Khvicha Kvaratskhelia nominated for Ballon d'Or award

The Georgian national team and Napoli player Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is among the top 30 contenders nominated for the Men’s Ballon d'Or award, presented annually by France Football to the best player of the year.

The nomination follows Kvaratskhelia’s debut season for Napoli that helped the Italian club in their winning run in Serie A with his match-winning contributions, leading to the team’s first title in 33 years.

He also became the Most Valuable Player of the series and received three Player of the Month awards by EA Sports, a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games and partners the Serie A, setting a new all-time record in the history of the Italian championship.

The 22-year-old footballer became the first Georgian to be recognised as the best player in a top European championship.

The awards ceremony for Ballon d’Or will be hosted on October 30 in Paris.