Marco Verratti

Marco Verratti
Verratti with PSG in 2015
Personal information
Full name Marco Verratti
Date of birth (1992-11-05) 5 November 1992
Place of birth Pescara, Italy
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)[1]
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Paris Saint-Germain
Number 6
Youth career
2000–2001 Manoppello
2001–2006 Manoppello Arabona
2006–2009 Pescara
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2012 Pescara 66 (2)
2012– Paris Saint-Germain 159 (5)
National team‡
2010–2011 Italy U19 4 (0)
2011–2012 Italy U20 4 (0)
2012–2013 Italy U21 7 (0)
2012– Italy 27 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 September 2018
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 October 2018

Marco Verratti (Italian pronunciation: [ˈmarko verˈratti]; born 5 November 1992) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Italy national team.

A creative, hard-working, and technically gifted playmaker, Verratti began his career with Italian club Pescara in 2008, where he soon rose to prominence as one of the best young midfielders in Europe, helping the team to win the 2011–12 Serie B title, and winning the 2012 Bravo Award.[2] His playing style drew comparisons with Andrea Pirlo, due to his passing ability, vision, and control, as well as his similar transition from the role of trequartista to that of a regista.[3] In July 2012, he transferred to French side Paris Saint-Germain, where he won four consecutive Ligue 1 titles from 2012 to 2016, among other domestic and individual trophies.[3]

At international level, Verratti represented the Italy under-21 football team at the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, winning a runners-up medal, and being named to the all-star squad for the tournament. At senior level, he made his Italy debut in 2012, and represented his country at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[3]

Early life

Verratti was born in Pescara, and grew up in L'Aquila. As a child, he supported Juventus and idolised Alessandro Del Piero, the team's Italian international offensive playmaker.[3] Verratti's talent was noticed at an early age, and he was made offers to join the youth academies of Atalanta and Internazionale, but joined his local club Pescara for €5,000. After an impressive performance for Pescara's under-16 team against A.C. Milan, the Lombardy club offered €300,000 to sign the midfielder, but Verratti decided to remain at Pescara.[3]

Club career

Pescara

Verratti playing for Pescara in 2012

The first youth team Verratti was affiliated with was that of Manoppello, a historic team of Pescara, that in 2001 merged with the newly born Manoppello Arabona. He remained there until 2006 when he entered the youth of Pescara.

Verratti made his first team debut in the 2008–09 season at the age of 15 years and 9 months. In the 2009–10 season, he appeared more regularly for Pescara, and since then became a key player in the first team. His performances generated national media coverage as a potential star of the future and Italian international.[2]

With Zdeněk Zeman as manager, Verratti excelled as a deep-lying playmaker in a Pescara team which won the 2011–12 Serie B title playing "the best football in Italy", earning promotion to Serie A the following season.[3] After helping Pescara to promotion to Serie A, Verratti received the 2012 Bravo Award for the best player under the age of 21 in Europe, and was reportedly wanted by Napoli, Roma and Juventus, as well as Carlo Ancelotti's Paris Saint-Germain.[3] At the 2012 AIC Gran Gala del Calcio, he was elected the best player of the 2011–12 Serie B season, along with former Pescara teammates Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne.[4]

Paris Saint-Germain

Verratti with Paris Saint-Germain in March 2013.

On 18 July 2012, Verratti signed a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1.[5] On 2 September 2012, Verratti made his competitive debut for PSG in an away Ligue 1 match against Lille. Twelve days later, he assisted Javier Pastore's opening goal in his first competitive appearance at the Parc des Princes, a 2–0 Ligue 1 defeat of Toulouse.[3]

Verratti playing for Paris Saint-Germain against Dynamo Kyiv in 2012

On 18 September 2012, he made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 4–1 Group A defeat of Dynamo Kyiv.[6] He ended his first season in the French capital by winning the 2012–13 Ligue 1 title. On 20 August 2013, Verratti signed a one-year extension to his contract with PSG, keeping him at the club until 2018.[7]

