In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport's Georgian edition, given when he was still 16, the winger described an upbringing built on Messi videos and street-level stubbornness.
"I chose football because playing this sport gives me the most enjoyment," Bartishvili said. "Playing in the national league was difficult for me at first, but everything becomes a habit. Playing against experienced players has helped me a lot in developing, both physically and technically."
Asked what goes through his head on the pitch, he brushed off any suggestion that reputation affects him.
"During a match I don't usually think about who's standing in front of me or who I'm playing against," he said. "I play the same way against every opponent. What gives me the most enjoyment is doing dribbles."
The Messi influence runs deep.
"I've always watched Messi's games since I was a child, and they always gave me great pleasure — he's the footballer I try to model myself on," Bartishvili said. "As for Georgians, in my opinion the greatest Georgian footballer is Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Besides dribbling, I also love scoring goals and setting up assists. In modern football, I like Rayan Cherki's style — he has incredible technique."
There's a personal thread to the Kvaratskhelia connection, too: Bartishvili plays alongside the winger's younger brother, Tornike, in Georgia's youth set-up.
"Khvicha's brother, Tornike Kvaratskhelia, is my team-mate," he said. "I think Toko has everything he needs to play top-level football, and I wish him every success."
On the club he dreams of joining, he didn't hedge.
"My dream is to play for Barcelona, because I've supported that team since I was a child," he said. "I also want to make the senior national team. I'll do everything I can to make the Georgian people proud of me."
That ambition is now being tested at senior level. Bartishvili started for Iberia 1999 in their Champions League qualifying tie with Estonia's Flora, with new head coach Andrey Demchenko — only weeks into the job — trusting him from kick-off.
Demchenko was blunt about the task beforehand, telling Crystalsport: "Flora don't have any foreign players, but they have an interesting mix of young and experienced footballers. Respecting the opponent is essential, but I always set the team up to win, and we're not afraid of anyone."
He added a warning to his squad: "Underestimating the opponent is unacceptable. Working in Georgia, I've felt more than once that this has been a reason for losing."
Iberia won the first leg 3-2 in Tallinn, though Demchenko's reaction afterwards was more relief than celebration.
"We played well: we prepared and knew what Flora would offer us," he said. "In the first half we could have scored more and put the tie beyond doubt. Flora played defensive football, but they took two of their four chances, so we need to be careful with the scoreline and not relax. Flora are a dangerous opponent, so we need to prepare with complete seriousness for the second match."
He noted that even after Flora had a player sent off, "they still created some moments that we failed to prevent."
Further up the football ladder, the game's better-connected voices are noticing too. Cristian Zaccardo, the 2006 World Cup winner turned agent who personally recommended Kvaratskhelia to Napoli, has been tracking the Georgian pipeline closely.
"Recently, a lot of talented players have appeared in Georgia, one of such players is Andria Bartishvili," Zaccardo told Sky Calcio. "This attacking midfielder has the potential to become a great player."
He was careful about the comparison itself: "I saw Khvicha Kvaratskhelia play two years before he moved to Napoli, he was already a phenomenal player. I met him and then recommended him to Napoli."
Georgia head coach Willy Sagnol has reached a similar, measured conclusion.
"I watched the youth team play, Bartishvili is a very talented player," Sagnol said. "However, for a talented player to take a step forward, technique alone is not enough. The right mindset is needed, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is an example of this."
Bartishvili's current deal, held by parent club Kolkheti 1913, runs only until the end of this year — which helps explain why Arsenal are said to be preparing a pre-contract offer, with Liverpool also working on a deal and Juventus among the Serie A clubs credited with interest. His agency, Mamuka Jugheli's Jugeli Sports, also represents Kvaratskhelia.
For now, the target is smaller and closer to home: reaching the Champions League group stage with Iberia, in a tie he can still help finish off in Tbilisi.