Mark Doyle

Barcelona beware - Kvaradona is back! Napoli's wing wizard Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is weaving his magic again ahead of crunch Champions League clash

AnalysisSSC NapoliBarcelonaKhvicha KvaratskheliaChampions LeagueSerie AFEATURESBarcelona vs SSC Napoli

Just like the Serie A titleholders, the Georgian has endured a difficult season, but he's rediscovered his goalscoring touch in recent weeks

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is not exactly a combustible character. Similar in style to Diego Maradona? Somewhat. He's not nicknamed 'Kvaradona' for nothing. But the same kind of demonstrative personality as the Argentine? Not at all. The Georgian usually shuns the spotlight because he's actually quite shy.

So, while it was certainly a surprise to see him withdrawn midway through Napoli's Champions League last-16 first leg against Barcelona, it was his reaction that was truly shocking, with a visibly annoyed Kvaratskhelia snubbing not only his coach, but also his team-mates as he came off.

He didn't even take a seat on the bench, making his displeasure clear by opting to sit on some steps to the left of the dugout. It may not have seemed like much - truth be told, it probably wasn't as bad as Kevin De Bruyne's bratty behaviour at Anfield on Sunday - but, for Kvaratskhelia, this amounted to a touchline tantrum.

And it wasn't as if his demeanour improved much after the game. On the contrary, Kvaratskhelia was the first Napoli player to leave Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. With his hoodie pulled up over his head, he walked straight through the mixed zone, refusing to even acknowledge colleagues, let alone answer questions from journalists.

This wasn't the humble and happy Kvaratskhelia Napoli knew and loved. But then again, we hadn't seen the real Kvaratskhelia on the field either.