Verratti's second season with PSG was even more successful than the first as the team retained its Ligue 1 title and won the Coupe de la Ligue and the 2013 Trophée des Champions. Verratti was named as the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year and included in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year for 2013–14.[8]

On 30 September 2014, Verratti scored his first competitive goal for PSG, a header in a 3–2 home win over Barcelona in the group stage of the Champions League.[9] On 18 January 2015, Verratti scored his first goal in Ligue 1, in a 4–2 home win over Evian.[10]

International career

The uncapped Verratti was included into Cesare Prandelli's preliminary 32-man Italy squad for UEFA Euro 2012, being one of only two Serie B players (the other being Torino's Angelo Ogbonna) to be part of it.[11] He was subsequently cut from the squad on 28 May 2012.[12]

On 15 August 2012, Verratti made his debut with the Italian senior team in a 2–1 friendly loss against England held in Bern.[13] He subsequently made his first competitive appearance in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, appearing as a second-half substitute for Emanuele Giaccherini in a 2–2 draw against Bulgaria on 7 September.[14]

On 6 February 2013, Verratti scored his first international goal in a friendly against the Netherlands in Amsterdam, a 91st-minute equalizer that made the final score 1–1.[15]

He took part with the Italy U-21 side at the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, where the Azzurrini finished as runner-up to Spain. His performances saw him included in UEFA's all-star squad for the tournament.[16]

On 1 June 2014, Verratti was selected in Italy's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[17] In Italy's opening match of the tournament, he made his first competitive start for the Azzurri on the left side of a midfield diamond with Juventus players Andrea Pirlo and Claudio Marchisio and Roma vice-captain Daniele De Rossi in his team's opening game of the tournament, a 2–1 victory over England in Manaus. During the match, he was involved in Marchisio's opening goal; after receiving Candreva's short corner, he passed the ball out wide towards Pirlo, who drew his marker with him. Pirlo let the ball pass in between his legs to Marchisio, leaving him with space to score with a low drive from outside the area.[18][19] However, Verratti did not appear in Italy's second group match, a 1–0 defeat against Costa Rica;[20] he started in Italy's final group match against Uruguay, which also ended in a 1–0 loss,[21] and as a result, Italy were eliminated in the first round of the tournament.[22]

On 6 May 2016, it was confirmed Verratti would miss Euro 2016 after a long lasting injury from a sports hernia which would require surgery on 16 May, sidelining him for two months.[23] Upon recovering from his injury, Verratti returned to the team under Italy's new manager Gian Piero Ventura for an international friendly match against France in Bari on 1 September, making a substitute appearance in the Azzurri's 3–1 loss.[24]

Style of play

"He's one of the best midfielders in the world, and plays a little bit in the same way as I tried to do with Barcelona and the national team. He likes having the ball. He also has perfect mastery over long and short passing, he can play the final ball, and he doesn't lose the ball that easily. He's really a very high-class player."

—Xavi on Verratti in 2015.[25]

A quick, creative, agile, and technically gifted central midfield playmaker, with notable dribbling skills, quick reactions, and close ball control, Verratti is known for his confidence on the ball and ability to retain possession in tight spaces when under pressure, due to his low centre of gravity and resulting balance.[2][25][26][27][28] His excellent vision and range of passing enable him to create chances for teammates with accurate long passes, or control the tempo of his team's play in midfield through precise, short exchanges.[25][26][29] Due to his attributes and playing style, Verratti has been compared to Italy legend Andrea Pirlo, in particular after making the same transition from trequartista to regista that the 2006 FIFA World Cup winner had also made earlier on in his career,[3][30][31][32] although he has also been deployed in a new, more advanced role alongside Pirlo on occasion, as a false-attacking midfielder, in particular under Cesare Prandelli's tenure with the Italy national team.[33][34] Initially regarded as one of the most talented young players of his generation,[35] Verratti quickly developed into one of the best playmaking midfielders in the world.[36] In addition to his playmaking skills, he is also a hard-working, dynamic, and well-rounded midfielder, who is known for his aggression and defensive ability, in spite of his small physique and stature.[29][37][38]

