After a sparkling vintage which put him among the contenders for the 2026 Ballon d’or, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is off to a much slower start. Despite a good start and a superb goal against Aston Villa in the European Super Cup, the Georgian winger has had a series of lackluster performances and has struggled to make an impact with PSG for weeks. Replaced regularly and earlier and earlier, the former Naples player is sometimes relegated to the bench or erased during major events like the Classic at the Vélodrome. He was notably replaced this Sunday against OM and his replacement, Ferran Torres, opened the scoring in just 7 minutes. A crisis of confidence which earned the 25-year-old winger criticism.
This Monday, it was Jérôme Rothen who denounced the Georgian’s investment on RMC: “What I reproach him for is his strength, his investment. There is the sequence of competitions but he still had a few days of vacation. I’m not asking for him to be at his best but when we talk about the Ballon d’Or, we have to be demanding. I don’t know if he’s the one who gets it, but when you’re a contender, things must happen when you set foot on the field. I’m not saying that he must always be exemplary, efficient and brilliant, but since the start of the season, frankly it’s his brother who has come.» This is what is said.
