Khvicha Kvaratskhelia interview: The Paris forward on his emotions, comparing this season to last, and his Georgian pride

A scorer in the record-breaking victory in last season's final against Inter, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia insists Paris still have plenty to prove as they look to become the first team to successfully defend the UEFA Champions League title since Real Madrid in 2018.

The Georgian forward has certainly played an integral part in Paris' attempt to go back-to-back, scoring ten goals in the competition this season, with seven of those coming in his last seven games in the knockout phase. The 25-year-old sat down with UEFA ahead of the Budapest decider against Arsenal on 30 May.

On how he appears seem so relaxed on the pitch

It’s not as easy as it seems, because when you play against teams in the Champions League, everybody can be a great team and it's really difficult to score against them. But I have amazing team-mates that can create the moments for me where I just have to shoot and score.

I think maybe sometimes I show more emotions than I should and sometimes I show less than I should. It depends on the mood, but I always give 100% on the pitch and sometimes emotions can make you think more than usual. When you score that emotion is the best, and every time I go on to the pitch I want to feel this emotion.

On comparing Paris last year and this year

I think there have been many changes, because many teams know how we played last year. They tried to block our strategies, but we showed that we can find everything to play well, against every opponent. We respect them, but we know that we have quality that can beat every team. We just have to focus on our game, and that is what we always try to do. It's kind of the same, because we did a great job last season, and we are trying to have a great season this year as well.

On how tough it is defending the title

We know we are the reigning champions. The beginning [of this year's competition] didn't go as we wanted. After so many matches, we didn't get to rest much, so we soon had to analyse the fact that we still had to show everyone that we deserved to win the competition last season. At first we struggled but at some point in the middle of the season we realised we could at least do what we do best, so we played in harmony, continued to win and made it to the final.

All of this is very important and we understand that we are the reigning champions and we can win again. Of course this will be difficult, but we've proved once more that we can beat any team as long as we play our way and give our all on the pitch.

On why Champions League nights brings out the best in him

Some say that I contribute more to the team in Champions League matches, but I don't think so. There are matches when you may not manage to score or assist but still help the team as much as you can, which is exactly the strategy that our team applies. When I come off the pitch at the end of a match, I want to be sure that I gave 100% and helped the team win.

As for the Champions League, I think we are one of the best teams in this tournament and I believe we have proved this as well. I get to play with the footballers who can create opportunities for me to just shoot and score. I am glad that I've scored a lot of goals and provided a lot of assists, but I want to finish the job and continue doing this for as long as I can.

On how important his success is to the Georgian people

Last time, I felt so much love from the Georgian supporters and people and so many people congratulated me and made me happy. These were people who almost never watched football. I'll do my very best to once again bring this happiness to the Georgian supporters. I am happy that I am Georgian and I can bring this joy to the country with this small contribution of mine.

I think our history is that we are a very small country but we always fight. We always have the answer, you know? We are a strong unit together, we always fight for each other but we know how to welcome guests. I'm very proud that I’m Georgian because it's our mentality to fight. It's not easy for me to go out in public in Georgia because they love football so much but I really love going back to my country. I try to go back whenever I can.

This interview was conducted on 15 May 2026