Reminder that Kvaratskhelia was the best player in Europe last season

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s absence from the World Cup last summer was one of football’s most glaring omissions. While the tournament in Qatar showcased the game’s biggest names, the stage that truly mattered belonged to him—Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League-winning midfielder redefined what it meant to dominate Europe’s premier competition. As PSG prepare to face Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup, the stage is set for Kvaratskhelia to remind everyone why he was the outstanding player in European football last season.

The stage is set for Kvaratskhelia to reclaim the spotlight

The UEFA Super Cup in Salzburg offers Kvaratskhelia a chance to step out of the World Cup’s shadow and back into the global conversation. While the tournament in Qatar illuminated the game’s biggest names, the return of club football brings a sharper focus on those who define the modern game. Kvaratskhelia, absent from the World Cup due to Georgia’s failure to qualify, returns to PSG with a point to prove.

His influence last term was undeniable. Signed from Napoli in January 2025, his arrival transformed PSG from a side struggling to find rhythm in Europe to a pressing machine capable of dismantling elite opposition. Before his arrival, PSG’s European form had been inconsistent; afterward, they became a team built on relentless intensity and technical brilliance. The Georgian’s all-action style didn’t just fit Luis Enrique’s system—it elevated those around him, setting a new benchmark for forward-line performance. His ability to combine pressing triggers with direct dribbling created a template that PSG’s midfielders and wingers now emulate, turning defence into attack in a single motion.

Why Aston Villa know exactly what they’re up against

Aston Villa’s path to the Super Cup was paved with Kvaratskhelia’s brilliance. In the first leg of their 2025 Champions League quarter-final, it was his dribbling that left Axel Disasi stranded on the left flank, a 38th-minute sequence that encapsulated PSG’s most testing knockout examination. That performance alone should serve as a warning to Villa, who will face a player in peak form and with a point to prove. The way Kvaratskhelia manipulated the ball at pace, drawing two defenders before releasing Vitinha for the decisive goal, remains one of the competition’s defining moments of last season.

Kvaratskhelia’s impact extended far beyond that tie. From the Champions League play-offs onward, no player scored more goals than him—seven in total—while his tally of five open-play assists in the same period was the highest in the competition. These numbers speak volumes, particularly when considering his role in PSG’s most pivotal moments: the 2-1 aggregate win over Bayern Munich in the semi-finals, where his second-leg assist set up Marquinhos’ winner, and the 3-0 final triumph over Inter Milan, where his pressing led directly to the opening goal in the 19th minute. For a player often overlooked in the Ballon d’Or debate, these contributions were decisive.

The transformation behind the numbers

PSG’s Champions League triumph was built on more than just Kvaratskhelia’s goals and assists. His arrival coincided with a shift in the club’s identity. Before January 2025, PSG had struggled to impose themselves in Europe; afterward, they became a team that dictated terms. The Georgian’s pressing, creativity, and directness gave the squad a new dimension, one that carried them through tight encounters and into the final. His work rate in the 78th minute of the second leg against Bayern Munich, when he recovered possession high up the pitch to force a turnover that led to PSG’s second goal, was emblematic of his influence.

That influence wasn’t limited to the Champions League. Domestically, his impact was equally transformative, though the Super Cup offers a chance to showcase his European pedigree once more. With PSG chasing a historic three-peat, Kvaratskhelia’s role as the catalyst of this era cannot be overstated. The question now is whether he can translate his club form into a statement on the biggest stage available to him this summer. His ability to combine with Dembélé on the left has redefined PSG’s attacking dynamics, while his defensive contributions—12 successful tackles in the knockout stages alone—highlight his complete profile.

Kvaratskhelia’s absence from the World Cup was a talking point last year, but the Super Cup provides the perfect platform for him to reaffirm his standing. PSG’s dominance in Europe has been built on his shoulders, and this fixture against Aston Villa is another opportunity to remind the football world why he was the standout performer of the 2025-26 season. The stage is set—now it’s time to deliver.