Kylian Mbappe stole the headlines as Paris Saint-Germain beat Real Madrid in the Champions League at Parc des Princes on Tuesday night but Marco Verratti was also absolutely superb.
The Italian footballer completed 94 of the 102 passes he attempted (a rate of 92%). He touched the ball 123 times in total and completed six key passes, recovering nine balls.
L’Equipe rated him alongside Mbappe and Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois as the best players on the pitch, giving each player a rating of eight out of ten. Neymar Junior also gave Verratti real credit, putting him on the same plane as Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, his teammates at Barcelona.
“I knew he was a great player but I didn’t realise he was quite so spectacular,” the Brazilian said of his PSG teammate in comments carried by Mundo Deportivo. “He’s a genius, one of the best midfielders I’ve played with along with Xavi and Iniesta.”
Creative, hard-working and tenacious, the 29-year-old joined PSG from his hometown club Pescara back in 2012. Since then he’s won seven Ligue 1 titles and six Coupe de France titles. He’s also earned 48 caps for the Italian national team and was a key part of the side that won Euro 2020 last summer.
