Napoli’s social media message about Khvicha Kvaratskhelia following his injury caused confusion due to a misunderstanding caused by auto-translation.
Napoli sent a social media message to their ex-star Kvaratskhelia after the Georgian international suffered a cruciate ligament injury during a Champions League match against Barcelona on Tuesday.
Napoli’s message for Kvaratskhelia causes confusion
PARIS, FRANCE – SEPTEMBER 17: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of Paris Saint-Germain celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Atalanta BC at Parc des Princes on September 17, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Franco Arland/Getty Images)
Napoli wrote on their Italian X account: “In bocca al lupo Khvicha, ti aspettiamo presto in campo,” which basically translates to “Good luck, Khvicha, we look forward to seeing you back on the pitch soon.”
However, X’s auto-translation into English sparked confusion, as the Napoli message read: “Break a leg, Khvicha, we look forward to seeing you back on the pitch soon.”
Several users commented on the post, saying that “Break a leg” isn’t exactly the right expression to wish a speedy recovery to a player who has just broken his ACL.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of Napoli shows his disappointment during the Serie A match between Napoli and SS Lazio at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on December 08, 2024 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)
The translation was probably too literal, as the expression “in bocca al lupo” literally means “in the wolf’s mouth” and is used in Italian to wish good luck.
Kvaratskhelia is now due to undergo surgery following his injury.
The 25-year-old scored 30 goals in 107 appearances with Napoli before his January 2025 move to PSG. Kvara won the 2022-23 Serie A title under Luciano Spalletti.
In bocca al lupo Khvicha, ti aspettiamo presto in campo! 💪