Kvaratskhelia: How PSG’s Georgia winger became a Champions League winner and the family that kept him grounded
In a small, concrete apartment block in Tbilisi, a faded Dinamo shirt still hangs above a shelf and a narrow bedroom contains a computer desk, large headphones and a gaming chair — the familiar island a visiting footballer slips back into when he returns home. That footballer is kvaratskhelia, who remains rooted to the rituals of the place where his professional life began even as he lights up Europe’s biggest nights.
Who is Kvaratskhelia and how did he rise from Tbilisi?
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is a 25-year-old Georgia winger at Paris Saint-Germain who has become one of the competition’s most creative players. In nine Champions League matches this season he has been directly involved in seven goals — four scored and three assisted — making him PSG’s top scorer in the competition and the player with the highest overall goal contributions. His route into the elite began in the Dinamo Tbilisi academy, followed by spells at Rustavi and a loan to Lokomotiv Moscow, where an early professional salary helped pay for a life-saving operation for his father, Badri Kvaratskhelia, a former Dinamo Tbilisi player and Azerbaijan international.
Those close to him describe a steady progression rather than a sudden arrival. His mother, Maka, kept the first shirt he wore for Dinamo Tbilisi as a reminder that his path started in that modest flat; Badri recalls that helping the family in crisis was never a question for his son. Kvaratskhelia himself conveys the same humility in his own words: “I consider myself a simple person, ” he has said, adding that he tries to stay grounded and remember where he comes from.
Why are Premier League clubs linked to him, and what does he say about life in Paris?
Coverage of the transfer market has repeatedly linked Manchester United and Arsenal with interest in Kvaratskhelia, with differing valuations mentioned in the conversation around his future. For now, the winger appears settled in Paris. He has spoken of loving the city and of seeing PSG as the place where his family have found their ideal home; he described Paris as “truly extraordinary” and said the move to PSG had felt like a family dream. On the pitch, his partnership with team-mate Bradley Barcola has been a major factor domestically, with the pair contributing a large share of the side’s goals this season.
The club itself has also changed under coach Luis Enrique, moving toward a more cohesive squad model rather than relying solely on marquee names. That tactical shift has helped Kvaratskhelia embed into the team and become a decisive player in PSG’s push for domestic and European honours; he played a central role as PSG secured a treble last season.
What are clubs and agents doing in response, and what does the expert view say?
Interest from top English clubs and talk of big fees have not yet translated into a transfer. Arsenal have been linked with an aggressive summer approach and transfer discussions elsewhere name sizeable valuations; different accounts reference figures in the mid-to-high tens of millions of pounds. Meanwhile, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed another club’s summer signing plans, underscoring how active the market will be when the window opens.
For PSG the response has been to keep building the squad around a collective project. Kvaratskhelia’s commitment to the club, reflected in his performances and public comments about life in Paris, has been part of that stabilizing narrative. At the same time, the persistent links to Premier League suitors mean any long-term plan must account for sustained external interest in his services.
Back in Tbilisi the room where it all began remains unchanged: the same small bed, the same headphones, the same reminders of a career that took him from those narrow corridors to Champions League final nights. He returns there still able to occupy that space, and those who know him say that habit — the everyday, the ordinary — is both his anchor and the soft power behind a remarkable rise. As discussions about his future continue in football’s louder rooms, that quiet bedroom stands as a reminder that every transfer speculation and every tactical tweak connects back to a personal history that shaped the player PSG now rely on.
