Kvaratskhelia: Real Madrid was my favourite team in my childhood

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was the comet of last season. The Georgian winger helped Napoli to the league title for the first time in a long time. During the summer he was a hot commodity on the transfer market, Napoli resisted the offers and fans can continue (for now) to watch “Kvaradona” in the blue jersey.

The Georgian’s career

Kvaratskhelia started his football career in the academy of Georgian side Dinamo Tbilissi. However, at the age of 17, he played only 5 matches in the Dinamo jersey in which he scored 1 goal and 1 assist. In the spring of 2018 he was bought by Rustavi for 180 thousand euros.

However, even at this club, the Georgian magician did not stay too long, as his performances during one calendar year attracted the attention of scouts of foreign teams. Thus, he played only 18 matches for Rustavi and scored 3 assists and 3 goals. At that time he was still only 18 years old and flew into the Georgian league like a big water.

In January 2019, it ended up being just a six-month loan spell at Lokomotiv Moscow in Russia, the loan spell didn’t suit Kvaratskheli well, so Lokomotiv didn’t express interest in a permanent transfer. With Lokomotiv, Kvaratskhelia won his first trophy, the Russian Cup. So another Russian club, Rubin Kazan, came forward with an interest in a permanent transfer. The Kazan club bought Kvaratskhelia for 600,000 euros.

The Georgian winger spent 2.5 years in the Russian top flight, during which he made 73 starts. He has 9 goals and 18 assists. Kvaratskhelia was probably drawn home by something, so in March 2022 he transferred to the Georgian club Dinamo Batumi for 6 million euros. So far, all the clubs he has transferred to have made a profit on his sale.

However, the player has not done well in Georgia. He played only 11 games for his new club. Even in this small number of games he managed to score 8 goals and concede 2 more to his teammates. The winger attracted the attention of the scouts of Italian Naples, who immediately made a move for the winger. He spent only 3 months at Dinamo Batumi and even in such a short time the club made a profit on his sale, the price was 13.3 million euros.

Kvaratskhelia charmed Naples

Luciano Spalletti immediately put the Georgian on the left wing of his starting eleven. In his first game for Napoli, Kvaratskhelia scored a goal and an assist in a 2-5 win at Hellas Verona. Match number two – 2 goals in Monza’s net in a 4:0 win. Thanks to the contributions of the new team member, Napoli lost in the Champions League group stage only in the last match against Liverpool.

In his 12 opening Serie A matches, Kvaratskhelia registered 6 goals and 7 assists. Fans started to love him immediately. He is the one who is most responsible for Victor Osimhen‘s fantastic season, scoring a total of 31 goals, with 26 he became the top scorer in the Italian league. The more, the closer the end of the season came, the more the fans hoped that their favorite team would win the title.

In the end, the title was secured with a few rounds left in the competition. It was the duo of Kvaratskhelia – Osimhen who had the biggest share. The black mark on the season was left by the elimination from the Champions League with AC Milan knocking Napoli out with a final score of 2-1.

However, Kvaratskhelio’s entry into the new season did not go well, just like the whole of Naples. Most of the blame is placed on coach Rudi Garcia, who has already been dismissed. Despite this, Kvaratskhelia managed to score 4 goals and concede 5 in 18 games played. If Napoli picks up over time, of course the goals and assists will be added to the Georgian winger’s account.

Kvaratskhelia dreams of Real Madrid

Napoli have resisted all offers for their gem over the summer. Above all, it was probably because Real Madrid did not come with an offer. It is the Madrid big club that Kvaratskhelia dreams of. “Real Madrid was my favourite team in my childhood. Now I’m 100% focused on Napoli, doing everything I can to help my team. I’m not thinking about my future, I’m happy in Naples,” Kvaratskhelia said.

However, the statement about Real Madrid did not surprise anyone, as Kvaratskhelia’s father had previously informed that his son likes Real Madrid: “Kvicha has always dreamed of Real Madrid. Everyone in our family is a Real fan,” he said.

Source: Serie A, Twitter