Paris Saint-Germain’s Georgian wizard Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been crowned the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League Player of the Season, capping off a breathtaking continental campaign with the sport’s most prestigious individual honour at club level.
UEFA’s Technical Observer Group — the body responsible for assessing standout performances across the competition — selected the Georgian winger as the undisputed star of the season, recognising a campaign that combined explosive creativity, clinical finishing, and an unmatched ability to deliver in the biggest moments.
Across 15 to 16 Champions League appearances, Kvaratskhelia racked up 10 goals and 6 assists — a contribution tally that placed him head and shoulders above his peers and proved decisive in PSG’s relentless march toward glory.
But beyond the statistics, it was the Georgian’s flair for the dramatic that truly set him apart. His ability to unlock defences, create chances from nothing, and rise to the occasion on the grandest stage made him the heartbeat of a PSG side that refused to be denied.
In the championship decider itself — a nerve-shredding affair at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest on May 30, 2026 — Kvaratskhelia once again proved his big-game pedigree. He won a crucial penalty that led directly to PSG’s equaliser, helping the French giants claw back from the brink before eventually overcoming Arsenal 1-1 (4-3 on penalties) to lift the trophy for the second consecutive season.
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That moment, under the full glare of a Champions League final, crystallised exactly why UEFA’s observers had no hesitation in naming him the tournament’s finest.
With the award confirmed, Kvaratskhelia becomes only the second PSG player in history to claim the UEFA Champions League Player of the Season accolade — following in the footsteps of Ousmane Dembélé, who won it in 2025 as part of the club’s maiden continental triumph.
The Other Honours of the Night
While Kvaratskhelia walked away with the headline award, several other distinctions were handed out to mark the season’s standout contributions:
- Final Player of the Match: PSG midfielder Vitinha, recognised for his metronomic control and precision passing throughout the Budapest showpiece.
- Revelation of the Season (formerly Young Player of the Season): Real Madrid’s Arda Güler, whose performances throughout the campaign announced him as one of European football’s most exciting emerging talents.
- Team of the Season: Dominated by players from PSG and Arsenal, a reflection of the two clubs’ commanding runs through the competition.
PSG’s back-to-back Champions League triumph cements their status as the dominant force in European club football right now.
From the group stages to the penalty shootout drama in Budapest, they have shown the hunger, depth, and individual brilliance required to conquer the continent — and in Kvaratskhelia, they possess the kind of match-winner that defines championship-winning eras.
For the Georgian star himself, the Player of the Season award is more than personal recognition — it is a statement of arrival at the very pinnacle of the game.