There was one superstar forward on the pitch during the Euro 2024 clash, and it wasn’t Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo.
As the 39-year-old icon sunk further and further into Homelander cosplay territory – threatening to turn his laser beams on anyone who looked at him the wrong way – Georgia continued to frolic forward with freedom and fun.
And Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was right at the heart of it; the brilliant, bounding attacker opening the scoring in the blink of an eye before spending the remainder of that famous 2-0 win running Portugal ragged.
Kvaratskhelia is already the greatest Georgian footballer of all time, based on pure ability. He’s now given them arguably their greatest moment too, a typically well-taken finish that will be replayed for years to come.
“This boy was always going to be a threat in that left channel,” Gary Neville ITV Sport, presumably relieved that he never found himself on right-back duties when Kvaratskhelia was on the pitch.
“He’s devastating in there. Once he gets in there, you really fancy him.
“It’s a brilliant finish. Emphatic, the way he drives it across the goalkeeper.”
Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia shone at Euro 2024
‘Devastating’ is a fitting description of Kvaratskhelia at his best.
A footballer so beloved in Napoli that he has even been bestowed the ‘Kvaradona’ nickname due to the similarities between himself and the region’s deified former talisman.
And the comments made by Kvaratskhelia’s agent will be – well, not quite music to the ears – but rather well received by many in Southern Italy.
HITC understands that there have been fresh enquiries from the Premier League after the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City were made aware of the former Leeds United target’s potential availability.
But one month after claiming that Kvaratskhelia wanted ‘to leave’ Napoli, Mamuka Jugeli appears to have changed his tune, insisting that another Serie A title would more than make up for a year without Champions League football.
“Am I sorry that Kvara won’t play in the Champions League? Yes,” Jugeli begins, speaking to Russian reporter Nobel Arustamyan. “So it’s necessary to win the Scudetto. There’s a desire to win the Scudetto.
“It all depends on the president of Napoli (whether the winger stays). If he’s thinking of selling Kvaratskhelia, they’ll do it.
“If Napoli says to stay, the contract is a contract. They’ll renew it.”
Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City in the mix
Calciomercato say that Kvaratskhelia is in line for a pretty eye-watering pay rise.
His current deal, which runs until 2027, sees him earn around £30,000-a-week, presumably after tax. A new contract, however, could see his wage soar to over £110,000-a-week.
Of course, Kvaratskhelia could still earn even more than that in England – Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City players tend to be pretty well remunerated – but no one could accuse the often unpopular president Aurelio de Laurentiis for not putting his money where his mouth is in discussions with the 2023 Serie A Player of the Year.
Napoli reportedly value Kvaratskhelia in excess of £85 million these days, per The Standard. Paris Saint-Germain have had an offer in that region rejected already in the summer window.
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