Will Khvicha Kvaratskhelia play before the end of the season following ACL blow?

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PSG prevailed against Barcelona in a 4-2 win. After nearly 80 minutes, Lamine Yamal tied the scoreline at 2-2; two late strikes from Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz won the game for the Parisiens.

Kvaratskhelia collided with Barcelona’s other goalscorer, Xavi Espart, after 59 minutes, and was carried off the field by PSG staff in the aftermath.

It has now been confirmed by the club that Kvaratskhelia will undergo surgery on his right knee “in the coming days” as the first step of the Georgian’s rehabilitation.

“Having suffered a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during yesterday’s match against FC Barcelona, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will undergo surgery in the coming days,” read a statement issued by PSG.

A date for the PSG winger’s return has not yet been revealed; ACL injuries typically lead to sidelining periods of, at least, nine months.

As such, Kvaratskhelia, who has been hyped as a possible 2026 Ballon D’or winner after his dominant run of individual performances during PSG’s title-retaining Champions League win last season, will likely not play again in 2026-27.

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2025 Ballon D’or winner Ousmane Dembele was also withdrawn against Barcelona through injury, as was club captain Marquinhos.

PSG also shed additional light on the nature of their injuries, revealing that the pair, who are suffering with thigh issues, “will remain under treatment for the next few weeks.”

For Kvaratskhelia, his best hope will be to mimic the abnormal return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic from an ACL injury in 2017.

The Swede recovered from a similar setback in just seven months, two months ahead of the likely nine-month rehabilitation period.

In this scenario, the Georgian’s best case, he would still only make it back to play in PSG’s final league game of the season, versus Toulouse in May 2027.

Should the Parisiens make it back to the Champions League final for a third successive time, Kvaratskhelia would also be available, should his body recover as well as Ibrahimovic’s did.

Kedar Bayley Freelance Writer Kedar Bayley is a trained journalist specialising in culture reporting. As a fan of Liverpool FC, he writes on the Reds often. Knowledgable about all things sports, cinema and television, you can find his words in Screen International, FourFourTwo, Manchester Evening News and more.

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