Former Lokomotiv Moscow footballer Mikhail Ashvetia said he was surprised that Paris Saint-Germain winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia finished sixth in the voting for the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

“I did not expect Khvicha to be in sixth place. He should have been at least in the top three,” Ashvetia said in an exclusive interview with the online publication Euro-Futbol.Ru.

Harry Kane won the award.

Former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich midfielder Toni Kroos has chosen Paris Saint-Germain winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as his Ballon d’Or winner for the 2025-26 season.

Kroos’ selection does not include Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe or Lionel Messi.

The Ballon d’Or was won this year by England striker Harry Kane, who plays for Bayern Munich.

Krasnodar manager Murad Musaev has commented on Matvey Safonov’s fourth-place finish in the voting for the world’s best goalkeeper.

The award went to Spain international Unai Simon, while Safonov, a former Krasnodar player, was placed fourth.

Asked by Match TV how he assessed Safonov being recognised among the leading goalkeepers in world football, Musaev pointed to the Russia international’s successful campaign at Paris Saint-Germain.

Safonov established himself as Paris Saint-Germain’s first-choice goalkeeper last season, with Lucas Chevalier left on the bench. He also won the French championship and contributed to the club’s success in the UEFA Champions League, helping Paris Saint-Germain secure their second European trophy in a row.

Krasnodar goalkeeper Stanislav Agkatsev has said he hopes Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Matvey Safonov can become the world’s best goalkeeper in 2027.

Safonov finished fourth in the voting for the Lev Yashin Trophy, which is awarded to the best goalkeeper at the Ballon d’Or ceremony.

Unai Simon of Athletic, Spain, won the award. Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, Spain, was second, while Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, Belgium, finished third.

Agkatsev, who plays for Krasnodar, discussed Safonov’s result after the ceremony and expressed hope that his fellow Russian goalkeeper could reach the top of world football in 2027.

Safonov is a graduate of the Krasnodar academy and has played for Paris Saint-Germain since the summer of 2024.

Russia goalkeeper coach Vitaly Kafanov has described Matvey Safonov’s fourth-place finish in the voting for the Lev Yashin Trophy as recognition for the country’s goalkeeping school and Russian football.

Safonov, who represents the national team and Paris Saint-Germain, was among the contenders for the award, presented to the winner of the Best Goalkeeper category at the Ballon d’Or ceremony.

The trophy was won on 26 October by Unai Simon of Athletic, Spain. Arsenal’s David Raya, also listed with Spain, finished second, while Thibaut Courtois of Real, Belgium, took third place.

Kafanov said Safonov’s result represented “recognition of our goalkeeping school and Russia”.

UEFA has banned Lens from selling tickets to their supporters for their next two away fixtures in the Champions League league phase, meaning fans of the French club will be unable to attend the match against Liverpool at Anfield.

The two sides are due to meet in Europe’s elite club competition at the end of January. Before then, Lens’ first affected away game will be against RB Leipzig on 24 November.

The punishment follows incidents during Lens’ match against Club Brugge, which was briefly suspended after a large number of flares were lit and thrown towards the pitch and opposing supporters.

UEFA has also fined Lens €80,000 over the disorder.

Russian goalkeeper Matvey Safonov finished fourth in the Best Goalkeeper category at the Ballon d’Or awards, prompting a comment from television presenter Vladimir Pozner.

“It is difficult to say whether this is for our football,” Pozner said in response to Safonov’s achievement.

Safonov has represented Paris Saint-Germain since the summer of 2024. During his time with the Ligue 1 club, the Russian goalkeeper has won nine trophies, including two UEFA Champions League titles.

Unai Simon won the Best Goalkeeper award. David Raya and Thibaut Courtois also finished ahead of Safonov in the voting.

Matvey Safonov had planned to attend the Ballon d’Or ceremony, where the Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper was in contention for the Best Goalkeeper award.

The prize was won by Unai Simon, while Safonov finished fourth in the voting a strong result for the Russian goalkeeper.

Safonov was unable to attend the event, along with many of his Paris Saint-Germain team-mates, after the club’s match against Lyon was moved from Sunday to Monday because of protests in France.

Despite missing the ceremony, Safonov remains determined to wear the suit he had prepared for the occasion in the future.

He also reacted to finishing fourth in the voting.

Paris Saint-Germain and Russia goalkeeper Matvey Safonov has responded to finishing fourth in the vote for the world’s best goalkeeper for last season.

Safonov acknowledged the achievement but said he still has areas to improve. The Russia international wants to continue developing and become a better player, and intends to keep working towards that goal.

Unai Simon won the Best Goalkeeper award at the Ballon d'Or ceremony. David Raya finished second, while Thibaut Courtois was third.

Only those three goalkeepers finished ahead of Safonov in the voting.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has successfully undergone surgery after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, Paris St-Germain have confirmed.

The procedure was carried out at a specialist hospital in Doha. The Georgia forward will now begin his rehabilitation, although PSG have not given a timeframe for his return to action.

