Aston Villa: Unai Emery names the 2026 Ballon d'Or winner

12.08.26 FT UEFA Super Cup

Paris Saint-Germain

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Aston Villa

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After losing the UEFA Super Cup final to PSG on Wednesday night (2-1), Unai Emery has placed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia among the top contenders for the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

Unai Emery was thoroughly impressed by the Georgian winger’s performance, who opened the scoring in the 20th minute of the Super Cup final. "Kvaratskhelia is my favorite to win the Ballon d’Or. He’s fantastic," Emery declared in his post-match press conference.

See also: UEFA Super Cup – Brian Madjo sets a new record with Aston Villa

The Aston Villa manager also highlighted the PSG star’s ability to make the difference, despite his team’s tactical efforts to contain him. "We tried to stop him, but the quality he showed was outstanding," he added.

Although he missed the 2026 World Cup with Georgia, Kvaratskhelia has kicked off his season with PSG in spectacular fashion. "He was one of the best players not at the World Cup. It’s not my decision, but I believe he can win it," Unai Emery insisted.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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