“I think it’s been an incredible year for everyone, not just me. Nobody expected the Naples Scudetto after 33 years, but our preparation and our desire to always give the best of ourselves made the difference. There is therefore no personal merit in such an extraordinary result. here is what Khvicha Kvaratskhelia declared at the beginning of August Gazzetta dello Sport. Arriving a year earlier in Neapolitan lands from Dinamo Batumi, the 22-year-old Georgian left winger had simply exceeded all expectations placed on him. Arriving anonymously for around ten million euros from Dinamo Batumi – a club he had joined from Rubin Kazan following the war in Ukraine – he was the subject of a strange baptism via his President Aurelio De Laurentiis who didn’t know how to pronounce his last name “I will call him Zizì.” A nickname which fortunately did not last and instead transformed into “Kvara” or “Kvaradona”, a sweet mix between his name and that of the club’s greatest legend, Diego Maradona.
A huge and deserved recognition for the player who brought back the first championship title to the Partenopei in 33 years and a certain Diego Maradona. Stirring and technical, this true phenomenon scored 14 goals and 17 goals in 43 matches for his first season with the Transalpins and formed an exceptional duo with Victor Osimhen. Followed by the biggest clubs like Manchester City, Newcastle or even Real Madrid, his favorite club, the native of Tiflis has also gleaned individual titles as best player in Serie A during the 2022/2023 season and best young player in the Champions League during the same season. Great distinctions to which is added a nomination among the 30 contenders for the Ballon d’Or. But the hardest part is confirmation and it is facing this new status to assume that Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is confronted.
Finally delivered
Already at the end of last season, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia slowly faded away during the final sprint, not scoring in his last thirteen matches of the season. A less significant influence for the Georgian which also coincided with individual plans put in place by his opponents. This was particularly the case during the quarter-final of the last Champions League against AC Milan. The main person involved knows in any case that he is more expected. “I’m not afraid of my opponents studying me. My matches cannot be learned in training. And in any case I work hard to improve myself” he declared in particular. It is clear, however, that his difficulty in being effective was a real problem on the Naples side. Spending 192 days without scoring, the Georgian was much more stereotypical than usual. However, always producing a large number of chances and capable of being decisive as during a 2-0 victory against Sassuolo where he was the decisive passer for Giovanni Di Lorenzo, the native of Tiflis was in a more complicated situation.
His coach Rudi Garcia did not fail to support him as after a 2-1 victory against Braga: “he needs to find some rhythm again. The offensive phase in which he participated was important, but there is also the defensive part. And he shouldn’t be nervous because he doesn’t score, but focus on being a good player. Don’t think about being decisive not only with the goal that will come by itself, but also with the assists. An expected trigger which finally arrived against Udinese (4-1) last Wednesday. A benchmark match for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia who was able to confirm through efficiency what he had achieved so far. Always as restless and active on his left wing, he quickly obtained a penalty converted by Piotr Zielinski (19th). Hitting the posts twice, he scored a solo goal with a clever dive over the goalkeeper to finally regain confidence (74th). He will end the match with a new offering for Giovanni Simeone (81st).
After the meeting, he let his joy burst forth: “I’m happy, forza Napoli! I found my way to the goal and that’s important because I missed it. I hit two posts and was disappointed. Then I managed to break the deadlock, but it was fundamental to win tonight. I’m also happy with the performance, I found my best condition and now I want to hope to continue progressing. This success must give us the confidence to continue like this, we must do our best to move up the rankings and express ourselves at our best level. And like a deliverance, this was confirmed this Saturday against Lecce (3-0). As against Udinese, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had a great match by causing the free kick which led to the opener for Leo Østigård then by delivering an offering for Victor Osimhen. Two of the Georgian’s best performances at the start of the season during the two most interesting matches of the Rudi Garcia era at Napoli. Moreover, he is now second best passer in Serie A, one unit behind Marcus Thuram. This Tuesday against Real Madrid, a club that means a lot to him, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will still have to confirm his return to form.