Career statistics

Club

As of 29 September 2018[39]
Club Season League Cup [nb 1] League Cup Europe Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Pescara 2009–10 7100———71
2010–11 28110———291
2011–12 31010———320
Total 66220———682
Paris Saint-Germain 2012–13 27030009[lower-alpha 1]0—390
2013–14 29010408[lower-alpha 1]01[lower-alpha 2]0430
2014–15 32260307[lower-alpha 1]11[lower-alpha 2]0493
2015–16 18010305[lower-alpha 1]01[lower-alpha 2]0280
2016–17 28320407[lower-alpha 1]01[lower-alpha 2]0423
2017–18 22030408[lower-alpha 1]21[lower-alpha 2]0382
2018–19 3000000[lower-alpha 1]01[lower-alpha 2]040
Total 1595160180443602438
Career totals 22571801804436031110
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 All appearances in UEFA Champions League
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Appearance in Trophée des Champions

    International

    As of 14 October 2018[40]
    Italy national team
    YearAppsGoals
    201220
    201321
    201460
    201550
    201640
    201750
    201830
    Total271

    International goals

    Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first.
    #DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
    1.6 February 2013Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands Netherlands1–11–1Friendly

    Honours

    Club

    Pescara[39]
    Paris Saint-Germain[39]

    Individual

    Notes

    1. ↑ Includes cup competitions such as Coppa Italia and Coupe de France

    References

    1. ↑ "Marco Verratti" (in French). psg.fr.
    2. 1 2 3 "Marco Verratti" (in Italian). SKY.it. 26 January 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Meet the new Pirlo looking to shatter England's World Cup dream". FourFourTwo. 14 June 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
    4. 1 2 "Oscar del calcio, Pirlo giocatore dell'anno". Retrieved 16 January 2015.
    5. ↑ "Marco Verratti joins PSG". Paris Saint-Germain. 18 July 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
    6. ↑ "Paris 4-1 Dynamo Kyiv". UEFA. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
    7. ↑ "MARCO VERRATTI SIGNS YEAR EXTENSION". Paris Saint Germain F.C. 20 August 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
    8. ↑ "Ibrahimovic named player of the year". Ligue 1. 12 May 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
    9. ↑ "Paris St G 3-2 Barcelona". BBC Sport. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
    10. ↑ "Ligue 1, Psg-Evian 4-2: Luiz, Verratti, Pastore e Cavani in gol. Marsiglia ok". Retrieved 19 January 2015.
    11. ↑ "Euro 2012, i 32 di Prandelli La sorpresa è Verratti" [Euro 2012, the 32 men of Prandelli; Verratti is the surprise] (in Italian). La Repubblica. 13 May 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
    12. ↑ "Prandelli trims seven players from Italy squad". goal.com. 28 May 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
    13. ↑ Alistair Magowan (15 August 2012). "England 2-1 Italy". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
    14. ↑ "Bulgaria 2 - 2 Italy - Match Report". Sky Sports. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
    15. ↑ "Netherlands vs Italy: Report". Goal.com. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
    16. ↑ "Thiago leads all-star squad dominated by Spain". UEFA.com. 21 June 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
    17. ↑ "World Cup 2014: Italy omit Giuseppe Rossi from final squad". BBC Sport. 1 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
    18. ↑ "England 1-2 Italy". BBC. 15 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
    19. ↑ "Inghilterra-Italia 1–2: gol di Marchisio, Sturridge e Balotelli" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 15 June 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
    20. ↑ "Costa Rica advances at World Cup; England out". www.sportsnet.ca. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
    21. ↑ Ben Smith (24 June 2014). "Italy 0-1 Uruguay". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
    22. ↑ "Zico: Italy pay price for over-reliance on Andrea Pirlo and must rebuild". The Guardian. 25 June 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
    23. ↑ "Official: Verratti out of Euro 2016". Football Italia. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
