PSG's win over Barcelona could have cost Luis Enrique dearly if initial suspicions of a serious injury to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's right knee are confirmed. The 25-year-old Georgian champion was left lying on the pitch and was later substituted 15 minutes into the second half after a collision with Xavi Espart. Kvaratskhelia was in severe pain and was carried off the pitch by others, unable to even put his foot on the ground.
The celebration at Parc des Princes, after the 4-2 victory over the Catalans, which gave PSG first place with full points after three matches in the Champions League championship stage, was significantly dampened by injuries suffered by the Parisian players. Kvaratskhelia was not the only one who was forced off the field. Before him, Dembélé was also replaced, due to a left thigh injury, while then captain Marquinhos also left, who, in any case, seems to be in the best condition of the three.
Possible diagnosis, cruciate ligament rupture
The images of Kvaratskhelia collapsing on the pitch after twisting his knee and being unable to stand due to the pain were truly painful for PSG fans to watch. As the former Napoli player was carried off the pitch by two members of the medical staff, during the live broadcast, increasingly pessimistic predictions about the extent of his injury began to emerge. After the match, former Morocco coach Walid Regragui, who was a commentator for Canal+ on the occasion, had no doubts: “It is definitely a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament.”
The injury of Kvicha Kvaratskhelia. Cha sent très mauvais pour le géorgien. https://t.co/QdHcab1Yba
— Football Likes 🎙️ (@FlowParisien) October 20, 2026
A terrible scenario, which, if confirmed by medical examinations, would almost certainly mean the end of the season for the PSG number 7. According to Angel Villanueva, the situation could be even more serious. The Spanish physiotherapist specializes in cruciate ligament rehabilitation, knee injuries and return to sport. He often analyzes the mechanisms of footballers' injuries on the social network X and gives predictions about recovery times.
The specialist published two posts about Kvaratskhelia after the PSG-Barcelona match. “At the moment of impact, a forced valgus deviation of his right knee is clearly observed, with the foot fixed and loaded in a closed kinetic chain. This mechanism is typical for combined injuries of the anterior cruciate ligament and the medial collateral ligament. Recovery time: nine months,” he wrote in the first post, where the two respective abbreviations stand for anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament.
“The mechanism of injury may include a forward displacement of the tibia, which is one of the most suspicious visual signs of an anterior cruciate ligament injury,” the physiotherapist added in a second post. “However, we must be careful, as the quality of the live broadcast footage and the camera angle do not allow for an accurate biomechanical assessment.”
In the mechanism of the lesion, a tibial anteriorization can be observed that is one of the most suspicious visual signs when the LCA is injured. Aunque hay que ser cautos porque la calidad de las imágenes en directo y el angulo no permiten una precisa biomecánica valuation. https://t.co/vRnNci3knR
— Ángel Villanueva (@angelphysio) October 20, 2026
Despite all the reservations that must be taken into account, it seems unlikely that Kvaratskhelia will be able to do so with just a big scare or, in any case, a short absence from the playing field. The Georgian, a candidate for the Ballon d'Or to be announced next Monday, must wait until the swelling in his knee joint has subsided enough to undergo an MRI, which will give the official verdict on his knee. Needless to say, despite having a large squad, if Kvaratskhelia has finished the season, Luis Enrique would see his chances of achieving a legendary treble in the Champions League drastically reduced.
