Blaise Matuidi reflects on Marco Verratti’s PSG career: “We felt he could have done more.” | OneFootball

Former France international and PSG midfielder Blaise Matuidi (36) has reflected on Marco Verratti’s time with Les Parisiens. The 2018 World Cup winner with France and the 2020 Euro winner with Italy were teammates for five seasons, from 2012 to 2017, in the French capital.

Speaking to L’Equipe, Matuidi has lauded Verratti’s impact at PSG after arriving at such a young age (19) from formative club Pescara eleven years ago. “As soon as he kicked a ball, we realized he was a gem that will make PSG fans at the Parc des Princes stand on their feet. We told ourselves we had a phenomenon with us. He was 19 but he played like he was 28, he was fearless.“

Unfortunately, Verratti’s influence gradually waned in the past years. His unavailability, and his bad performances, for PSG’s knockout Champions League ties, as well as a questionable lifestyle, made Verratti an unpopular figure among Paris Saint-Germain’s fans, despite clinching a country-record nine Ligue 1 titles. He was told to find himself a new club by head coach Luis Enrique and Sporting advisor Luís Campos. “We felt he could have done more, no question about it”, adds Matuidi. “But let’s not take away from him everything he has done and every title he has won. As a former teammate of his, he impressed me with his skills, his humbleness, and, above all, his simplicity.”

When asked about the Italian midfielder’s lifestyle in Paris, Matuidi stood up to his former teammate, who is on the verge of leaving PSG for Qatari side Al-Arabi. “Marco never hid the fact he was a bon vivant. Let’s not forget we’re talking about a kid from Pescara arriving in Paris But I can assure you Marco never turned up late to training, he has always been a great professional.“

GFFN | Bastien Cheval