Is Kvaratskhelia the Best Player in the World Right Now? — Sevens Sports Arena Opinion

There was a time when describing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as one of the best footballers on the planet sounded like a prediction.

Now, it is an argument backed by one of the biggest seasons of his career.

The Georgian winger has gone from becoming a sensation at Napoli to becoming one of the most decisive players in Paris Saint-Germain's rise to the top of European football. In 2025/26, he did something that makes this debate particularly difficult to dismiss: he helped PSG retain the Champions League while being named UEFA Champions League Player of the Season.

So the question is no longer whether Kvaratskhelia belongs among the world's elite.

Is he actually the best player in the world right now?

At Sevens Sports Arena, our answer is yes — but only just.

The debate remains incredibly close, with several superstars capable of making an equally convincing argument.

But when we consider recent performances, influence in the biggest matches, individual quality and European success, Kvaratskhelia currently has a case that is almost impossible to ignore.

The Champions League Season That Changed His Status

The strongest evidence comes from Europe's biggest club competition.

Kvaratskhelia played 16 Champions League matches for PSG in 2025/26, scoring 10 goals and providing six assists. UEFA's Technical Observer Group subsequently named him the competition's Player of the Season.

That award matters.

This was not simply a case of Kvaratskhelia producing impressive numbers during a group stage and disappearing when the pressure increased. His influence continued deep into the knockout rounds, when the quality of opposition became significantly stronger.

PSG ultimately retained the Champions League, and Kvaratskhelia was one of the major figures in their run to the trophy.

That is the sort of achievement that changes how a player is viewed.

The Bayern Munich Performance That Summed Him Up

If there was one performance that captured Kvaratskhelia's Champions League campaign, it was his display against Bayern Munich in the semi-final.

PSG won an extraordinary first leg 5-4, with Kvaratskhelia scoring twice.

His first goal demonstrated his ability to create something from nothing, while his second showed the other side of his game: directness, confidence and ruthless finishing.

UEFA highlighted that performance as arguably his finest of the campaign.

But perhaps the most important detail is what happens when Kvaratskhelia receives the ball.

Defenders know exactly what he wants to do.

They know he wants to attack them.

They know he wants to cut inside.

They know he wants to create separation.

And yet, stopping him is another matter entirely.

He Is No Longer Just a Dribbler

When Kvaratskhelia first exploded onto the European scene, much of the excitement centred on his dribbling.

He could take on defenders, change direction unexpectedly and turn seemingly harmless situations into dangerous attacks.

That made him spectacular.

But spectacular is not necessarily enough to become the best player in the world.

The difference now is his end product.

Ten Champions League goals and six assists demonstrate that he has added genuine production to his natural creativity.

He is no longer simply the winger who makes defenders panic.

He is the winger who can make them panic and then decide the match.

That evolution may ultimately be what takes him from superstar to genuine world-number-one contender.

His Biggest Strength Is Unpredictability

Modern football is becoming increasingly tactical.

Teams analyse opponents in extraordinary detail. Coaches spend hours identifying patterns, weaknesses and preferred movements.

Yet Kvaratskhelia still possesses something that cannot easily be programmed against:

unpredictability.

He can attack from the left, drift inside, carry the ball through midfield, combine with teammates or simply take responsibility himself.

When defenders double up on him, he can create space elsewhere.

When they leave him one-versus-one, he can attack them directly.

When they try to force him towards the touchline, he can still find a route inside.

That freedom makes him incredibly difficult to defend.

The Chelsea Performance Was Another Warning

His Champions League campaign was not built around one memorable night.

In the last 16, Kvaratskhelia produced another devastating individual performance against Chelsea.

He came off the bench during PSG's 5-2 first-leg victory and finished with two goals and an assist, earning Player of the Match recognition. UEFA technical observer Ange Postecoglou specifically praised his running, ability to beat opponents and finishing.

That is an important part of the argument.

The best players do not simply perform when everything is going perfectly.

They can enter a match that is balanced and change its entire direction.

Kvaratskhelia has shown that ability repeatedly.

But Then Comes the Ousmane Dembélé Problem

There is one unavoidable complication to this argument.

Kvaratskhelia plays for a PSG side filled with elite players.

And Ousmane Dembélé remains one of the most obvious candidates whenever the conversation turns to the world's best.

UEFA's official Champions League Team of the Season included both Kvaratskhelia and Dembélé, alongside players such as Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Declan Rice and Vitinha.

That tells us something important.

Kvaratskhelia is not operating in isolation.

