From Ballon d'Or contender to struggling for form: What has happened to Kvaratskhelia?

The captain's armband is a huge responsibility. So when Kvaratskhelia missed a potential winning goal from the spot against Northern Ireland, it summed up Georgia's poor start to the Nations League.

It also reflects his underwhelming start to the 2026/27 season, in which he is regarded as one of the Ballon d'Or contenders. That status is, of course, based on what he achieved in last year's Champions League.

Despite scoring the winning goal in the Super Cup to help Paris Saint-Germain beat Aston Villa, the Georgian is going through a difficult spell. His performances have raised several concerns and are beginning to attract criticism from pundits and the French press.

In five league appearances, he still has no goals to his name, while his only assist proved worthless as PSG lost at home to Monaco.

His inconsistency, both in dribbling and key passes, was immediately noticed by Luis Enrique, a coach obsessed with tactical order. The PSG boss took him off four times after just over an hour in the five league matches he started.

In the 6-1 Champions League win over Slovan Bratislava, however, Kvaratskhelia did not even make it onto the pitch, while his understudy Mika Godts replaced Ousmane Dembele at 5-0.

His runs with the ball at his feet often look predictable or are halted by opponents doubling up on him, resulting in several turnovers in the attacking third. The Georgian currently looks like a pale imitation of the dazzling winger who, until just a few months ago, wreaked havoc in opposing defences.

It has been a dramatic collapse after a summer in which, having not played at the World Cup, he should have been able to prepare himself in the best possible physical condition. On the pitch, though, he has failed to live up to expectations.

Willy Sagnol's dismissal is partly Kvaratskhelia's responsibility. The home defeat to Northern Ireland in Georgia's Nations League opener came after his penalty miss.

It was a tame, unambitious effort from the former Napoli player, who capped a spell of dreadful form with a shot as weak as his spirits currently are. That is despite his serious hopes of winning the Ballon d'Or on the back of what he achieved last year.

The Georgian captain felt the French coach's departure deeply and dedicated a social media post to him, thanking him for helping Georgia achieve its goal of playing at a European Championship: "My teammates and I personally fulfilled a childhood dream by taking our country to the European Championship. We achieved it together and became part of history".

Georgia without Kvara is like a knight without a sword, and the Caucasians' push for promotion to Nations League League A already looks like an uphill battle. They will now have to start almost from scratch with Ramaz Svanadze, who has been promoted from the Under-21 side.

Against Ukraine at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena in Tbilisi on Monday evening - where just over 7,000 spectators watched the match against Northern Ireland - more fans will be expected in the stands, along with greater spirit on the pitch. But Kvaratskhelia will have to reignite the spark.

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