TBILISI, GEORGIA – Georgians hailed their Serie A Napoli club striker Khvicha ‘Kvara’ Kvaratskhelia’s engagement to glamorous fiancée Nitsa Tavadze, climaxing his meteoric rise to public attention after he captured the imagination of Neapolitans with his wizardry powering the southern club to top the Italian standings.

Fans of the 22-year-old Georgian star winger, the country’s most eligible bachelor, had noticed that "Kvara" was wearing an engagement ring in photos. The couple and their family were invited in the Patriarchate in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, last Thursday.

 Ilia II,Patriarch of all Georgia and the spiritual leader of the Georgian Orthodox Church welcomed and blessed the footballer and his radiant 21-year-old future spouse, a medical student at Tbilisi university.

“Today is a very happy day for me, I met His Holiness and this is a blessing,” Khvicha said.

 “I am very emotional right now because I got to see His Holiness so close. Thank you so much for accepting me and my family. When I met him, it was probably the happiest day in my life and I want to thank him.”

 Khvicha’s father Badri Kvaratskhelia joined in the chorus of celebration at the love match.

 “Yes, I confirm that he has been engaged. The wedding ceremony will probably be held after the end of the football season,” the proud dad said.

 “However, I can not tell you the exact time, whenever Khvicha and Nitsa will decide. They are mature enough to make their own decisions. Thank you for sharing our joy.“

 The striker from Napoli has been taking a short break from Naples in his homeland, playing for the Georgian national football team in a UEFA Europan cup game against Norway that ended in a 1-1 draw.

 jp-rd