'Tragedy of Lee Kang-in's close friend' PSG drowns in 'sea of tears'... Kvaratskhelia, who suffered an ACL tear, confirmed out for the season → Lee Kang-in also "wishes him a speedy recovery"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (25) is effectively out for the season due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear.

On the 22nd (Korean time), PSG announced via its official club website, "Kvaratskhelia suffered a tear in his right knee ACL during the match against Barcelona. He is scheduled to undergo surgery within days."

During the third match of the league phase of the 2026-2027 UEFA Champions League (UCL) held at Parc des Princes in Paris, France on the 21st, Kvaratskhelia's knee was severely twisted and he collapsed while competing for the ball with Barcelona's Xavi aespa rt around the 12th minute of the second half. He was substituted out with assistance. Local media predicted that it would take a minimum of six to 10 months for recovery and return after surgery.

On this day, PSG defeated Barcelona, which had been on an 11-match winning streak, 4-2, showcasing the power of the defending champions. With this victory, they rose to the top of the league phase standings, but it became a hollow win as they lost their attacking core.

During his time at Napoli, Kvaratskhelia was known as "the Maradona of Georgia" and won the MVP award for the 2022-2023 Italian Serie A season. Building on that performance, he donned the PSG jersey last winter and transformed into a true world-class winger. He played a vital role as the final piece in achieving PSG's second consecutive UCL title, earning the UCL MVP award last season. He has recorded 29 goals and 20 assists in 91 career appearances for PSG.

His special connections with key players of the Korean national team also draw attention. Starting with Hwang In-beom (Porto) during his time at Rubin Kazan, he co-created Napoli's Serie A title win with Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and subsequently shared a locker room with Lee Kang-in (Atletico Madrid) at PSG.

Lee Kang-in posted a photo of Kvaratskhelia along with a prayer emoji and the Georgian flag emoji on his social media (SNS), wishing him a speedy recovery.

PSG, which was aiming for a third consecutive UCL title, is in crisis due to Kvaratskhelia's long-term absence. To make matters worse, Marquinhos and Ousmane Dembele have also fallen to injury, causing an uncontrollable depletion of squad strength.

Suffering serious damage to its squad management, PSG finds itself in a position where it must rush to sign a replacement forward at the upcoming January winter transfer market.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original