    24. ↑ "Italy: Azzurri flop with France". Football Italia. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
    25. 1 2 3 "Xavi: 'Verratti is one of world's best'". Ligue 1.com. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
    26. 1 2 "Monaco-PSG D-1: Verratti indispensable". Ligue 1.com. 8 February 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
    27. ↑ Alessandro Brunetti (25 May 2014). "Mondiali 2014 - Verratti conquista la Francia, ma non Prandelli" [2014 World Cup - Verratti wins over France, but not Prandelli] (in Italian). Eurosport. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
    28. ↑ Tom Williams (2 April 2014). "Meet Marco Verratti, the player who keeps Yohan Cabaye on the PSG bench". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
    29. 1 2 "Verratti e il mondiale: "Gioco in Champions, ma non so se basta"" (in Italian). 4 April 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
    30. ↑ "Verratti: "Io come Pirlo? Il paragone mi onora"" (in Italian). Tutto Sport. 27 September 2012. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
    31. ↑ "Marco VERRATTI". FIFA. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
    32. ↑ "Verratti, la Juve sul nuovo Pirlo Zeman lo ha inventato regista" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
    33. ↑ Enrico Currò (5 June 2014). "Nazionale, in Brasile con tanti dubbi. Pirlo-Verratti, insieme si può" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
    34. ↑ "Verratti con Pirlo un' idea da provare" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 17 August 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
    35. ↑ "Verratti-Psg, 2019: "Felice del rinnovo"" (in Italian). Il Corriere dello Sport. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
    36. ↑ "Psg, Verratti: "Pirlo un modello. Il mio idolo? Del Piero"" (in Italian). Tuttosport. 18 April 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
    37. ↑ Jonathan Johnson (8 February 2015). "Marco Verratti rebounds from recent criticism to lead PSG to draw with Lyon". ESPN FC. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
    38. ↑ Alberto Santi. "Marco Verratti: How to be a deep-lying playmaker". Four Four Two. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
    39. 1 2 3 Marco Verratti at Soccerway
    40. ↑ "Marco Verratti". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman.
    41. ↑ "The "Bravo" Award". RSSSF. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
    42. ↑ "Thiago leads all-star squad dominated by Spain". UEFA. 21 June 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
    43. ↑ "Trophées UNFP : Marco Verratti sacré meilleur espoir". RTL. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
    44. ↑ "2012/13 UNFP Awards". French Football Weekly. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
    45. ↑ "Ibrahimovic named Player of Year". Ligue 1. 12 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
    46. ↑ "Lacazette wins player of year". Ligue 1. 18 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
    47. ↑ "Trophées UNFP : Le Palmarès Complet de l'Édition 2017". Retrieved 15 May 2017.
    48. ↑ "Bernardo Silva et Faneva Andriastsima, joueurs du mois de Janvier !". UNFP. 14 September 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
    49. ↑ "Bernardo Silva et Faneva Andriastsima, joueurs du mois de Janvier !". UNFP. 14 September 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
    50. ↑ "Verratti ousts Ibrahimovic as Ligue 1's best foreign player". La Gazzetta dello Sport. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
    51. ↑ "2015 World XI: the Reserve Teams - FIFPro World Players' Union". FIFPro.org. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
    52. ↑ "2016-2017 World 11: the Reserve Teams - FIFPro World Players' Union". FIFPro.org. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
    53. ↑ "2016 World 11: the reserve teams - FIFPro World Players' Union". FIFPro.org. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
    54. ↑ "Pallone Azzurro 2015: vince Verratti" [2015 Pallone Azzurro: Verratti wins] (in Italian). Sport Mediaset. 1 January 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
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