Napoli Star Unlikely to Take Over Iconic Jersey Number

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia netted a gem in the Atalanta game, drawing praise from all over the world for his mazing run and cannon shot. Napoli quickly re-established their 18-point lead after stumbling versus Lazio.

Milan legend Marco Van Basten was among those stupefied by the play. He commented on it to Ziggo Sport Voetbal (via Il Mattino).

“When you see this action, he’s alone against eight opponents, and you think that it can’t be true. Instead, he has another dummy and scored.”

Despite his heroics, it’s unlikely that Kvaratskhelia will accept wearing the historic no.10 jersey. Georgian journalist Kakha Dgebuadze weighed in to local TV show Campania Sport on Canale 21 (via Tuttomercatoweb).

“What Diego Armando Maradona did at Naples was revolutionary. Instead, what Khvicha is achieving regards just football. El Pibe de Oro re-wrote history with his no.10, while he’s doing it with no.77. This will be part of his legacy. I’m sure he understands Maradona’s greatness and significance to the city and the fans very well, so he’ll never agree to have his number.”

The Georgian, who was quickly nicknamed Kvaradona by the supporters, improved to 13 goals and 15 assists in the season by scoring against La Dea. The no.10 was retired in 2000. Fausto Pizzi, Elso Van Beto, Igor Protti, and Claudio Bellucci were the last to don it. It wasn’t assigned to a single player, but it was mandatorily used from 2004 to 2006 due to the Serie C rules, as teams had to follow the standard 1-to-11 numeration in each game. Mariano Bogliacino last wore it on May 18^th, 2006.