Kvaratskhelia tears ACL in Champions League win, ending PSG season in near-certain blow

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will undergo surgery on a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee after sustaining the injury during Paris Saint-Germain’s 4-2 Champions League victory over Barcelona on Tuesday. PSG confirmed the diagnosis in an official statement, saying the operation would take place “in the coming days” as the first step of his rehabilitation.

The 23-year-old was hurt in the 59th minute after a collision with Barcelona’s Xavi Espart and was carried off the pitch by PSG medical staff. His exit came at a pivotal moment in the match: the score was level at 2-2 following Lamine Yamal’s equaliser, before late goals from Vitinha and Fabián Ruiz sealed the win for the Parisians.

ACL injuries typically require a minimum of nine months’ recovery, meaning Kvaratskhelia is almost certain to miss the remainder of the 2026-27 season. No official return date has been set by the club. The blow is a significant one for PSG, who had been building around the Georgian as a central figure following his dominant performances during their Champions League title-winning campaign last season — a run that had positioned him as a contender for the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

The only realistic scenario in which Kvaratskhelia returns this season would require a recovery comparable to Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s in 2017, when the Swede returned from a similar ACL injury in approximately seven months — two months ahead of the standard timeline. Even in that best-case scenario, the winger would only be available for PSG’s final Ligue 1 fixture of the season against Toulouse in May 2027, or a potential Champions League final should the club advance that far.

PSG were also without Ousmane Dembélé and captain Marquinhos against Barcelona, both of whom were substituted off with thigh complaints. The club confirmed the pair “will remain under treatment for the next few weeks,” adding further injury concern to Luis Enrique’s squad at a critical stage of the European campaign.