It’s an understatement to say Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been sensational this season. The 22-year-old has taken the world by storm in his debut season at Napoli.
Fans at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona were expecting a tough time replacing club legend Lorenzo Insigne, but Khvicha has filled the Italian’s boots seamlessly.
Khvicha is already being labeled as the breakout star of the 2022/23 season, and for a good reason.
The Georgian, who was picked up from Dinamo Batumi at the start of the season, arrived in the city of Naples at a meager amount of €12 million.
With 12 goals and 10 assists in 23 games for Napoli, Khvicha has already won the Serie A Player of the Month award twice.
Along with Nigerian striker and teammate Victor Osimhen, Kvara has formed one of the deadliest strike partnerships in all of Europe.
Mesmerized by the winger’s performances, Napoli ultras have taken to calling him interesting nicknames to show their love towards the Georgian.
The most famous nicknames include “Kvaradona”, “Kvaravaggio” and “Che Kvara”. The reasoning behind the first two of these is pretty self-explanatory.
“Kvaradona” has been derived from the legendary Diego Armando Maradona, who led Napoli to their last Serie A victory.
The origin behind “Kvaravaggio” could be traced back to the renowned yet controversial Italian artist Caravaggio. The third nickname, however, has fans wondering about its origin.
While the names “Kvaradona” and “Kvaravaggio” were baptized by the fans themselves, “Che Kvara” has roots that run deep.
There runs a chain of art stores by the name “Napolimania” which mostly designs artifacts that are based on the city of Naples and that represent the Neapolitan spirit.
Tons of art figures that convey a different message from the Neapolitan culture could be discovered on their website.
Accepting Kvaratskhelia as one of their own, the store designed T-shirts and banners with Khvicha’s face and the slogan “Che Kvara” imprinted on them.
The idea of “Che Kvara” is an inspiration from the Argentine Marxist revolutionary, Ernesto Guevara de la Serna.
A worldwide symbol of rebellion, Guevara was a major figure of the Cuban revolution and was popularly known as “Che” Guevara.
Che Guevara being homophonous with Che Kvara, it is pretty comprehensible where the latter nickname comes from.
The name caught fire after images of the aforementioned T-shirts went viral online, with some fans finding it the best nickname the Georgian has received so far. This is how some fans reacted to the viral sobriquet.
To have his nicknames after three highly renowned yet controversial figures just at the age of 22 speak volumes about the former Rubin Kazan man. At this trajectory, the sky’s the limit for Kvaratskhelia.
Just 9 months after arriving in Italy, Khvicha is being labeled as one of the best wingers in the world. With Serie A virtually in the bag, a deep run is expected from Napoli in the UCL as they’re being touted as one of the favorites to win the tournament.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Georgian forward ends his first season in an elite club with European success to his name.
