Marco Verratti and PSG have been in a relationship since 2012, but his long-term stint with the Ligue 1 club is nearing an end. He will soon become the latest high-profile name to be playing his football in the Middle East, although not in Saudi Arabia, but for Qatari side Al Arabi.
Verratti has won it all during his time at PSG, with the exception of the UEFA Champions League, but without a doubt his time with the Parisians can be viewed as an undoubted success. The 30-year-old broke the record last season for a player to have won the most Ligue 1 titles (nine), but is now preparing for the next part of his illustrious career.
The Italian international was told he was surplus to requirements Parc des Princes by new PSG boss Luis Enrique and so the race from other clubs to sign him up would play out. However, with PSG owned by Qatar Sports Investments, perhaps that is an angle that Verratti and his representatives have exploited to secure a move to his soon to be new team.
Throughout his multi-year stay as a PSG player, Verratti has played his part in many key moments both personally and collectively as a team. We wanted to shine a light on his top three moments whilst with the French club.
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Marco Verratti best PSG moments: The first of many trophies
The 2012/13 season was a historic one for PSG and it really marked the point where they entered the stage as one of the powerhouses of world football. The club takeover had taken place one year prior, so this was the period where PSG were looking to make their move as a real force, and they would secure their first league title since 1993/94.
In addition to Verratti, PSG added star names in the form of Thiago Silva, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and even David Beckham for a period of time. The new owners were flashing their cash and Verratti more than played his part in ensuring PSG would claim the Ligue 1 title. The club then went onto win every possible league title, with the exception of two seasons (2016/17 and 2020/21).
Marco Verratti best PSG moments: Barcelona header
Verratti joined PSG from Pescara, so had no experience of playing in European football prior to moving to France. Whilst he joined the club with an ever-growing reputation, he was still a youngster looking to really stamp his authority on the European stage. He had done that domestically, and the turning point for him in Europe was scoring against Barcelona in UEFA Champions League action in 2014.
Scoring goals just was not and is not Verratti's game, but this was a big moment for him because of the reasons mentioned previously. Scoring goals would become a rarity for him, but scoring headed goals was anything but a regular occurrence. From this point on, he would only go from strength to strength.
🗣️ Guardiola on Verratti: "I'm in love. He's an exceptional player." 💟
The Paris maestro scored #OTD in 2014 as Paris beat Barcelona 3-2 🙌#UCL pic.twitter.com/E0dP5qVSms
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) September 30, 2021
Marco Verratti best PSG moments: One and only brace
We've touched upon how scoring goals, even more so headed goals, proved not to be a frequent event for Marco Verratti. Therefore, we have to take particular notice when he is scoring two goals in the same match! The first was a crisp left-footed strike from inside the box which clipped the post as it flew into the back of the net. The second was also from inside the box and with the aid of a deflection it left the keeper rooted to the spot. He never scored a brace before and hasn't done since this game!
Verratti seemed to enjoy the license of breaking into the box in this game, but as his career has progressed he has adopted more of a deep-lying role, looking to utilise his creativity to take attacks to the next level. Playing in the Qatari Stars League, he will one of the standout players, so maybe scoring goals more regularly might be less of a surprise than it had been previously.
So now, Verratti will soon confirm his exit from the club he has called home for over 10 years. He departs with memories to cherish and no doubt is a PSG legend.
