Kvaratskhelia gets Cristiano Ronaldo’s shirt after stunning Portugal 11 years after Man Utd legend opened his academy
KHVICHA KVARATSKHELIA completed a “dream” night against Cristiano Ronaldo by securing his idol’s shirt.
The 23-year-old winger helped his nation make history as Georgia beat Portugal 2-0 at Euro 2024 last night.
The Napoli star needed just two minutes to break the deadlock and then survived some heavy-pressure before Georges Mikautadze doubled their advantage from the penalty spot.
As for Cristiano Ronaldo, 39, the game marked yet another milestone as he lined-up for his record-breaking 50th appearance at an international tournament for his country.
However, it was a night to forget for him as Kvaratskhelia helped Georgia to reach the knockouts for the first time and set-up a last-16 clash with Spain.
Kvaratskhelia spoke of his admiration for Ronaldo before the game and how much it meant lining-up against his hero.
And, incredibly, it is not the first time that the two have met.
Amazingly, back in 2013, Ronaldo opened a new Dinamo Tbilisi Academy in Georgia’s capital city Tbilisi.
He met a host of youngsters on that trip and happily posed for a snap with a group of them, one of which was Kvaratskhelia.
Fast forward 11 years, and the ace was not only scoring and facing and scoring against the superstar’s team, but ten of his colleagues in the Georgia squad were also part of that academy.
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
And Kvaratskhelia revealed after the game that he had secured himself a brilliant memento from the night.
He managed to swap shirts with Ronaldo after the game and proudly posted a photo of it alongside the word “dreams” on social media.
Speaking about the man whose posters used to don his bedroom walls before kick off, Kvaratskhelia admitted: “I am a little nervous.
“I have always dreamed about playing against Cristiano Ronaldo.
“He was an idol for me.
EURO 2024 LIVE: KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM GERMANY
“Ronaldo doesn’t play in Europe anymore and it’s nice to meet him at national level, I’m motivated and I hope to have his shirt.”
Portugal, meanwhile, still topped the group and will now face Slovenia on Monday for a place in the quarter-finals.