Shy and Lives Only for Football: He Saved His Father's Life, and One VHS Tape Is Still Kept at Home
Translated from Croatian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
TLDR
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, a 25-year-old Paris Saint-Germain winger, grew up in Tsalenjikha, Georgia, where football was played in improvised yards.
- His father, Badri Kvaratskhelia, recalls Khvicha's innovative solution to protect footballs from spiked gates by placing apples on them.
- Kvaratskhelia's upbringing on small, crowded pitches in Tbilisi shaped his agile, decision-making playing style, characterized by directness and bravery.
From the humble, improvisational pitches of Tsalenjikha to the grand stages of global football, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's journey is a story deeply rooted in Georgian spirit and ingenuity. Veฤernji List celebrates the rise of this 25-year-old Paris Saint-Germain star, whose talent is now recognized worldwide. His story is not just about athletic prowess, but about the unique upbringing that forged his distinctive style of play.
I remember crying every time the ball burst.
Growing up in Georgia, particularly in regions like Samegrela, instills a particular kind of resilience and creativity. As Khvicha's father, Badri Kvaratskhelia, explains, "People from here are smart, very creative. We are mountain people." This inherent resourcefulness is vividly illustrated by young Khvicha's childhood solution to a common problem: protecting footballs from spiked gates by placing apples on the spikes. It's a simple, yet profoundly effective, demonstration of the problem-solving mindset that defines him.
People from here are smart, very creative. We are mountain people. If we shake hands, it means something.
His father's memories of Khvicha playing "all day, all night" highlight a dedication that borders on obsession, a trait common among Georgia's most talented athletes. The challenges of playing on small, crowded concrete fields in Tbilisi further honed his skills, forcing quick decisions and constant balance โ a style characterized by directness, bravery, and an unwavering stability on the ball. This is the essence of Kvaratskhelia's game, a style that resonates deeply with the Georgian identity.
The whole day, the whole evening, he just played.
Khvicha's mother, Maka, recalls his inseparable bond with the ball from his earliest days, and his relentless work ethic, always helping the defense even when not in possession. This all-around commitment is what makes him a complete player. The family cherishes a VHS tape of his father scoring three goals, a piece of history that Khvicha studied, mirroring his father's moves. This blend of personal history, cultural identity, and sheer talent makes Khvicha Kvaratskhelia a true pride of Georgia, a player whose success is celebrated not just for his skill, but for the unique journey that brought him here.
When he started walking, he walked with a ball. When he went to sleep, he slept with a ball.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Veฤernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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