“The soldiers begged me to stay”

Italian Marco Verratti He remembered the “real” speech the technician had made Luis Enrique After 11 years at the club, he told him they no longer believed in him at PSG and assured him he had teammates begging him to stay.

“I’m honest, I say what I think, and they’ve done the same. When we got back to work, I met with the coach and he told me that it wasn’t part of his plans (…) He said he wanted to change and do something new and he’s been here for years. said in an interview to “L’Equipe” Midfielder.

Changed in September Al-Arabi SC of Qatar Alternatively 45 million eurosVerratti, nearly 31, has a contract with Paris until 2026 and his departure surprised many as he was the club’s iconic footballer alongside the Brazilian. Marginos.

Asked if his creativity was missing in the center of the field at a disorganized PSG at the moment, he reckoned it was. “yes” And he recalled some colleagues telling him before he left.

“I know what I am capable of, I trained with them for two months (last July to September). I had soldiers begging me to stay. “That’s the best recognition for people who see you every day and know what you can do,” he said.

However, the talented Italian international made it clear that he is considering Luis Enrique “A great coach.”

“I think he needs other players. I have nothing against him, we had a very good relationship. I trained hard every day. He also has nothing bad to say about me,” he said.

In about 11 years PSGThe 19-man arrival from Pescara noted that his progress has gone from high to low, and when it comes to mentioning the teammates who have influenced him the most, he spoke. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kylian MbappeEdinson left out the likes of Cavani, Neymar and Messi among others.

“It was a weird time, but early on we formed a very united team,” he said. Verratti, He recalls three encounters during his 11 years in Paris that had a positive impact on him.

4-0 against Barcelona in the Round of 16 Champions From 2017 (Barca came back 6-1); 1-0 in the first leg of the round of 16 against Real Madrid in 2022 (3-1 Meirings) and 3-0 against Bayern Munich in the 2017 group stage.

When he left for Barcelona in 2017 in desperation, he didn’t go because of the president’s persistence. Nasser al-KhelaifiThe Italian assured that he “doesn’t regret anything” because he has enjoyed more than a decade with PSG “at a high level” but never achieved the big objective of promotion. Champions.

VerrattiWho is in his last season PSG She has come under fire from fans for her careless lifestyle habits, insisting that she is not hiding anything.

“For me, football was above all a game, and then it had a life. I liked going to restaurants, having a glass of wine when I wasn’t training. There are players who hide and I have always recognized that”, he defended himself.