Everyone will be talking about Kylian Mbappe after his heroic Champions League efforts against Barcelona on Tuesday night, but the performance of another Paris Saint-Germain player SHOULD get a mention.
That's right. If you watched the game last night then you'll know PSG's metronome midfielder Marco Verratti dropped a 10/10 masterclass from deep, proving in turn that he is one of the most underrated players in world football.
The diminutive Italian played a pivotal role in the Ligue 1 side's historic 4-1 win against Barcelona in an entertaining Champions League Round of 16 clash, assisting that man Mbappe for his first goal as he continued to break up play and recycle possession.
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In fact, the 28-year-old completed 90% of his passes in the game, registering a total of 79 touches while making the equal-most blocks of any player on the pitch.
Verratti's low centre of gravity - and his ability to play a forward pass - gave Barcelona a real headache last night.
Former Leeds and Carlisle United striker Michael Bridges summed up his performance perfectly.
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"They are a completely different team without Verratti," he told Optus Sport. "Without Neymar, they can get away with it (and) they've shown that, without Verratti this team does not tick as much."
Here's his individual highlights from Tuesday's clash against the Catalan giants. Seriously though, what a player.
PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino labelled the Italian midfielder "a truly great player" after the full-time whistle.
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"He is a player with a very good ability to read the game." he said.
"He allows for us each time to have attacking possession and to bring the ball out into good situations, to better start off attacks.
"In attacking phases, he can double his efforts and provoke situations going forward. For me, he is a truly great player."
Marco Verratti, omniprésent sur le terrain ce soir #FCBPSG
Posted by Canal Football Club - CFC on Tuesday, 16 February 2021
Thoughts on Verratti's performance against Barcelona in the round of 16 clash? Is he one of the most underrated players in world football?
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Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image Credit: @LSComps/Twitter/ChampionsTopics: Football News, Football, Barcelona, marco verratti, Champions League