ACL Rupture: Kvaratskhelia Opts for Surgery, Facing Seven to Nine Months Out

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will undergo surgery on his right knee in the coming days after medical examinations confirmed a severe sprain with anterior cruciate ligament damage, Paris Saint-Germain announced Wednesday. The injury, sustained during the victory against FC Barcelona (4-2), suggests an unavailability of seven to nine months, marking the end of the season for the Georgian international.

The Parisian club had already dealt with injuries to Ousmane Dembélé and Marquinhos during the same match, both suffering muscle lesions deemed less concerning. Kvaratskhelia’s case is of an entirely different severity.

The question of conservative treatment without surgery briefly fueled debate. Professional sports history offers some famous examples of athletes who refused surgery: snowboarder Pierre Vaultier became Olympic champion in Sochi in 2014 without an anterior cruciate ligament, while Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway played his entire NFL career without an ACL in his left knee.

In French football, the most striking precedent remains that of Anthony Réveillère. In November 2008, the Olympique Lyonnais left-back chose, against the advice of the club’s medical staff, intensive muscle-strengthening treatment. Result: a return to the pitch in just two and a half months, at the end of January 2009. “I didn’t want to spend six months out. I took the risk after consulting several specialists. It was colossal work on proprioception and strength training so that the quadriceps and hamstrings could compensate for the missing ligament,” he explained.

This path will not be Kvaratskhelia’s. PSG has confirmed its choice of surgery, a decision in line with current standards in professional football, where no club would take the risk of betting on an unoperated player. The timeline for his recovery remains to be determined after the procedure.