Marco Verratti is publicly showered with compliments. The 29-year-old Paris Saint-Germain midfielder has been named the best player in the world in his line by his star team-mate Kylian Mbappe. “Marco has been in Paris for many years and he is a key player, the best midfielder in the world,” said Mbappe, who appears to speak a little bit of Italian, in conversation with Sky Italy.
“He is really incredibly important to us,” Mbappe continues of Verratti, who became one of the first acquisitions of the Qatari owners of PSG in 2012. The Italian, who won the European Championship with his country last summer, has since been plagued by injuries, but if he is fit he has been an undisputed starting player for his entire period in Paris. In total, Verratti has played 359 games for PSG so far, scoring 9 goals and 58 assists.
In October, their teammate Neymar also spoke highly of Verratti. “He is one of the players who has surprised me the most since coming to Paris,” the Brazilian said of the Italian midfielder. “I already knew he was an extraordinary player, but I didn’t realize he is so spectacularly good. He is a true genius, one of the best midfielders I have ever played with, together with Xavi and Andrés Iniesta.”
Mbappe is also complimentary about Gianluigi Donnarumma, the goalkeeper who came to PSG on a free transfer last summer. “Donnarumma is the goalkeeper of the future, it is a pleasure to have him with us,” said Mbappe, who is looking forward to the Champions League clash with Real Madrid in February. Saliently enough, the attacker is very emphatically linked to a transfer-free switch to the Royalbut won’t say anything about it. “It’s going to be a great fight and I think we’re going to win,” said the Frenchman. “My goal in 2022 is clear: to win the Champions League and the World Cup.”