CNN
 — 

“Once they see Kvara, they see Maradona.”

Napoli has at all times had an infatuation with talismanic attacking gamers.

Lately, there have been Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne. A couple of years prior had been Marek Hamsik and Ezequiel Lavezzi. However none have been extra well-known – or cherished by Napoli followers – than Diego Maradona.

The Argentine grew to become the image of Neapolitan flare and brashness throughout his seven seasons within the south of Italy, scoring objectives and successful titles.

‘El Pelusa’s’ legacy on the membership – at which he led Napoli to their solely Scudetto titles in 1986/87 and 1989/1990, in addition to the membership’s solely European glory with the 1988/89 UEFA Cup – was such that it renamed its stadium after him following his dying in 2020.

Regardless of leaving the membership in 1991, Maradona’s presence nonetheless looms massive over the membership and ‘El Pibe de Oro’ is the standard-bearer for diminutive, tough, attacking gamers who come to the membership.

So to be in comparison with Maradona by Napoli’s followers comes with the hope that with it is going to deliver the success the Argentine introduced with him. Many gamers have come and gone – having been anointed Maradon’s successor – however a 3rd Serie A title has remained elusive.

Then, in July, a scruffy, unheralded Georgian winger rocked up at Napoli.

Quick ahead to November and regardless of arriving with out a lot fanfare, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is already being in comparison with Maradona. He’s been dubbed affectionately “Kvaradona” after a lightning begin to life in Italy; one which has him linked to strikes to large golf equipment round Europe and has gripped the football-mad metropolis.

Edo Badalashvili, a soccer journalist from Georgia, visited Naples in September to look at Kvaratskhelia – also called ‘Kvara’ – play towards his beloved Liverpool within the Champions League.

Though Kvaratskhelia didn’t rating, he tormented the Liverpool protection in a snug 4-1 victory for Napoli, and he remembers the outpouring of affection his countryman obtained from the membership’s followers.

“Our Georgian immigrants who reside in Napoli say that, as Georgians, we’re given pizza there due to Kvara,” Badalashvili advised CNN Sport. “Within the metropolis of Maradona, everybody loves Kvara. They put on his t-shirts.

“Once they came upon that I’m from Georgia, everybody obtained me nicely, took pictures and chanted ‘Khvicha, Khvicha.’ True, it’s nonetheless troublesome for them to pronounce the identify appropriately. I don’t understand how Kvara may do it in such a brief interval.

“However, imagine me, in Napoli they already love him very a lot and he’s the primary participant from this staff there.

“I’ve a video of Napoli followers chanting the names of the gamers earlier than the sport towards Liverpool. The identify they chanted the loudest was Kvaratskhelia.”

For a boy from Tbilisi, Kvaratskhelia had huge boots to fill.

Two stalwarts of the Napoli staff – Naples-born Insigne and the membership’s all-time main goal-scorer Mertens – left in the summertime for brand spanking new pastures after lengthy stints with the membership.

And so, Napoli appeared for replacements on the wing. To the shock of many, they turned to a beforehand unfamiliar participant to many European soccer followers, signing Kvaratskhelia from Dinamo Batumi in Georgia for round €15 million ($14.8 million).

Given the outlet Kvaratskhelia was theoretically filling and being the membership’s main attacking signing in the summertime, questions had been requested of Napoli’s sporting administrators if they’d performed sufficient.

“You form of are considering: ‘Nicely, after I consider Mertens and Insigne, it doesn’t add up {that a} 21-year-old Georgian man for a comparatively low charge coming immediately from the Georgian League as nicely,” Italian soccer journalist for Whole Italian Soccer, Euan Burns, advised CNN Sport.

“It might be extra widespread for there to be a form of a stepping stone in, say, the Netherlands for argument’s sake, earlier than shifting to a league like Serie A.

“And that didn’t occur. So that you assume: ‘Certainly, this man can’t plug that hole on this Napoli staff.’”

However carrying the No. 77 shirt, Kvaratskhelia has performed rather more than that.

As a part of Napoli supervisor Luciano Spalletti’s new fast-paced, lung-busting staff, the 21-year-old Georgian has been an important driving power down the left-hand aspect, offering objectives and assists as he’s taken Serie A and the Champions League by storm and made Napoli certainly one of Europe’s most fun groups. His contributions have helped the membership on its present 16-match unbeaten run in Serie A.

In 16 appearances, he’s scored eight objectives and picked up eight assists. His actual popping out get together was when he terrorized the Liverpool protection in Napoli’s demolishing of final season’s Champions League finalist in Naples.

When requested to recall a participant having such a right away affect in Italy, Burns struggled to take action, evaluating the variability in Kvaratskhelia’s fashion of play to that of Manchester Metropolis striker Erling Haaland.

“The factor that’s fascinating about Haaland is that, regardless of the scale of him, he’s acquired each aspect of being a striker within the sense that he can run a great distance with the ball at tempo,” Burns mentioned. “Additionally he can shoot from distance, he can get headed objectives.

