Unai Emery Names Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for Ballon d'Or

Unai Emery, the manager of Aston Villa, expressed his belief that Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is the frontrunner for the Ballon d’Or during a post-match press conference after Aston Villa's 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup. Emery highlighted Kvaratskhelia's significant contributions to both Napoli and PSG, stating, “Kvaratskhelia is the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or in my opinion.

He is fantastic.” He noted that Kvaratskhelia had a remarkable impact two years ago at Napoli and is currently performing well at PSG. Emery mentioned that Kvaratskhelia was one of the best players not participating in the World Cup and emphasized his fitness.

Although Emery acknowledged that the decision is not his to make, he firmly believes Kvaratskhelia has the potential to win the prestigious award. Kvaratskhelia is expected to compete against notable players such as Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe for the Ballon d’Or.