After a legendary career at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Marco Verratti (30-Al-Arabi) left the club because of his "undying love for PSG and Paris".
The Italian midfielder, who played for PSG for 11 years starting in 2012, left Paris last month to join Qatari club Al Arabi.
In an interview with French publication L'Equipe on Nov. 11 (local time), Verratti spoke about his decision to leave, his memories of PSG, and more.
"Without love, I wouldn't have stayed at the same club for 11 years. I had many offers, but my priority was always to stay in Paris," he said, adding that he doesn't regret turning down Barcelona's offer in 2017.
Verratti was not part of PSG coach Luis Enrique's plans when he took over last summer. This must have been frustrating for the 'Living Legend', who helped the newcomer settle in by playing pranks on him.
"I had a meeting with Enrique in pre-season and he told me I wasn't in the plans," said Verratti. "It's natural that (the new coach) wants to make new changes, so I had no reason to disagree with his ideas. We had a good relationship," he says, adding that he accepted the change of scenery 'coolly'.
"I wanted PSG to be my last European club," says Verratti, "I didn't want to have PSG as an enemy. I didn't want to have PSG as an enemy. PSG is the club that gave me everything I dreamed of." His most memorable games include a 4-0 win over Barcelona, a win over Real Madrid thanks to Kylian Mbappe, and a 3-0 win over Bayern Munich.
Verratti has been following PSG since leaving for Qatar. 먹튀검증 He was impressed by the Marseille game and is rooting for PSG to win the Champions League this season.
The Pescara, Italy native has also fallen in love with the city of Paris. "I became a man here, met my wife, and became a father. Paris changed my life," he said, adding that he will live in the city for the rest of his life.