Speaking to the New York Times, Levan Kobiashvili, the head of the Georgian FA, has been discussing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia amid ongoing links to Liverpool.
To say that the attacker is making a name for himself over in Italy would be an understatement. The winger has quickly established himself as one of the best players in Europe after hitting the ground running at Napoli, and according to Kobiashvili, he’s changed the entire footballing landscape in Georgia.
For the first time in a generation, Georgian’s now have a homegrown hero to look up to, and while everyone was idolising Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo a few years ago, Kobiashvili says that Kvaratskhelia and goalkeeper, Georgi Mamardashvili have taken their places.
Changing the game
Kobiashvili spoke about how Kvaratskhelia is changing the culture of the sport in his own country.
“Only a few years ago, kids in Georgia aspired to be the next Messi, the next Cristiano Ronaldo,” Kobiashvili said.
“Now it is Khvicha and Mamardashvili. They have transformed the whole soccer culture in Georgia.”
Only the beginning
The scary thing is that this is only the beginning of Kvaratskhelia’s footballing story.
This is a player that seems destined for the very top and he could influence a lifetime of Georgian football fans.
Every now and then, a country will produce a player who will shape the country’s footballing landscape for years – think Ferenc Puskas in Hungary, Johan Cruyff in the Netherlands or Gheorge Hagi in Romania, and Kvaratskhelia could be that player for Georgia.
He’s certainly a footballer who captures the imagination on the pitch, and it’s not hard to understand why kids in Georgia are already idolising this player.
Liverpool, Real Madrid and PSG are all keen on ‘Kvaradona’ and if he makes that move he could already begin thinking about cementing himself as Georgia’s greatest-ever player.
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