Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was left stunned by Inter Miami main man Lionel Messi’s gesture at the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony, with the Argentina legend going out of his way to greet him during a break. Kvaratskhelia, 22, burst onto the scene in one of Europe’s top leagues, Serie A, helping Napoli win the Serie A, as well as reach the last eight of the Champions League. The Georgian scored 14 and assisted 17 in that historic campaign for Napoli, starring alongside Nigerian goal machine, Victor Osimhen. His exploits earned him a 17th-placed finish in the 2023 Ballon d’Or and a seat at the ceremony in Paris, last month. And he happened to be sat near the 2023 winner, and now eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, Lionel Messi. Kvaratskhelia had always admired the 2022 World Cup winner, 36, as a footballer – but he didn’t know Messi as a person. But his curiosity about Messi’s character off the football pitch was satisfied there and then. Messi stood up during a break at the ceremony and sought out Kvaratskhelia to shake his hand, leaving the Serie A star stunned. “Maybe you wouldn’t believe me if I told you the story,” the player told journalist Andro Kheladze. Follow us on X for the best and latest in sports news “Messi changed completely for me after that as a person. Of course I knew him as a player and it is very difficult to find a player like him in the whole history of soccer.” He added: “Well, we were sitting at the gala during one of the breaks in the ceremony. He was sitting on my right side. Leo suddenly stood up and I had no idea why he did that and where he was going while we were there. We had been warned to remain seated during the breaks. But he walked straight toward me. “I didn’t know what was going on, and suddenly, he held out a hand for me to shake. I was so confused that I instantly stood up and shook his hand. After this, he waved at me and walked back to his seat. He earned my great respect after this. For a player like him to stand up to salute…it was crazy. He’s an amazing person, and I respect and appreciate him a lot.” For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US . The 2023/24 season, however, hasn’t been as productive for Kvaratskhelia and Napoli. Kvaratskhelia has managed just three goals and five assists across all competitions, while Napoli sit fourth and ten points behind top-of-the-table Inter Milan in their Serie A title defence. Napoli lost their last league outing 1-0 to Empoli but their Champions League performances have been significantly better. They’re on course to reach the knockout stages in second behind Real Madrid in Group C. Napoli has seven points and are four points above Union Berlin with two games to go.
Leave a Reply