Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is a talented Georgian football player who was born on August 17, 2000, in Tbilisi, Georgia. The winger currently plays his club football for Napoli in Serie A and internationally represents the Georgian national team.
He started his youth career at Dinamo Tbilisi in Tbilisi, Georgia's capital, joining their academy in 2012. It did not take him long to progress through the ranks at his hometown club, where he made his debut aged 16 and quickly established himself as one of the most promising young talents in the country. He was soon snapped up by Rustavi, from whom he joined Lokomotiv Moscow on loan in 2019, winning the Russian Cup.
The 6ft ace signed a five-year permanent deal with Rubin Kazan in the Russian top-flight later that same year aged 18 and made an immediate impact. Kvaratskhelia’s debut season saw him win four player of the month awards, while he was also named in famous French outlet L’Equipe’s top 50 players born in the 21st century and his market value increased multi-fold.
Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine during the 2021-22 season, foreign players in Russia were allowed to suspend their contracts from the club and sign for any team outside Russia. Rubin Kazan stated that Khvicha’s contract had been terminated as he returned home to Georgia, joining Dinamo Batumi in March for the remainder of the campaign.
After making 11 appearances for the Georgian side, he then joined Napoli in 2022 on a long-term contract for a reported fee of €10-12m, which is a steal considering he's now valued at north of €100m after a spectacular start to life in Italy.
Indeed, he has been a huge hit since his summer move to Naples, and has taken Serie A and mainstream European football by storm, playing a crucial role during the Partenopei's 2022-23 season as they are cruising towards their first Scudetto in 33 years.
A whole host of big sharks are monitoring his progress at Napoli and he has already been linked with a potential move to a host of elite European clubs. First and foremost, he looks all set to make history in Naples.
Kvaratskhelia has represented the Georgian national team at various youth levels before making his senior debut in September 2019 in a match against Denmark. At 22, Kvaratskhelia already has 20 caps and 10 goals for his home country. Despite being in the early stages of his career, his fame in Georgia is already well-established. When he returns to his homeland, he is welcomed as a hero.
All in all, the Georgian sensation looks set to dominate the headlines in the coming months, but what are the 15 fun facts about Kvaratskhelia that you need to know?
