After PSG’s emphatic 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League final on Sunday, Georgia’s top football star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia paid an inspiring homage to his childhood idol Cristiano Ronaldo on social media.
On his Instagram, the Georgian winger posted a cartoon drawing showing a young boy wearing a number 7 jersey with “Kvaratskhelia” printed on it, watching Ronaldo on TV back in 2013. The photo captured Kvaratskhelia’s admiration and ambition, symbolizing his journey from watching his idol playing on TV to becoming a Champions League winner himself.
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Khvicha Kvaratskhelia shares a cartoon drawing to pay homage to his childhood idol Cristiano Ronaldo. Photo by Instagram/@kvara7 |
The post quickly gained thousands of interactions and comments, with fans expressing admiration for both the tribute and Kvaratskhelia’s rise to the top of European football.
Kvaratskhelia has long idolized Ronaldo. During Euro 2024, he was named man of the match in Georgia’s 2-0 win over Portugal. After the final whistle, he approached Ronaldo and asked to swap jerseys, later describing it as “a dream come true”, The Sun reported.
In another nostalgic post, the 24-year-old star also shared a 2013 photo of Ronaldo visiting the Dinamo Tbilisi football academy in Georgia, where a young Kvaratskhelia appears among the local youth players.
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Khvicha Kvaratskhelia shares a photo of his idol Cristiano Ronaldo visiting his football academy Dinamo Tbilisi in Georgia back in 2013. Photo by Instagram/@kvara7 |
12 years later, Kvaratskhelia has become the first ever Georgian player to score in the Champions League final, contributing to PSG’s dominant win at Allianz Arena.
He finished the tournament with 4 goals and 3 assists in 9 appearances.
He joined PSG from Napoli in January for €70 million (US$80 million) and quickly established himself as part of one of Europe’s most formidable attacking trios, alongside French players Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué.
