The story of Kvaratshylia

When Chalianjiha was a child, Kvaratskhlia often sat at the doorstep, waiting for the apple to grow up. In the summer, he spent in his hometown of Chalenjiha, Georgia, surrounded by the Caucasus mountains. Between their home and the river is a green grassland, with a wide iron gate at one end. It's a perfect football field, but there's one thing special.

According to people's recollections, sharp decorations were hung on this door. Kvaratskhelia's father, Badri, is also a professional player himself, and his countless footballs are pierced by this sharp metal. Thirty years later, he still remembers the crying of the ball every time he was pierced, so he warned his second son, Kvaratsheli to pay attention to this.

Shortly after, Badri walked out to see if his words were heard, but something looked different.

Now, there is an apple on each sharp corner. If the shot hits it, the ball will bounce safely. Every June of the following year, Kvaratskhlia would repeat this ceremony to pick early ripening fruits from the trees. He obviously consumed less balls than his father.

However, Badri encountered a new problem: "There will never be grass in the yard, because Kvaratshylia is playing football all day and night."

Perhaps his son's ingenuity is predictable. In Georgia, regional identity is important, and although he grew up primarily in Tbilisi, the capital of the country, the Kvaratskhlia family is the Minglier people, from an ethnic group in the western part of the country.

"The Mingliers are smart people," Badri said. "Very smart and very creative. We live in the mountains, and we behave like mountain people. If we shake hands, we will be finalized and we don't need to sign. This is how you need to understand Kvaratskhlia, and that's his background in growing up."

Although Chalianjiha has a population of only 25,000, its residents have an important influence in Georgian history. The mournful Trenti Granelli is the most important poet in the country in 800 years. Meliton Cantalia was a soldier who raised the Soviet flag at the Capitol in 1945.

But before participating in the Champions League final for Paris Saint-Germain, the 24-year-old Kvaratscheria may have surpassed them.

Academic Training Camp in Tbilisi

At his home in Kvarats Khlia, there is a homemade VHS videotape made by his mother Maka. His father, Badri, played in Azerbaijan for several years and even played for the national team three times. The video shows Badri against Latvia's Skonto FC for FK Shamkir in Azerbaijan and scored a hat trick in the game. When he was a kid, Kvaratskhelia would practice the free kicks his father repeatedly.

Ten years later, he returned his father's inspiration with his actions.

When Kvaratskhelia first started her professional football career, Badri was very ill. The doctor told him that he needed an emergency heart surgery, but the family could not afford the cost of the surgery.

End, Kvaratskhlia paid for the cost of the surgery that ultimately saved his father's life with his first salary.

"It wasn't even a problem for him," Badri said.

Badri watched the Champions League final of Paris Saint-Germain vs Inter Milan on the spot. At a time of high mood, for his heart's safety, he had to retreat to his family box.

He also witnessed Kvaratschlia's most brilliant moment since joining Paris Saint-Germain this January, scoring a goal against Aston Villa in the Champions League quarter-finals.

When Kvaratskhelia moved the fastest, he was not running, but moving, like a stream changing direction in the turbulent flow. Villa's central defender Di Sasi was taken underwater and struggled to fall. Kvaratschlia's shot was like a knife, nailing information into the wall; this Paris Saint-Germain with Kvaratschlia as its peak is a new force.

His parents have seen such a scene.

Kwara's mother Maka introduced: "Our first son is five years older than him, and Kwara always wanted to play football with his elder brother. But when he was five, we noticed that he chased his elder brother in an unusual way. Kwara would go straight at extremely fast speed and could turn 90 degrees without changing speed."

Father Badri recalled: "Once, Kwara received a kimono as a gift and was told to try judo, which is a very fast-paced sport, and if he hesitated for a second, you would fall to the ground. The coach saw his ability to react and immediately determined that he was a natural athlete."

In the Champions League level, dribbling was a battle. His first coach marveled at his fast, light touch speed, which sometimes looks more like fencing than football. It is said that great and highly skilled players fall in love with the first thing they do is the ball, and then the sports. Kvaratskhlia is no exception.

Maca said: "When Kvala starts walking, he will walk with the ball, and when he goes to bed, he will sleep with the ball. There are a lot of small concrete courts nearby. At night, when Badri is not here, I look for him everywhere until I find him at a playground a few hundred meters away. But you know, when he was a little boy, he never played for fun. If he loses the ball, he will rush back to defend the goal and help the goalkeeper. I think that's why I know he will adapt quickly when he moves to Naples."

Kvalaciglia moved to Italy in 2022. Naples fans love this young man with straight backs and frowns, and his touching ball is like stroking a violin. At first he was called "Cvaradona" and later "Cvarabaggio". His art of court was created in the wildness of Tbilisi. Rado recalls his conversation with Kvaratskhelia after the Champions League semifinal.

He said: "Kvara made a promise to me that if he wins, he would bring the trophy back to Tbilisi. We would sit in my office and drink Georgian wine with the trophy." Now, Rado got his wish.

In the Champions League final against Inter Milan, Kvaratschlia scored in the second half, expanding the score to 4-0 for Paris Saint-Germain, becoming the first Georgian player to score in the Champions League final.

Kvaratskhlia, a player with a cavalier style who keeps attacking, can quickly understand the importance of defense work and combine everything with his personality. With his expressionless face, low socks and slightly hunched overall image, he seems to be studying the problem carefully, showing the magic of the dribble, and using his fighting spirit to interpret the charm of the Georgian Warriors.

Now, the thin boy who took off an apple to protect football when he was a child took off the most brilliant crown of European football with the football under his feet. The story of this 24-year-old young man has just begun.