Napoli forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s Ballon d’Or appearance turned eventful after an interaction with Argentina star Lionel Messi. Kvaratskhelia was shocked when Messi decided to come to him during a commercial break at the ceremony. Kvaratskhelia claims that this incident changed his perception about Lionel Messi.
Kvaratskhelia said, “Meeting Messi [at the Ballon d’Or gala] was history for me. Maybe you would not believe me if I told you the story. Messi changed completely for me after that as a person. Of course I knew him as a player and it’s very hard to find a player like him in the whole history of football.”
“Well, we were sitting at gala during one of the pauses of the ceremony. He was sitting on the right side from me. Leo suddenly stood up and I didn’t have an idea why he did that and where he was going as we were warned to stay seated during the pauses. He walked directly towards me. I didn’t know what was happening, and suddenly he gave me a hand to shake. I got so confused, I stood up instantly and shook his hand. After this, he greeted me and walked back to his seat.”
The Napoli stars respect for Lionel Messi grew after interacting with him
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Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has turned into a phenomenal player at Napoli. He has earned the respect of many footballers around the world, including Messi. No one expected Kvicha Kvaratskhelia’s Ballon d’Or ceremony appearance to include an interaction with Lionel Messi. Kvaratskhelia’s respect for Messi increased after this interaction.
Kvaratskhelia said, “He got my huge respect after this. For a player like him to stand up to say hello… it was crazy. He is an amazing person, and I respect and appreciate him a lot.”
The Argentina international was at the Ballon d’Or ceremony to receive a record eighth Ballon d’Or award. He beat out the likes of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to win the award. Messi’s interaction with Kvaratskhelia shows how humble the Argentina forward is despite his achievements.