Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia] come to me, they are blocked, so keeping them here won’t be difficult. However, never say never. Sometimes there are offers you can’t refuse, so you never know. To me, we’ll see them shine for a long time.”