Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was an unknown quantity when the Champions League began in September — not any more.
The Napoli star has taken Serie A and Europe by storm after moving from Dinamo Batumi for a paltry £9million in the summer.
A combined seven goals and eight assists in all competitions mean the Georgia international is fast becoming a household name.
Ahead of Rangers’ visit to Naples tonight, we assess what the future holds for the man known as Kvara.
Bargain buy
Kvara was a Rubin Kazan player at the start of 2022 but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine saw his contract suspended.
He moved to Batumi in his native and netted eight times in 11 games before Napoli made their move for the 21-year-old.
Director Cristiano Giuntoli said: “The first time I watched Khvicha in action was during the lockdown.
“He was playing for Rubin Kazan, but they wanted €30m, so we immediately ended negotiations.
“When the war in Ukraine began, he returned to Georgia to Dinamo Batumi, so we rushed there with a contract and signed him for €10m.
“We were quicker than Roma, Juventus and Real Sociedad. He’s always been on our radar.”
Now the richest clubs in Europe are being linked with him, including Real Madrid and Manchester City.
Quick start
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Even though they had been monitoring the Georgian for a couple of years, Napoli would not have imagined him hitting the ground running quite like he has.
A goal and assist on debut against Verona were followed by four strikes in his next seven Serie A games.
And he netted in both Napoi’s victories over Ajax in Group A — leading to comparisons with club legend Diego Maradona and the nickname “Kvaradona”, not that he thinks the association is warranted.
Kvara said: “Great responsibility comes with being mentioned in the same sentence as him.
“I can’t come close to Maradona, but I will give my all to be a big player for this club. Obviously, I like the nickname.”
Joy to watch
Veteran Russian boss Yuri Semin recently said: “Let’s not forget that the Georgians are well accustomed to skill. In the days of the USSR, they were called the Brazilians of the Soviet Union.”
And that is certainly true of Kvara, whose unique dribbling skill where he almost does not lift his head, has made him a joy to watch.
His 57 take-ons attempted this term rank first in Serie A with the 19 he has completed also top, while he has created 20 chances and eight big chances.
Only Ciro Immobile, Tammy Abraham and Lautaro Martinez have had more than his 12 shots on target and only strikers have scored more than his five goals.
He has a huge part of the reason Napoli are sitting at the top of Serie A at the moment.
Source: Livescore