“And to me, Kvaratskhelia feels nearly like a winger model of that, the place he’s not ridiculously tall, however he’s already scored no less than one header. He’s frighteningly fast with or with out the ball.

“He’s acquired unbelievable toes, but in addition he’s very sturdy and I feel that’s what units him other than a participant like Insigne who’s unbelievable with the ball at his toes and may shoot from anyplace, however he wasn’t a very sturdy participant; he may get shrugged off the ball by individuals.

“However Kvaratskhelia is shrugging defenders off the ball.”

Based on Badalashvili, the reciprocated love Kvaratskhelia and the Napoli followers have for each other is what jumps out to him most.

“Napoli was the primary staff when he kissed the badge after scoring a aim,” mentioned Badalashvili – who says he remembers watching Kvaratskhelia play at Dinamo Tbilisi, Rustavi, Lokomotiv Moscow and Rubin Kazan.

“After a aim, he kissed the badge and, for us, it’s many issues. He solutions so much with this. He loves Napoli, he’s grateful to Napoli and Napoli loves him.

“I can say that Kvara is [the] subsequent legend. His surname is already ‘Kvaradona.’ Napoli followers gave him the nickname ‘Kvaradona.’ And after I spoke with Napoli followers, they mentioned after they see Kvara, they see Maradona.”

Ever since he made his debut as a 17-year-old for Georgia’s greatest soccer staff – Dinamo Tbilisi – Kvaratskhelia’s future because the nation’s totemic participant was written. However his rise to prominence took a circuitous route, leaving Dinamo Tbilisi to affix fellow Georgian aspect, Rustavi, a 12 months later within the search of enjoying time.

Kvaratskhelia was named within the Guardian’s 2018 article highlighting the 60 greatest younger footballers on this planet, in addition to occurring mortgage to Lokomotiv Moscow in Russia to broaden his horizons through the second half of the 2018/19 season.

And it was in Russia the place Kvaratskhelia actually made his mark, finally signing completely for Rubin Kazan.

Badalashvili remembers then-Lokomotiv Moscow supervisor Yury Syomin being “actually disillusioned” the membership weren’t capable of maintain onto Kvaratskhelia, such was his promise.

Throughout his two-and-a-half seasons in Kazan, Kvaratskhelia established himself as a primary staff common, in addition to a mainstay within the Georgian nationwide aspect.

Though he was blossoming right into a star on the pitch, he confronted criticism from again house.

In 2008, Russian forces invaded Georgia and one-fifth of Georgian territory stays underneath Russian occupation.

Nonetheless, whereas some posed that Kvaratskhelia ought to communicate extra overtly on the subject, he selected not to take action, saying, as a footballer, it isn’t his enterprise to speak about politics.

Upon the outbreak of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and FIFA’s announcement that overseas gamers in Russia may droop their contracts, Kvaratskhelia left Kazan, returning to Georgia to play for Dinamo Batumi.

Throughout a goal-ridden spell in just some quick months on the membership, Kvaratskhelia earned his transfer to Napoli.

Between his arrival in Italy and his worldwide teammate Giorgi Mamardashvili’s switch to La Liga aspect Valencia, Badalashvili believes they’ve opened doorways which have been beforehand closed to Georgian footballers.

“Our gamers couldn’t go to Europe,” he mentioned. “We’d like much more gifted gamers, not solely Kvara or Mamardashvili.

“We now have different gamers, however they can not go to Europe. We’d like this. And we have to deliver hope, with Kvara and Mamardashvili.”

With a mix of Kvaratskhelia and the remainder of Napoli’s attacking threats, the staff presently sits atop the Serie A desk – with a five-point lead over second-place Atalanta – and has certified for the knockout stage of the Champions League with a sport to spare.

The shock with which he has burst onto the scene, impressing together with his unorthodox fashion and all-around sport with the ball, hints that he’s destined for larger issues than Napoli – Badalashvili, for one, hopes he chooses Liverpool.

However, regardless of solely being in his formative footballing years, Kvaratskhelia’s popularity again in Georgia is already cemented. When he returns to his house nation, he’s now obtained as a hero.

“All the things has modified in Georgia within the final two years. All the things has modified right here. Those that didn’t like soccer, began watching soccer video games, began watching Napoli video games,” he mentioned.

“When Napoli play, on match days, here’s a huge day in Georgia. Folks go to the sport of the Georgian nationwide staff who didn’t like soccer till then. Within the cities in Georgia, you will note very many individuals in shirts of Kvara: both Napoli shirts or Georgian nationwide staff.

“(The Georgian nationwide) staff not misplaced in 11 matches. Folks have a brand new hope that we will qualify for Euro 2024 or a World Cup. At this time, Georgia lives with soccer and, right this moment, we’re a soccer nation. And if you go to town, you will note this. Kvara modified life in Georgia.”