Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will miss the rest of the 2026-2027 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, SGGP reports. The 25-year-old Georgia forward was injured in PSG's 4-2 win over Barcelona in the Champions League league phase. SGGP also notes, however, that there is no specific timeline yet for his return: PSG have so far confirmed only that he will have surgery on his right knee in the coming days before starting treatment.
What has changed since the first reports
When KBVN+ first reported the injury in Kvaratskhelia tears ACL, PSG yet to give a recovery time, PSG had not given a timescale and estimates in the press varied. The club have still not put a figure on it, but both SGGP and Bongdaplus are now writing about a season-ending absence.
SGGP says players with this injury usually need at least 9 months out, leaving Kvaratskhelia with only a very slim chance of playing again this season. Bongdaplus, in an analysis piece, writes that he will miss the whole of the rest of the 2026/27 season, while another Bongdaplus article is more cautious, saying he risks missing the rest of the campaign.
According to SGGP, the injury came from a collision with Barcelona's Xavi Espart in the 59th minute, and Kvaratskhelia needed help from PSG's medical staff to leave the pitch. On Instagram he wrote that he knew he had to come back stronger for the people who support him and that he would not let them down.
A message from Ronaldo
Among the tens of thousands of comments on Kvaratskhelia's post, Bongdaplus says, the one that stood out came from Cristiano Ronaldo. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner wrote that the hardest battles in football are often the ones nobody sees, that he understood the feeling, and urged the younger player not to let one difficult moment make him doubt how far he can go. Bongdaplus says the message drew close to 500,000 likes within two hours. PSG team-mates Désiré Doué, Achraf Hakimi and Ferran Torres also sent their wishes.
What PSG lose, and who gains
Kvaratskhelia has been central to PSG's success. According to Bongdaplus, he helped the Paris club win the Champions League two seasons running, scored 10 goals in last season's title defence and is on this year's Ballon d'Or shortlist. In Luis Enrique's 4-3-3 he usually holds the width on the left and is a key outlet for one-on-one situations.
PSG lost two more key players in the same game, SGGP reports:
| Player | Injury | Time out (per SGGP) |
|---|---|---|
| Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | Torn ACL, right knee | Rest of the 2026-2027 season, no official timeline |
| Ousmane Dembélé | Left thigh, off after 19 minutes | A few weeks |
| Marquinhos | Right thigh | A few weeks |
Midfielder Fabian Ruiz said after the game that Luis Enrique had rested some players precisely because of moments like this, but that what they feared had happened anyway, SGGP reports.
Bongdaplus argues that although PSG have just beaten Man City and Barcelona 4-2 in successive games, losing Kvaratskhelia will significantly blunt their attack in the knockout rounds. In its view, replacements such as Doué, Maghnes Akliouche and Ferran Torres do not yet match the Georgian's stature, which opens the door for Premier League sides such as Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool in the Champions League race. That is the magazine's assessment rather than a settled outcome.
What comes next
The next step for Kvaratskhelia is the knee operation PSG say will take place in the coming days; only after that can the club give a firmer recovery timeline. On the pitch, PSG lead the Champions League league phase and travel to Ligue 1 leaders Lyon on 25 October, according to SGGP.