The New York Times: “Napoli’s new artist shares his secret: Freedom is my signature”

American daily newspaper The New York Times on Tuesday published an interview with Napoli’s Georgian midfielder Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, with the feature introducing the player’s story from the very first day of his arrival at the club to his recent and widely acclaimed performances for the team.

Ever since I arrived, it has felt like being in a dream […] But at some point, early on, I had to collect myself, remind myself that it was not a dream, that it was reality, and I had to find the strength in myself to live through it”, Kvatatskhelia told the interview.

The earlier phases of his career - when Kvaratskhelia played for Russia’s Rubin Kazan - before contrasting his acquisition by the Italian club, the stage that heralded him as being “among the most devastating attacking forces in the world”.

I am grateful for every piece of love and affection people show me. I know it is praise, but it is also motivation and inspiration. It is a huge responsibility. I have to prove every game that I can do as I have promised”, the Georgian midfielder told The New York Times.

Rory Smith, the newspaper’s chief football correspondent, describes Kvaratskhelia as a person with the sense of “untamed imagination” that has become his calling card.

That freedom is my signature. It is something I recognise in myself. It is because I love what I do. When I am playing, it kind of carries me away”, the winger himself says, adding “the way I play is both heart and conscious thought, but if you don’t use your brain, you will never improve”.

Read the full article here.