In football (or soccer, as Americans and a few others around the world call it), the highs and the lows can be equally powerful. One second, you’re kicking a winning goal, causing an eruption like no other. The next, medics help you off the field. Unfortunately for Georgian player Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the latter happened this week in their win against Barcelona.
Paris Saint-Germain left-winger Kvaratskhelia tore his ACL, an extremely painful injury that often requires a long recovery. The 25-year-old player, so full of passion, seemed devastated to leave the game in such a way. But support from 2.7 million Instagram followers and one of his biggest heroes, Cristiano Ronaldo, is helping him heal.
Preparing his hardest
On his Instagram page, Kvaratskhelia shared a deeply personal message, translated from Georgian: “Many people asked me about this stand, many said that if all the footballers in the world prayed, the game would end in a draw. This could be true, but before every game I play, I ask God to leave the field healthy, but in vain. It hasn’t been a long time, but it’s still on my mind: why me, anyway? I have never missed anything; probably I prepared for this game the best I have ever prepared for.”
He adds, “I thought I was prepared for everything, but not, and I realize that God chose me, and if I protected the players on another field, I’m ready to go through these months in labor, pain, tears. I know I have to come back stronger for my people who always have my back. I won’t let you down, I promise. I won’t waste a second. Thank you all for your support. See you soon.”
‘Never forget what brought you so far’
There were nearly three million likes in just 10 hours. There were also over 40,000 comments, including one from none other than Cristiano Ronaldo. He wrote, “The hardest battles in football are often ones nobody sees. I know that feeling, Kvara. But never forget what brought you this far, and don’t let a difficult moment make you doubt how far you can go. Keep that fire on. Your best is still to come.” (This comment alone got one million likes.)
Kyle Bonn from Yahoo!Sports shares that Kvaratskhelia isn’t particularly injury-prone and has always been an incredibly hard worker. “This is the first major injury that Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has suffered in his football career. Previously, he had never missed more than six games in a row with an injury, and even that was back in 2021, when he was still playing for Rubin Kazan. Since moving to Napoli in the summer of 2022, Kvara has been a workhorse. He has never missed more than two club matches for any particular injury.”
‘A true inspiration’
Italian sports journalist Fabrizio Romano also shared a post highlighting Ronaldo’s kind words, calling it a “beautiful message.” This led many in the comments to call Ronaldo the GOAT (seemingly in a toss-up with Messi). One adds, “More than an idol, a true inspiration.”
The post Cristiano Ronaldo shares powerful message with soccer star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia after devastating injury appeared first on Upworthy.