PSG's success has been built around a collective rather than one individual superstar.

But that does not weaken his individual case as much as some might think.

In fact, being selected as the competition's Player of the Season despite sharing a dressing room with so much talent makes the achievement even more impressive.

What About Lamine Yamal?

This is where the debate becomes much harder.

Lamine Yamal is already operating at a level that makes comparisons with established superstars unavoidable.

The Barcelona and Spain winger possesses extraordinary creativity, close control and an ability to influence matches despite his age.

If the question were about who could become the best player in the world over the next decade, Yamal would have an enormous argument.

But our question is different.

We are asking who is the best right now.

And that is where Kvaratskhelia gets the edge from Sevens Sports Arena.

He has just completed a Champions League-winning campaign in which UEFA's technical observers judged him to be the competition's best player.

That gives him a level of recent elite-level evidence that is difficult to ignore.

Harry Kane Has a Case Too

Harry Kane also deserves to be part of this conversation.

The Bayern Munich striker finished the 2025/26 Champions League campaign with 14 goals, four more than Kvaratskhelia, according to UEFA's official competition statistics.

That alone demonstrates why declaring one player the world's best is never straightforward.

Kane's goalscoring consistency remains extraordinary.

Kvaratskhelia, however, offers a different kind of influence. He can create, carry the ball, beat defenders and score.

That versatility gives him an advantage in our particular debate.

The World Cup Question

There is one factor that should be acknowledged when discussing Kvaratskhelia's standing in 2026.

Georgia did not qualify for the World Cup.

That means Kvaratskhelia did not have the opportunity to produce a defining international tournament campaign while several other elite players competed on football's biggest stage.

It is not something he can control.

A player cannot qualify his country for a tournament alone.

But it does mean the debate over the world's best player will naturally include players who had the opportunity to shine internationally.

Kvaratskhelia's case therefore rests heavily on what he achieved at club level.

Fortunately for him, that case is exceptionally strong.

The Most Important Question: Can He Decide the Biggest Matches?

This may be the best way to judge a superstar.

Not simply:

How many goals did he score?

But:

What did he do when his team needed him most?

Against Chelsea, he changed the game.

Against Bayern Munich, he scored twice in a semi-final.

In the Champions League final against Arsenal, he played a crucial role in PSG's comeback by winning the penalty that allowed Dembélé to equalise.

Those moments carry more weight than ordinary league statistics.

They demonstrate that Kvaratskhelia is increasingly becoming a player who wants the ball when the stakes are highest.

And that is a quality shared by almost every player who has eventually been regarded as the best in the world.

So, Is Kvaratskhelia the Best Player in the World?

Sevens Sports Arena's verdict: right now, he has the strongest claim — but he does not have an undisputed claim.

That distinction is important.

If someone says Dembélé is better, there is a strong argument.

If someone chooses Yamal, the potential and current quality are obvious.

If someone picks Kane because of his extraordinary goalscoring numbers, that is perfectly reasonable.

But if we have to choose one player based on the combination of recent European dominance, decisive performances, individual quality and major trophies, Kvaratskhelia is our choice.

He has become much more than the exciting Georgian winger who first captured everyone's attention.

He is now a Champions League winner.

A Champions League Player of the Season.

A player capable of deciding knockout matches against Europe's biggest clubs.

And perhaps most importantly, a footballer whose presence alone forces opponents to rethink how they defend.

The Sevens Sports Arena Verdict

There is no mathematical formula that can definitively determine the best footballer in the world.

Football does not work that way.

But opinions can be built around evidence.

And the evidence currently points strongly towards Kvaratskhelia.

His 10 goals and six assists helped PSG retain the Champions League, while UEFA's technical observers decided that his overall influence made him the competition's outstanding player.

That does not make every other superstar inferior.

It simply means that, at this particular moment, Kvaratskhelia has done enough to sit at the top of our list.

The boy who once looked like one of football's most exciting unknowns is now one of its biggest stars.

And if he maintains this level, the debate may eventually stop being about whether Kvaratskhelia is the best player in the world.

It may become about how long he can stay there.

📊 Sevens Sports Arena Fan Debate

⚽ GOAL: Is Kvaratskhelia the best player in the world right now?

🔥 FIRE: Kvaratskhelia or Lamine Yamal?

😲 SHOCK: Did his Champions League campaign surprise you?

👍 LIKE: If Kvara deserves the number-one spot.

💬 COMMENT: Who is your best player in the world right now — and why?