Sf Kylian Mbappé has attracted all the light this season at Paris Saint-Germain with his performances and his decisive goals, we must not underestimate the contribution of Marco Verratti. Sometimes described as an intermittent showman due to his absences for suspension, but especially for injuries, the Italian remains a major protagonist of the Parisian team. Since the end of his formidable trio with Thiago Motta and Blaise Matuidi, the 29-year-old has seen arrivals follow one another without anyone managing to carry the middle of the capital club like him. Cabaye, Stambouli, Krychowiak, Paredes, Gueye, Herrera, Danilo or even Wijnaldum: no one has been able to perform over time like Marco Verratti.
Praised by his teammates
However, it is quite a paradox for a player who sometimes misses the call and who could not hold his place during crucial deadlines. On the occasion of the epic 2020 and the final reached by PSG in Lisbon, Marco Verratti had played only 122 minutes out of the 450 played by his team in the knockout phase. Is a life then possible without the Italian? Difficult to answer with certainty, because, on the big meetings, when he is 100% physically, the recent winner of the Euro is one of the very best players in his register.
We can also measure his importance by certain statements from his teammates, like Achraf Hakimi. In an interview at Parisian, the Moroccan had to choose the player who impressed him the most during his career. While he had the opportunity to play with Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Benzema, Mbappé, Neymar and Haaland, among others, it is Verratti who stands out in his eyes. “I was lucky to be able to meet all these players. But there are others that you haven’t mentioned. Here in Paris, Marco Verratti surprised me a lot. He’s a top player that I saw on TV, but being around him is different. You measure things a lot more. Same story with Danilo Pereira: “Marco is incredible! Incredible ! The things he does with the ball, and without the ball too! I have never seen a midfielder like him. He can do things offensively and defensively with such ease that anyone watching will think it’s easy. But no, it’s not easy, ”said the Portuguese at the microphone of France Bleu Paris.
Verratti: “I’m in love with this club”
While playing his tenth season at Paris Saint-Germain, the “little owl” hopes that his physique will leave him alone until the end of the season, with the Champions League final in sight, which will be played at Stade de France. With an average of 93.25% successful passes and 96.5 balls hit per game in the Champions League, the former Pescara player embodies the basis of the construction of the Parisian game. If the collective proposed by Mauricio Pochettino has often been messy and unattractive for several months, individuals like Verratti make it possible to keep the ship afloat. But difficult to say if this spine where we also find Marquinhos, Mbappé and Donnarumma will be enough to go to the end.
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Arrived at the age of 19 with the label of hope, Marco Verratti knows what he owes in any case to PSG. “Me, I am a bit apart, because I am in love with this club. I grew up with the club, I’ve been here for 10 years. But it is a team that is special. Special in everything. This is a team that I know one day will do even more than what they are doing today, and it will be even more magnificent. Afterwards, we all know that we have a big goal, and we give our all to achieve it. We know that there are also other teams that have the same objective as us, but we are getting closer,” he said on the club website. A beautiful story where there is still a chapter missing: the cup with the big ears. But if this year all roads lead to Saint-Denis, Verratti and his family must first pass the Madrid stage this Wednesday evening.
