“I was even more convinced that Georgia would win” - Kvaratskhelia on what Cristiano Ronaldo told him before Georgia beat Portugal at Euro 2024
Napoli attacker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has opened up on his experience playing against his childhood hero Cristiano Ronaldo. The 23-year-old found the back of the net for Georgia in their historic 2-0 win against Portugal in the UEFA European Championship 2024.
Kvaratskhelia grew up idolizing Cristiano Ronaldo and also plays in the same position where the five-time Ballon d'Or winner had originally begun playing. The Napoli winger has revealed how he felt when lining up against the player he admires the most.
The youngster, fondly called 'Kvaradona' by Napoli fans, also claimed that Ronaldo interacted with him before the game and wished him luck. Kvaratskhelia revealed that he and his teammates gave their everything on the pitch and secured a historic result.
Kvaratskhelia told FIFA.com, as quoted by Football Italia:
“I was playing against the player that I followed and idolised since I was a young kid. Before the game I said to myself ‘this is my moment’ and I knew I needed to show that on the pitch. Playing against your idol is a huge motivation. It was incredible."
“He came to me and wished me good luck. I was over the moon and even more convinced that Georgia would win. I gave everything that evening and I helped my team to achieve a historic result,” he added.
Kvaratskhelia rose to stardom quickly since joining Napoli in July 2022 following his reported €10 million switch from Dinamo Batumi. He played a key role in helping Napoli clinch the Serie A title in his debut season at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. The forward has scored 28 goals and produced 28 assists in 97 appearances for Napoli to date.
Former Napoli star opens up on playing against Cristiano Ronaldo
Al-Hilal defender Kalidou Koulibaly has claimed that he is making up for his poor head-to-head record while playing against Cristiano Ronaldo. The Senegal international now plies his trade for Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal while Ronaldo plays for Al-Nassr.
Ronaldo and Koulibaly clashed against each other eight times in Europe with the former winning seven times and losing just once. However, the two have so far faced each other four times in Saudi Arabia, with Koulibaly's side having won on all four occasions.
Koulibaly has claimed that he is making up for his poor record against the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star at Al-Hilal. He told Al Jazeera:
“I have known Cristiano Ronaldo for a long time. When he was at Real Madrid and Juventus, I used to lose against him a lot, and now I am making up for that with Al Hilal."
Koulibaly spent eight years on the books of Napoli before moving to Chelsea in 2022. The defender, whose time at Stamford Bridge was pretty disappointing, moved to Al-Hilal in 2023 where he won the Saudi Pro League in his first season.