'Georgian Messi' tipped for Real Madrid move
FT Desk
- 9 Sept 2022 23:08 BST
- 3 min read
Napoli's Georgian star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia could easily play for Real Madrid according to a Russian former Serie A star…
Kvaratskhelia only joined Napoli from Dinamo Batumi for €11 million in July, but he has already caught the eye of bigger clubs after notching four goals and two assists in six games in all competitions - the most recent of which came in Wednesday's 4-1 thumping of Liverpool in the Champions League.
It already looks like an incredible bit of scouting by Napoli, for a talented 21-year-old who is fast proving he can cut it in the Serie A and beyond.
KVARADONA🔥
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, remember the name as he's going to be a superstar 🇬🇪
by @carlogarganese https://t.co/ApihzBIMOP— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) September 6, 2022
Igor Kolyvanov is a former player who knows a thing or two about making it in Italy, having scored 59 goals in 225 games with Foggia and Bologna in the 1990s and early 2000s, and he thinks Kvaratskhelia could take his career further than he ever did.
"Khvicha is just great!" he told Russian news outlet Sport 24. "Now he's cracking the Champions League as well as Serie A. Now he's one of the leaders at Napoli.
'Real Madrid, God-willing'
"Do you see how well we prepared Kvaratskhelia for European football in Russia? If Khvicha keeps playing like this, he might end up at Real Madrid. God-willing, he'll succeed."
Kvaratskhelia assisted Giovanni Simeone for the third of Napoli's four goals in midweek, moving Gary Lineker to quip that he was: "as difficult to play against as it is to spell his name correctly."
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He may not quite have Diego Maradona status at Napoli, but Kvaratskhelia is fast making fans forget about former captain Lorenzo Insigne, who left on a free transfer for Toronto FC in July after 12 glittering seasons at the club.
"I think that in Italy Kvaratskhelia will reach the same level as his [Georgian] compatriot Kakha Kaladze," Kolyvanov concluded, drawing a parallel with the former AC Milan defender.
"Maradona's the one and only but let him carry on in the same spirit and see what he can achieve in the future."