Kvaratskhelia sustained the serious injury on 20 October during PSG’s home match against Barcelona in the third round of the Champions League league phase. He damaged his knee in the second half and had to leave the pitch.

PSG went on to win the match 4-2.

PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov made no reference to his fourth-place finish in the voting for the world’s best goalkeeper in a post on his Telegram channel.

Instead, the Russian focused on PSG’s Ligue 1 match against Lyon, which Paris Saint-Germain won 2-0. Safonov said the game had been his main priority on Monday evening.

He described the match as interesting and closely contested, adding that Lyon had been well prepared and highly motivated.

“That made the victory even more pleasing,” Safonov wrote.

The post came on the same day as the Ballon d’Or ceremony, where Unai Simon won the award for best goalkeeper. Safonov finished fourth in the voting.

Matvey Safonov’s first coach, Alexander Rubtsov, has commented on the Paris St-Germain goalkeeper finishing fourth in the voting for the 2026 Golden Glove, awarded by France Football.

Rubtsov shared his views in an exclusive interview with the online publication Euro-Futbol.Ru.

The award was won by Unai Simon of Athletic Bilbao.

Paris Saint-Germain winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has undergone successful surgery in Doha after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, the French club said on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old Georgia international sustained the injury during PSG’s 4-2 Champions League win over Barcelona last week. He twisted his right knee and was helped from the pitch shortly before the hour mark.

The operation took place a day after Kvaratskhelia finished sixth in the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

“He will now begin his rehabilitation,” PSG said in a statement.

ACL injuries typically require a recovery period of at least six months.

Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly considering a loan move for Chelsea winger Estevao after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was ruled out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury.

The 25-year-old Georgia international suffered the serious knee injury during PSG’s 4-2 Champions League victory over Barcelona, leaving manager Luis Enrique short of options in attack.

Senny Mayulu and Mika Godts were given opportunities in Monday’s 2-0 Ligue 1 win over Lyon, but Enrique is understood to want greater attacking strength as PSG deal with the loss of Kvaratskhelia.

According to Foot01, the French club are interested in taking Estevao on loan to help fill the role of the injured winger. The Brazilian has found regular first-team football difficult to secure at Chelsea since the arrival of manager Xabi Alonso and has not started a Premier League match this season.

However, Chelsea have no intention of allowing the 19-year-old to leave on a temporary basis, according to the report.

The Premier League club continue to regard Estevao as a player with the potential to become one of the best footballers in the world and are therefore unwilling to sanction a move, despite his limited opportunities so far this season.

Russian sports commentator Dmitry Guberniev has said Matvey Safonov is “no less brilliant a goalkeeper” after the Russia international finished fourth in a ranking of the world’s best goalkeepers.

Speaking to journalists, Guberniev discussed Safonov’s position in the list and rejected the suggestion that the result had diminished the goalkeeper’s standing.

Unai Simon of Athletic was named the best goalkeeper of the year. His Spain team-mate David Raya, who plays for Arsenal, finished second.

Thibaut Courtois, the goalkeeper of Real Madrid, completed the top three.

Paris St-Germain moved to the top of the French championship with a 2-0 victory over Lyon in the eighth round, with Russian goalkeeper Matvey Safonov playing the full match and keeping a clean sheet.

Safonov received a rating of six out of 10 from L'Equipe journalists. It was the highest mark awarded to a PSG player, shared with centre-back Illia Zabarnyi and midfielder Vitinha.

The result took Luis Enrique’s side to 17 points at the summit of the table.

PSG’s next match will be away to Le Havre on 30 October.

Matvey Safonov has finished fourth in the voting for the world’s best goalkeeper of the year, with PSG’s press service responding to the Russian goalkeeper’s achievement.

The PSG player was beaten by Spain international Unai Simon, who was named the world’s leading goalkeeper after becoming a world champion with La Roja.

David Raya took second place, while Thibaut Courtois completed the top three.

PSG are expected to look for a signing to cover for injured winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, according to L’Equipe journalist Jose Barroso, with Russia identified as a possible source of replacement options.

Kvaratskhelia has suffered a cruciate ligament injury and is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines. The severity of the problem means the Georgia international could miss the rest of the current season.

The 25-year-old’s market value is estimated at 140 million euros. His contract with PSG runs until the end of June 2029.

Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique has spoken about his side returning to the top of the Ligue 1 table after a strong recovery from their difficult start to the campaign.

The reigning champions beat Lyon 2-0 at home on Monday to record their fifth consecutive league victory and reclaim first place.

PSG now have 17 points from eight matches, holding a one-point advantage over Rennes.

France Football editor-in-chief Vincent Garcia believes Paris Saint-Germain did not provide enough support for their players during the Ballon d’Or campaign.

The award went to Bayern forward Harry Kane, while no PSG player finished in the top five. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was the club’s highest-ranked nominee, taking sixth place.

Garcia said the lack of backing from the Parisian club had contributed to their players’ disappointing results in the voting.

Ousmane Dembele won the award last year.