While Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is a huge hit at Paris Saint-Germain, his younger brother could also be making a name for himself in the years to come. At just 16 years old, Tornike Kvaratskhelia is already attracting interest from several top clubs, including Bayern Munich.
Who knows, the clashes between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich in the Champions League might just be spiced up by a family feud in the coming years.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia won’t be facing anyone from his family circle on Wednesday, but such a fixture in the future could see him locked in a battle with his younger brother Tornike, who has caught the eye of the Rekordmeister.
According to the Georgian daily La Gazzetta, Khvicha’s 16-year-old younger brother travelled to Germany in recent days to tour the Bavarian club’s facilities and speak with officials. Notably, this trip across the Rhine took place after the league match between Dinamo Tbilisi and Dinamo Batumi (2-2), in which Tornike featured.
Last weekend thus marked a significant milestone in the young forward’s development. A member of the Georgian U17 national team, Tornike Kvaratskhelia was called up for the first time to Dinamo Tbilisi’s first-team squad. Although he did not take to the pitch, this inclusion in the first team confirms the great potential of the player, born in February 2010.
A profile similar to his brother’s
It remains to be seen whether top-level talent runs in the Kvaratskhelia family. A fast, dribbling, ambidextrous left winger, Tornike has a profile similar to that of his elder brother. His potential has certainly not gone unnoticed by Europe’s top clubs. As well as Bayern Munich, several clubs are closely monitoring the progress of ‘Kvara bis’: Foot Mercato had suggested a potential move to Italy. Like Khvicha, when he moved from Batumi to Naples in 2022?
Bayern: Kane was right
At the start of the season, Harry Kane had warned of the lack of depth in Bayern Munich’s squad. Masked by the Bavarian club’s exceptional form, this lack of quality was laid bare when the German side were pushed to their limits by Paris Saint-Germain (4-5, 1-1) in the Champions League semi-finals.
On Wednesday evening, following Bayern Munich’s elimination after failing to overturn their narrow first-leg deficit against Paris Saint-Germain (4–5, 1–1) in the Champions League semi-finals at the Allianz Arena, Harry Kane spoke at length about his disappointment in the mixed zone.
Having enjoyed an exceptional season, the Rekordmeister were tipped as one of the favourites for the competition. They ultimately fell to a more clinical PSG and were undone by their own limitations in terms of squad depth. Yet, as early as August, the English striker had sounded the alarm.
Kane had warned
Even before the season kicked off, the centre-forward had expressed concern about the team’s lack of depth. “It’s probably one of the smallest squads I’ve ever played in. We’re a bit thin on the ground, but that’s not something we as players can do anything about,” the former Tottenham player had warned. Kicker magazine reported at the time that several Bayern players shared the Englishman’s concern.
But Kane’s concerns were soon forgotten: Bayern kicked off their season with 15 consecutive wins, including a 2-1 victory over Stuttgart in the German Super Cup, then went on to deliver a string of impressive performances, securing the German league title by mid-April, reaching the German Cup final for the first time in six years, and scoring 175 goals in 52 matches across all competitions, before this European setback.
A depleted bench
The Englishman’s warning carries greater weight in these circumstances. Against PSG on Wednesday, Nicolas Jackson, brought on in the 79th minute, and the young Lennart Karl, a rookie at the start of the season, returning from injury and coming on in the 85th, were the only two attacking options available to Munich coach Vincent Kompany, who could not count on the injured Serge Gnabry and the inexperienced Wisdom Mike. Meanwhile, his Parisian counterpart Luis Enrique brought on Bradley Barcola and Senny Mayulu, leaving Kang-in Lee and Gonçalo Ramos on the bench.
Bayern played the entire season with just 18 established outfield players, which forced them to bring in numerous young players: Mike (17) at the start of the season, followed by Filip Pavic (16), Cassiano Kiala (17), Deniz Ofli (19), Bara Ndiaye (18), Maycon Cardozo (17) and David Daiber (19). As a result, 10 of the 11 starters against PSG in the second leg have clocked up over 2,900 minutes of playing time this season, whereas in Paris, only three players have reached that milestone (Willian Pacho, Vitinha and Warren Zaïre-Emery). Convinced they can win the Champions League in the short term, Bayern will almost certainly need to bolster their squad first.
