Is Marco Verratti's star fading?

MetoTTT

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He will never be top tier, and will remain a level below the likes of Mbappe and Neymar who use PSG as a stepping stone.
I agree for Verratti. It's a real shame because he is so gifted. But Neymar doesn't use PSG as a stepping stone. He was bought to be the game changer/key player and lead them to european glory and win the Ballon d'Or. He has regressed and was injured for their big games 2 seasons in a row. His attitude and professionalism are very questionable too.
 
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RUCK4444

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Tbf given the short career lifespan of footballers you can probably say its not enough.
To be conservative - 12 years of £130k per week is like £83MILLION pre tax. Not including any endorsements outside of the weekly wage.

That’s before a Chinese payday in his later years if needed.

No doubt he probably earns considerably more weekly... and would do so in all of the top three/four leagues.
Only difference being the fact he would be tested weekly and have the chance to reach his full potential and win something of note.

Nothing I hate more than wasted potential from players willing to settle for the easy option.
 

FootballHQ

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Frustrating international career aswell, less than 40 caps for Italy since making his debut in 2012. Balotelli has similar number despite all his issues.

First tournament was 2014 when Italy bombed out, 2016 he was injured and 2018 Italy didn't make it.
 

432JuanMata

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So what if it’s the French league ? The only problem is that they keep getting knocked out of the CL in the QF’s. nobody would question his decision if PSG won the CL say twice before 2024.
 

RUCK4444

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So what if it’s the French league ? The only problem is that they keep getting knocked out of the CL in the QF’s. nobody would question his decision if PSG won the CL say twice before 2024.
Really?? Two CL wins, ok that’s great but I’d still like to have a few proper domestic cups when I retired from the game if I had his ability.

Plus he has just as much chance of winning the CL at another top European club based in one of the top leagues.
 

thepolice123

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To be conservative - 12 years of £130k per week is like £83MILLION pre tax. Not including any endorsements outside of the weekly wage.

That’s before a Chinese payday in his later years if needed.

No doubt he probably earns considerably more weekly... and would do so in all of the top three/four leagues.
Only difference being the fact he would be tested weekly and have the chance to reach his full potential and win something of note.

Nothing I hate more than wasted potential from players willing to settle for the easy option.
That is assuming that he scales down on his lifestyle, if not that money isn't going to sustain forever. We all know footballers aren't the most financially sound people. I think to many footballers, this is just a sport which they happen to be good at so you can't really blame him for milking every penny out of his career.

That said I think Europe has already moved on from him. He was once highly coverted but most of the big clubs have already found a cheaper and possibly better alternative. Even someone like Sensi could effectively replace him at the Italian National team.
 

UNITED ACADEMY

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He will never be top tier, and will remain a level below the likes of Mbappe and Neymar who use PSG as a stepping stone.
Win CL, cup & league with PSG & win a world cup with Italy will give him good chance to make him win ballon dor or at least be the top 3 candidate.

Either way, it's very disappointed to see a such talent who prefers to stay in their comfort zone in unchallenged league like ligue 1. Not disrespectful to ligue 1 but I'm talking the reality that ligue 1 is nowhere near the level of PL & La Liga or even Bundes Liga.
 

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Accepting the French league is the 5th strongest in Europe, I don't get this step-change in perception in how Verratti's career would be assessed if he moved to one of the 1st-4th best leagues in Europe. It would be a fairer point if he was coasting in China without any exposure to top-level opposition. But he routinely plays 10-12 Champions League ties a year as well as a handful of internationals for Italy where it's easy to appreciate his quality. Similarly, I would understand it more if those top leagues were much more competitive insofar as the best teams were jostling with a number of teams to reach 70-80 points to win the title. For example, the competitiveness of La Liga in the early 2000s or the strength in depth of Serie A in the 1980s and 1990s.

But these leagues are to all intents and purposes just as skewed as the French league. Bayern have won the Bundesliga 7 times in a row, Juventus and Serie A 8 times, Barcelona average 90-100 points a season, Man City are currently averaging 100 points a season. All of these leagues are seriously imbalanced. These top sides spend the vast majority of their domestic campaign dominating the ball to the tune of 70% possession whilst parked in the opposition's half against significantly inferior opponents. Verratti moving to any of the above sides isn't really going to change anything in what he does on the park, aside from arguably facing slightly superior domestic opponents (but still much inferior to the Champions League opposition he routinely dominates) and in a stronger side perhaps securing a better shot at winning a Champions League title. Ultimately the majority of top players in today's game spend the bulk of their domestic careers playing against relative minnows and their legacies are determined by what they do in the Champions League, international tournaments and the very rare domestic title decider. The game has changed and the genuinely competitive leagues with strength in depth no longer exist.
 

