Marco Verratti

Lore & Background

Verratti began his career with Italian club Pescara in 2008, helping the team win the 2011–12 Serie B title and winning the 2012 Bravo Award. In July 2012, he transferred to Paris Saint-Germain, where he won a then-record nine Ligue 1 titles and ranks third for all-time appearances. At international level, he represented Italy, making his senior debut in 2012 and winning UEFA Euro 2020 with Italy.

In Their Own Story

The stadium in Saint-Denis hummed with a low, electric murmur. It was a Tuesday evening in late September, the kind of night where the rain had just stopped and the pitch glistened under the floodlights. Verratti received the ball at the edge of the box, turned, and for a half-second the entire midfield seemed to freeze around him. He saw the gap — a sliver between two defenders that no one else had registered — and his right foot flicked the ball through it with a softness that made the pass look like it had been placed rather than struck. The winger collected, sprinted, and the crowd exhaled into a roar. Verratti was already turning back, hands on hips, face unreadable, as if the moment had never happened. Around him, teammates shouted, pointed, celebrated. He simply nodded, wiped his hands on his shorts, and waited for the next ball to come to him. That was the whole story, every time: the extraordinary made to look like the ordinary, the ordinary made to look inevitable.

Reader's Guide

Verratti is a central midfielder known for his passing, vision, and control. He played as a deep-lying playmaker under Zdeněk Zeman at Pescara and continued in a similar role at Paris Saint-Germain. He has also represented Italy at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2020.

Did You Know?

• Verratti was born in Pescara and grew up in Manoppello.
• He supported Juventus as a child and idolised Alessandro Del Piero.
• He made his first-team debut for Pescara at age 15 years and 9 months.
• Verratti won the 2012 Bravo Award for best player under 21 in Europe.
• He ranks third for all-time appearances for Paris Saint-Germain.