Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has delivered one of the most compelling individual performances in recent Champions League history, and Felix Kroos believes the PSG winger deserves consideration for the Ballon d'Or. After terrorizing Bayern Munich's defence across two knockout ties—scoring twice in the first leg and setting up Ousmane Dembélé just 139 seconds into the second—the Georgian has earned widespread acclaim from one of football's most respected voices.
On the podcast "Einfach mal Luppen" with his brother Toni, Felix praised Kvaratskhelia's technical mastery and physicality. "What he does with and without the ball, his resilience, his decision-making, and how he created the 1-0 are all impressive," Kroos said. "It's remarkable how he looks up and delivers the ball exactly where it needs to be – at full speed." The winger has now become the first player in Champions League history to record a goal or assist in seven consecutive knockout matches within a single campaign, accumulating 16 goal contributions across just 15 European appearances this season.
World Cup Absence Looms Large
Yet a significant obstacle stands between Kvaratskhelia and football's most prestigious individual award. His brother Toni, the former Real Madrid midfielder, identified the stumbling block: Georgia's failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup means the winger will miss sport's biggest tournament. "The problem is: he won't be a world champion," Toni stated bluntly. The absence of a World Cup platform has historically limited Ballon d'Or campaigns, as the tournament provides the highest visibility and narrative weight for individual accolades.
Since joining PSG from SSC Napoli for €80 million, Kvaratskhelia has thrived in Ligue 1, amassing 26 goals and 17 assists across 81 matches. His rise from Naples—where he earned the nickname "Kvaradona" for performances evoking Diego Maradona—to Paris has been meteoric. With 49 international caps for Georgia, the 23-year-old winger continues to prove he can compete physically and technically against elite defenders, a testament to his development as a complete attacking threat regardless of continental stage.
