Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had been one of the rising stars in Football. The Napoli ace has been one of the players to watch out for in the recent months. The Georgian Footballer recalled the moment he met with the Argentine great Lionel Messi during the Ballon d’Or gala, where the latter was declared the best player of the season in Paris. Following a great season with Napoli, Kvaratskhelia has come to the fore.
Kvaratskhelia revealed that the moment he met Messi was incredible and changed his perception towards the Argentine for once and all. It was the first instance of him meeting the two time Golden ball winner. Kvaratskhelia had a very good season in 2022/23 with Napoli. The youngster adapted himself well and went toe-to-toe with some of the best players in the world.
For his great performance with Partenopei, Kvaratskhelia got a nomination for the Ballon d’Or. In the list of players ranking, the Georgian finished with an impressive 17th place. Kvaratskhelia was in Paris and attended the event, where Messi won his record eighth Ballon d’Or award. During the event, the Napoli ace got an opportunity to meet the 2022 Football World Cup winner.
In an interview with a Georgian journalist named Andro Kheladze, Kvaratskhelia spoke about the moment he met Messi. The Georgian Footballer expressed that he had an instant respect for Messi the way he approached the youngster on the day. Kvaratskhelia revealed that Messi is a wonderful person off the field and earned his respect as a person outside Football.
The youngster claimed that finding people like Messi is hard in the Football world. “Meeting Messi was history for me, maybe you would not believe me if I told you the story. Messi changed completely for me after that as a person. Of course I knew him as a player and it’s very hard to find a player like him in the whole history of football,” said Kvaratskhelia in the interview.
Kvaratskhelia described the moment the two met each other. He said that Messi was sitting right next to him. The youngster claimed that he was surprised the moment Messi stood up, and added that he did know why he stood up, as the procedure of the players was to be seated during the breaks. “Well, we were sitting at gala during one of the pauses of the ceremony. He was sitting on the right side from me. Leo suddenly stood up and I didn’t have an idea why he stood up and where he was going as we were warned to stay seated during the pauses,” added Kvaratskhelia.
The Georgian described how Messi moved towards him and gave a handshake. Kvaratskhelia explained that he was confused and stood up to shake his hands with Messi. “He walked directly towards me, I didn’t know what was happening and suddenly he gave me a hand to shake. I got so confused, I stood up instantly and shook his hand,” added the youngster.
Kvaratskhelia said that Messi greeted him and walked back to his seat. The Napoli ace revealed that he got a huge respect for Messi after the event. He added that Messi is an amazing person and he respects and appreciates him a lot.“After this, he greeted me and walked back to his seat. After this I don’t know, he got my huge respect, players like him to stand up to say hello to, it was crazy. He is an amazing person and I respect and appreciate him a lot,” concluded Kvaratskhelia.
Georgian the rising star of Football
Napoli discovered the talent of the Georgian. The 22-year-old from Dinamo Batumi has been very good for his club so far. In the season 2022/23, Kvaratskhelia was one of the best left wingers in the world. For Luciano Spalletti, the Georgian proved to be a huge asset. The youngster played a key role in the club’s first title win in a whopping 33 years.
Kvaratskhelia scored 22 goals for Napoli. Many lauded him for his skills. The youngster was compared to the former Argentine great Diego Maradona for his control and dribbling skills. Kvaratskhelia ended the league as the Most Valuable Player. Along with Victor Osimhen, he has formed a major attack for Napoli. The duo has been on fire in recent months.
Many regard the Georgian as one of the next superstars of the sport. The 22-year-old has a lot of skills that can take him to huge levels in the sport in the upcoming days. Experts claim him to be one of the players to watch out for in recent future. The performances of Kvaratskhelia for Napoli have been incredible and got him recognition among the top players and clubs in the world.
