Nigmatullin is not surprised that Kvaratskhelia is included in the list of candidates for the Ballon d’Or

Former Russian national team player Ruslan Nigmatullin said that he was not surprised that Napoli midfielder Khvichi Kvaratskhelia was among the contenders for the Ballon d’Or.

At the end of the 2022/23 season, Kvaratskhelia was recognized as the best player in the Italian Championship and the best young player in the Champions League. With him, Napoli became the champion of Italy for the first time in 33 years.

— Kvaratskhelia was recognized as the best player of last season in the Italian Championship. One of the leading championships in Europe, it is therefore not surprising that it is nominated for the Ballon d’Or.

Of course, at a certain stage of his career, his performance in the Russian Championship helped him, but his performance at Napoli helped him qualify for the Ballon d’Or. It would be extremely difficult to do this at Rubin,” Metaratings.ru quotes Nigmatullin as saying.

The presentation of the trophy will traditionally take place during the Ballon d’Or ceremony on October 30 in Paris.

Watch live broadcasts of Italian Championship matches on the Match TV channel and thematic channels of the holding, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.