Italian media praised Marco Verratti after his performance against Real Madrid: ‘An undisputed leader, how nice that he’s Italian.’
The 29-year-old was only second to Kylian Mbappé for player ratings on Italian sports papers. The former Pescara starlet completed 92% of passes at the Parc des Princes last night, earning praise from former coach Fabio Capello and his teammate Neymar who compared him to Xavi and Andres Iniesta.
Verratti’s performance was highlighted by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Tuttosport and Il Corriere dello Sport.
Here’s what the three main Italian sports papers had to say about the Italy international.
Gazzetta: ‘A Partidazo. A complete performance. Focussed in defence, creative, brilliant and dangerous in attack. How nice that he is Italian.’ Rating: 7.5/10
Tuttosport: ‘The undisputed leader of PSG’s midfield. He was the best player on the pitch after Mbappé.’ Rating: 7.5/10
Corriere dello Sport: ‘A giant who made Toni Kross and Luka Modric struggle.’ Rating: 7.5/10