Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's teenage brother makes first European start - and he looks unreal

Analysis

Matthew Judge | Editor

Tornike Kvaratskhelia, the teenage brother of Paris Saint-Germain star Khvicha, made his first European start on Thursday - and it is fair to say he looks an amazing prospect.

The 16-year-old was handed a starting berth in the first leg of Georgian side Dinamo Tbilisi’s second round qualifier with Lithuanian outfit FK Zalgiris in the UEFA Conference League.

And the left winger appears to be a carbon copy of his older brother as he terrorised the opposing full-back in a 68-minute performance which played a key role in Dinamo winning 3-0 on home soil.

Footage has emerged on social media of Tornike driving at defenders for fun - the teen sensation favouring his right foot as he repeatedly isolated his opposite number in one-v-one situations.

And it is obvious from the highlights that Tornike has been taking tips from his sibling, with Khvicha having developed a reputation for his electric wing play at European champions PSG.

Tornike has previously trained with Bayern Munich

After spending time in the youth ranks of Inter Academy Georgia, Tornike moved to Dinamo ahead of the 2026 season, and was quickly promoted to their senior team.

The talented wide player trained with Bayern Munich’s youth setup in May, and scored for their under-17 side in a 3-0 friendly win over a Global academy team.

And Tornike’s talent caught the eye of Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund, who told German outlet Sport: “Yes, his [Khvicha's] brother trained with us at our campus; he has talent.

“Whether he's as good as his brother is too much to say. But he's a talented player, and we'll see how things develop.”

Zalgiris start came off the back of two European cameos

Building on his time with Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern, Tornike returned to Dinamo at the end of May and made his senior debut as a substitute in a 2-0 win over Iberia 1999.

And Tornike has now provided a major boost to Dinamo’s hopes of reaching this season's Conference League group phase, with the starlet making his European debut earlier this month.

Tornike came off the bench in Dinamo’s 2-1 first-leg victory over Luxembourg-based side US Mondorf les Bains on 9 July, and did the same again in the return leg a week later. The match ended 1-1.

And Tornike enhanced his burgeoning reputation once again when starting the clash against Zalgiris on Thursday, with Dinamo well-poised to reach the next qualifying round ahead of the second leg next week.

Tornike has also represented Georgia at Under-16 and Under-17 level, appearing in the 2026 UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualification phase.

Tornike hoping to follow in Khvicha’s footsteps

While it is far too early to tell whether Tornike can reach the same heights at his brother, the prospect of them one day lining up alongside each other - for Georgia - is mouth-watering.

Widely regarded as Georgia’s greatest ever player, Khvicha also started his career with Dinamo before spending one season with FC Rustavi, scoring three goals in 18 games in 2018.

He then joined Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow on loan for the remainder of the 2018-19 season and caught the attention of Rubin Kazan, who signed him on a permanent basis in July 2019.

With superb close control and dynamic dribbling, Khvicha scored nine goals in 73 games for Rubin, before he returned to Georgian side FC Dinamo Batumi for the 2022 season.

But Khvicha’s life soon changed forever when Serie A giants Napoli signed him for just €12million (£10.25m) in July 2022, with the 25-year-old spending the next three seasons in Italy.

After helping end Napoli’s 33-year wait to win the Scudetto in 2022-23, Khvicha was christened with the nickname ‘Kvaradona’ - a nod to the club’s greatest ever player, Argentina icon Diego Maradona.

He then joined PSG in January 2025 for €80m (£70m) and made an immediate impact, scoring eight goals in 32 games as Luis Enrique’s men won their first Champions League crown in May of that year.

Forging a fearsome partnership with Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue in the final third, Khvicha helped PSG retain their European crown last season, netting 19 times in 48 appearances.

He has also scored 23 goals in 50 games for Georgia, representing them at Euro 2024.

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