- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia picked Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo in the GOAT debate
- The Georgian winger scored against Portugal at Euro 2024 and received Ronaldo’s shirt
- After a strong spell with Napoli, Kvaratskhelia moved to PSG and won the Champions League
Key Takeaways:
PSG and Georgia national team star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia picked Lionel Messi ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in the eternal debate over who is the greatest footballer of all time.
Despite having a history with the Portuguese legend, having met Ronaldo at the age of 7 in a football academy in Georgia, and later scoring in Georgia’s Euro 2024 win over Portugal, Kvaratskhelia believes Messi is “from another planet”. The Argentine, who already has a World Cup title to his name, holds the edge over the Al-Nassr veteran, according to the PSG winger. He said: “ “Cristiano Ronaldo or Leo Messi? I love Ronaldo so much, but Messi is from another planet. Both are incredible.”
🚨🗣️ Khvicha Kvaratskhelia: "Cristiano Ronaldo or Leo Messi? I love Ronaldo so much, but Messi is from another planet."
(Via @jasontheween) pic.twitter.com/MzI53x6e3F
— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) June 17, 2025
Kvaratskhelia has always shown respect to Ronaldo. Their first meeting in 2013 at an academy in Tbilisi remains a cherished memory. In the historic Euro 2024 encounter, when Georgia eliminated Portugal, Kvaratskhelia opened the scoring and later received Ronaldo’s shirt after the match.
After a strong start to the 2024/25 season with Napoli, registering 5 goals and 3 assists in 15 Serie A matches, Kvaratskhelia joined PSG in a transfer worth around €80 million.
With the French giants, he won both the Ligue 1 title and the Coupe de France. The highlight came in the Champions League final, where he scored in the 5:0 victory against Inter, becoming the first Georgian to ever score in a final of the competition.