Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the 25-year-old Paris Saint-Germain and Georgian striker, was a guest of Sports Illustrated to discuss the famous 2024-2025 Champions League final, which PSG won 5-0 against Inter Milan. He talks about the pre-match preparations, the strategy, and his special emotions.
Kvaratskhelia: “The most important thing is that we enjoy playing.”
It’s very difficult to win the Champions League; it’s perhaps the most difficult trophy after the World Cup. I didn’t think I’d win it in my first year.
The PSG family?
When we train, we like to be together. We try to train hard, and when we step onto the pitch, we know we’re capable of anything. So, I think the most important thing is that we enjoy playing together.
Inter?
I knew how Inter played because I’d faced them several times. Winning isn’t easy. They’re very strong defensively and on the counter-attack, and also on set pieces. We had to be ready to fight and be very focused.
The pre-match atmosphere?
Everyone was calm and focused. There wasn’t much time for jokes; everyone was serious. It was hard to sleep.
Kvaratskhelia: “I remember his speech: ‘We’re one big family.'”
The importance of Marquinhos?
For him, this match was very, very important because he’d already had several opportunities to win the Champions League. He’s a true leader, and he gave us great motivation. I remember his speech: “We’re one big family. We’ve worked very hard to reach the final. We have one more step to make our dreams come true.” “All our families, everyone is here, we have to play for them.”
What were your feelings before the final?
At first you’re a little nervous, but when the referee blows the whistle, you’re in it and you just have to do the job. The job you love.
Kvaratskhelia: “We kept attacking, without stopping.”
The special kickoff decided by Luis Enrique?
The match starts like that. Our strategy is to play in their half and be ready to press to win the ball back near their penalty area.
The resounding victory in the Champions League final against Inter Milan?
“At 2-0, nothing was decided. We had seen Inter beat Barça by coming back several times. They can score at any moment; it could have been 2-2 very quickly. I think the main reason we won 5-0 is because we kept attacking, without stopping.”
Kvaratskhelia: “For us, it’s like a gift. But they had no other options.”
Luis Enrique’s words at halftime?
“We were very happy to be leading, but I’m pleased with the mentality. We wanted to score even more goals. We just wanted to kill the game off. The coach asked us to continue in this way. I think we did a good job at halftime.
At 3-0, we know we’re close, but we have to stay very focused. With our style of play, opposing teams always stay back in their penalty area and leave us little space. It’s very difficult for us to attack because we lack space. But when we were winning 3-0, they knew they had to attack, and that gave us a lot of space to counter-attack. For us, it’s like a gift. But they had no other options.”
Kvaratskhelia: “I wanted to make them happy. I’m very proud.”
The goal I scored?
No Georgian had ever scored in a final, and I felt like it was kind of my day. I really wanted to score… I felt like I was running for 10 minutes during the play (smiles). I was the happiest man in the world, I didn’t know how to celebrate. Gonçalo Ramos came over to give me a hug, and then everyone else arrived (laughs). I’m very proud. I come from a small country; it’s difficult to have players who win big trophies. I knew everyone was watching me back home, and I wanted to make them happy. I’m very proud. I knew at that moment that losing was impossible.
Kvaratskhelia: “We know that with this mobility, it’s difficult to press us and defend against us.”
The attacking setup?
We have Ousmane Dembélé up front. He has a lot of technical ability, he’s fast, he can do whatever he wants on the pitch, so we give him the freedom to go wherever he wants. As soon as we know Ousmane Dembélé is going to leave his central position, we have to move into that space. If I’m on the right wing to get on the ball, it’ll be up to Désiré Doué or Bradley Barcola to drop back into the number 9 role.
But it doesn’t just work with the attackers. If Nuno goes forward, one of us has to cover his position. I also give him space by being wide. It depends on the situation. We don’t need to talk, we understand each other very well. We know that with this mobility, it’s difficult to press us and defend against us. We try to move around a lot.
Kvaratskhelia: “He told me after the final that he had told me, and that we still have to win.”
The celebrations?
It was a dream to win the Champions League, and I did it at 24. So, I’m very proud. When I arrived here, Luis Enrique told me we could win everything. I trusted him, but winning the Champions League seemed difficult. He told me after the final that he had predicted it, and that we still had to win it.
I’ll never forget that night. Coming from a small country, I never thought I could become a European champion. It was an incredible moment. Now it’s in the past, and I know we can do it many more times. We want to win more titles for PSG.
