It’s fair to feel a little short-changed by a player who has never really tested himself consistently at the highest level
, after playing alongside Verratti for PSG, called him “a huge player, one of the best in the world in his position”.Verratti helped to prove that point at Euro 2020. Despite missing Italy’s first two matches through injury, he was one of the tournament’s most impressive players, dominating possession alongside the similar if more defensively minded. But it was also a relatively rare sight of Verratti at a major tournament.
So we’re left with a footballer who, in terms of passing range and according to some of the greatest players in history, was one of the best midfielders around. And while attackers who rely on speed are often over the hill by 30, some of the best deep midfielders of this century — Xavi, Pirlo, Xabi Alonso, Paul Scholes — received the greatest plaudits as tricenarians. It’s fair to feel a little short-changed.
Signing for Al-Arabi is not automatically the end of Verratti’s top-level career. Maybe he’ll spend a couple of years in Qatar and then make a long-awaited return to Italy — although if Ligue 1 didn’t really stretch him, it’s unlikely he’ll be fulfilling his potential in the Qatar Stars League. New Italy manager Luciano Spalletti seemingly omitted him from the squad for the current international break amid concerns over a lack of playing time, although some reports in Italy suggested Verratti had turned down the call-up.
And all this seems — more than in the cases of the ageing Ronaldo, the exhausted Neymar or even the probably-not-quite-top-classMarco Verratti was probably among the best midfielders of his generation, but having never tested himself in one of the best leagues and having only gone deep in one major international tournament, it’s difficult to be sure.Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.
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