Pigggyy

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I'm 100% agree with the last post
For the others, do you really think that Verratti dreams to play in PL?It's all about intensity, tacticly and technicly laligua is still far better, seriea and bulli are not a step up for him, so win CL with Paris would be the most beautifull story...
 

Yagami

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I wish there were more CMs like him.

Arthur is the only CM not only like him in style, but is just as good, too. The problem is both aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

Then you take a step down in terms of quality and you have Lobotka who's similar in style as them, but not as good.

Then there's Matheus Henrique of Gremio who seems to be similar in style to them, but remains to be seen if he can make the step up to a top European League. Rumours are that Barca are interested.

And that's it. I want more of these CMs!
 

thepolice123

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Accepting the French league is the 5th strongest in Europe, I don't get this step-change in perception in how Verratti's career would be assessed if he moved to one of the 1st-4th best leagues in Europe. It would be a fairer point if he was coasting in China without any exposure to top-level opposition. But he routinely plays 10-12 Champions League ties a year as well as a handful of internationals for Italy where it's easy to appreciate his quality. Similarly, I would understand it more if those top leagues were much more competitive insofar as the best teams were jostling with a number of teams to reach 70-80 points to win the title. For example, the competitiveness of La Liga in the early 2000s or the strength in depth of Serie A in the 1980s and 1990s.

But these leagues are to all intents and purposes just as skewed as the French league. Bayern have won the Bundesliga 7 times in a row, Juventus and Serie A 8 times, Barcelona average 90-100 points a season, Man City are currently averaging 100 points a season. All of these leagues are seriously imbalanced. These top sides spend the vast majority of their domestic campaign dominating the ball to the tune of 70% possession whilst parked in the opposition's half against significantly inferior opponents. Verratti moving to any of the above sides isn't really going to change anything in what he does on the park, aside from arguably facing slightly superior domestic opponents (but still much inferior to the Champions League opposition he routinely dominates) and in a stronger side perhaps securing a better shot at winning a Champions League title. Ultimately the majority of top players in today's game spend the bulk of their domestic careers playing against relative minnows and their legacies are determined by what they do in the Champions League, international tournaments and the very rare domestic title decider. The game has changed and the genuinely competitive leagues with strength in depth no longer exist.
Playing in an inferior league with only one team challenging can really affect the club culture and players' motivation to improve. The closest challenger Monaco already had their squad decimated. And we are talking about players that can win the league even without playing at their 100% and still get paid ridiculous wages. The fact that PSG has not made it past Round of 16 ever since they signed Neymar speaks a lot about this.

Personally, I think it is obvious that his talent has stagnated, he hasn't improved much since his transfer to PSG. It is well-known that he loves the Paris nightlife, smokes and have questionable training ethics - all which leads to him being plagued by muscle injuries. He needs to move to a bigger club that has a culture centered around footballing excellence. Maybe in that time, with him focused on football, we can finally see Veratti fulfill his potential.
 

Pep's Suit

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Genuinely forgot about this guy like 2-3 years ago. But there are some other players who should be playing under different managers / clubs as well: Koke, Saul etc. At least Rodri was smart enough to move.
 

Oly Francis

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Serious question : is there a midfielder more pressure-resistant than Marco Verratti?
Quit smoking and drinking little owl, you're one of the most talented players in the world.

 

E-mal

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Serious question : is there a midfielder more pressure-resistant than Marco Verratti?
Quit smoking and drinking little owl, you're one of the most talented players in the world.

Xavi and Pirlo but of the current lot, none.
Thiago is perhaps at the same level.
Perhaps Busquets, Modric, Kovacic and Dejong come close.

I'd love to see him play for United, he is entertaining to watch.
 

izec

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Serious question : is there a midfielder more pressure-resistant than Marco Verratti?
Quit smoking and drinking little owl, you're one of the most talented players in the world.

I dont think there is, not in these tight spaces. Immense talent. If he had the mentality, he'd be in the Pirlo category. Him and Thiago are a bit similar in many aspects, but Verratti to me is a slight step above. My favourite midfielder to watch
 

Oly Francis

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Xavi and Pirlo but of the current lot, none.
Thiago is perhaps at the same level.
Perhaps Busquets, Modric, Kovacic and Dejong come close.

I'd love to see him play for United, he is entertaining to watch.
I dont think there is, not in these tight spaces. Immense talent. If he had the mentality, he'd be in the Pirlo category. Him and Thiago are a bit similar in many aspects, but Verratti to me is a slight step above. My favourite midfielder to watch
The big problem with Marco is that he just can't score. All the coaches tried to tell him to shoot more ofter (with his right foot he should be able to score 5-7 goals per season) but his brain won't let him do it. Thiago isn't as good at protecting the ball but he's more of a threat close to the box.

