Coming live from Fabrizio Romano, Scouts from Manchester United are present in Italy as they hold negotiation to bring Georgia international Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to United with his awesome performance in the Euros. According to reports, Kvaratskhelia is one of United’s main targets in the upcoming transfer window to overcome the problem of the lack of quality wingers at the club following the immediate departure of Greenwood and Sancho and the underperformance of Antony and Rashford. United fans are happy with this development. He will be a massive addition to the teamwith his quality and potential🙀🙀🙀
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia experienced an unforgettable night, fulfilling a childhood dream by leading Georgia to the Euro 2024 knockout stages and defeating Cristiano Ronaldo.
Despite being the lowest-ranked team in the tournament and debuting at the European Championship, Georgia defied expectations. They stunned Portugal with a 2-0 victory in Group F. Kvaratskhelia scored just two minutes into the match, and Georges Mikautadze added a second-half penalty. The final whistle triggered celebrations both on the field and among the fans at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen, as tears of joy flowed.
In Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, fireworks lit up the sky, and fans took to the streets to celebrate the historic win.
“This is the best day in the lives of Georgians,” Kvaratskhelia told Reuters post-match. “Everyone is overjoyed; we’ve just made history. Nobody thought we could defeat Portugal, but this shows our strength as a team.”
David Webb, Georgia’s assistant manager, described the atmosphere after the match as “immense,” with players and staff celebrating with the crowd. Webb, a crucial part of manager Willy Sagnol’s team, said the group stayed “calm” before the crucial match and executed their game plan flawlessly. Webb, known for his motivational skills, had inspired the team with stories of smaller nations like Wales and Iceland succeeding in past European Championships.
“It was about giving the players the belief that we could achieve something similar,” Webb told ESPN. Despite the joyous post-match celebrations, they were short-lived.
Adding to the moment was Ronaldo’s encouragement. Videos on social media captured the team’s jubilation in the locker room, with Kvaratskhelia donning Ronaldo’s shirt. Despite his disappointment, Ronaldo gifted his shirt to an emotional Kvaratskhelia after the match. A 2013 photo of Ronaldo surrounded by young children in Tbilisi, including a young Kvaratskhelia, circulated on social media, and the Napoli forward shared it on his Instagram Story. Before the game, Ronaldo had wished him success, providing additional motivation.
“When he comes to you before the match and says, ‘I wish you success,’ it’s amazing,” Kvaratskhelia said. “It made me realize we could achieve so much today.”
After the final whistle, Kvaratskhelia consoled Ronaldo before celebrating with his teammates. Portugal, despite the loss, still qualified as group winners. Kvaratskhelia later posted a photo of Ronaldo’s shirt alongside his Man of the Match award on Instagram, captioning it “Dreams.”
While Kvaratskhelia had helped Napoli win the Serie A title in 2023, he stated that defeating Portugal and reaching the knockout stages with Georgia was the pinnacle of his career. “This is the best day of my life because it was more difficult to achieve with the Georgian team than with Napoli,” he told reporters. “There was no individual best player; it was teamwork, and we proved we could really play.”
Looking ahead, Georgia will rely on Kvaratskhelia again when they face Spain in the round of 16 on Sunday. “We’ve done really well to get this far and write another page in Georgian history,” Webb told reporters. “We go into the Spain game with no fear, lots of belief, and confidence. We’ll give it our best and see what happens.”