But yeah, he's so entertaining. His big problem is that he's far too italian when he argues with referees ^^
 

izec

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The big problem with Marco is that he just can't score. All the coaches tried to tell him to shoot more ofter (with his right foot he should be able to score 5-7 goals per season) but his brain won't let him do it. Thiago isn't as good at protecting the ball but he's more of a threat close to the box.

But yeah, he's so entertaining. His big problem is that he's far too italian when he argues with referees ^^
Personally, i dont think the goalscoring matters if you have PSG's attack. I would encourage him to play his natural game.

He gets dumb cards and by arguing with the refs all the time. That and his off the pitch stuff is the big issue. Once he is on the ball though, mesmerising. His controlling and tempo setting is incredible as well, so calm and composed. All the time in the world when getting pressed, he takes the piss most of the time. There isn't something more beautiful on the pitch than a midfielder setting the tempo and bossing it in midfield, that is why everyone loved Scholes here. Being untouchable and making it look easy against the best
 

FootballHQ

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I probably say this every summer but is he not interested in going back to Serie A at all and dominating the midfield for one of the top clubs there? Surely not going to spend the rest of his career at PSG?

Just the 36 caps for Italy since 2012 aswell. Raheem Sterling made his debut same year and has 56. Just played in world cup 2014. For some Italians who don't watch foreign leagues he must remain a bit of a mystery.
 

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He is somewhere between a hybrid of Pirlo and a Zidane. Would have been so good for us! Sad he is wasting all that talent in League1. Very entertaining to watch!
 

James Peril

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Fantastic drive and glide, ball glued to his feet, aggressive too... but forgotten and wasted at PSG. You remember their attackers, nobody cares about what happens behind them
 

Clermontois

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I probably say this every summer but is he not interested in going back to Serie A at all and dominating the midfield for one of the top clubs there? Surely not going to spend the rest of his career at PSG?

Just the 36 caps for Italy since 2012 aswell. Raheem Sterling made his debut same year and has 56. Just played in world cup 2014. For some Italians who don't watch foreign leagues he must remain a bit of a mystery.

You understimate the joy, comraderie and feeling of belonging that comes from living in a diverse place like Paris and moreso France. More nationalities settle in France than any other part of Europe with Italians being a large portion of those.

In any case the club he is at currently pays him more than any italian club could and they are currently bigger than any italian club as well.
 

Clermontois

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Xavi and Pirlo but of the current lot, none.
Thiago is perhaps at the same level.
Perhaps Busquets, Modric, Kovacic and Dejong come close.
Nope.


He is somewhere between a hybrid of Pirlo and a Zidane. Would have been so good for us! Sad he is wasting all that talent in League1. Very entertaining to watch!
He is nothing like Zidane.
 
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E-mal

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The big problem with Marco is that he just can't score. All the coaches tried to tell him to shoot more ofter (with his right foot he should be able to score 5-7 goals per season) but his brain won't let him do it. Thiago isn't as good at protecting the ball but he's more of a threat close to the box.

But yeah, he's so entertaining. His big problem is that he's far too italian when he argues with referees ^^
I love him, I wont mind signing him for 100m if he stays fit. An absolute gem of a player.
Do we have any of such player coming through the academy ? I like the look of Levitt but he is more a pass merchant.
 

mu4c_20le

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Serious question : is there a midfielder more pressure-resistant than Marco Verratti?
Quit smoking and drinking little owl, you're one of the most talented players in the world.
No offense but if he wants to realise his potential he should leave PSG. Smoking and drinking has nothing to do with it:p
 

TheReligion

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You understimate the joy, comraderie and feeling of belonging that comes from living in a diverse place like Paris and moreso France. More nationalities settle in France than any other part of Europe with Italians being a large portion of those.

In any case the club he is at currently pays him more than any italian club could and they are currently bigger than any italian club as well.
I agree with what you say about Paris and France however I think it's fair for people to want to see how good players like that can be playing at the absolute highest level week in week out.

Would be fantastic to see him in Spain or England as it does feel like he's wasted in France.
 

RUCK4444

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Having been there I don’t see the lure of Paris as a place to live, I really don’t. But each to their own.
 

Clermontois

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I agree with what you say about Paris and France however I think it's fair for people to want to see how good players like that can be playing at the absolute highest level week in week out.

Would be fantastic to see him in Spain or England as it does feel like he's wasted in France.
The french league is improving, all it lacks is the investment in clubs other than PSG and that is now happening with Marseille, Paris FC and others.

I agree it would be better to see him in a more challenging league but maybe life away from the field is just as or more important for him as it was for Di Maria.

Either way Italians don't really take to other leagues that well, France and maybe Germany being the exceptions.

Having been there I don’t see the lure of Paris as a place to live, I really don’t. But each to their own.
For richer folk the lure is magnetic but at more modest income levels the rest of France is much better, with Lyon and Toulouse as excellent alternatives.