Verratti: Paris couldn t win the Champions League with Messi and Neymar? There were superstars but something was missing

On October 30, Italian player Verratti accepted an exclusive interview with "Marca". He played for Paris Saint-Germain for 11 years and won many titles but never the Champions League.

Why do you feel so comfortable in Qatar?

I really like it here. It’s not like a European league like Spain, France or Italy, but the quality of life is great and I’m happy to help the kids here and make the league grow. But the truth is, I'm just as happy as long as I have a ball, even on the beach.

Are you used to training in the afternoon?

I like it because it gets dark very early here, and it’s night from 4 pm. So if you train in the morning, the day is too short. So I like to train here in the afternoon.

Let’s talk about the club you played for for 11 years, Paris Saint-Germain. Why do you think PSG won the Champions League last season without Kylian Mbappe but failed to win it after having him for so many years?

It’s unfair to look at it this way. With Mbappe we reached the semi-finals and the final but we didn't win. And then Real Madrid, they have very good players and have won a lot of Champions Leagues. In short, I don't think PSG won the championship because Mbappe left. Mbappe has provided a lot of help to the club's growth. For example, in the year he left, he scored nearly 50 goals.

Mbappe was outstanding in his first year at Real Madrid, but now he has exploded. What do you think of him?

He had to adapt, but he scored a lot of goals and won the La Liga Golden Boot and the Golden Boot Award. This year he’s proving he can do better. There is no one else like him in the world right now.

You must have been asked this question a thousand times. You played with Ramos, Neymar, Messi... football is very strange because you didn't win the Champions League with them... and now you do. How do you always answer this question?

Football is beautiful because of this. It’s not like you can win by buying players. That PSG team was a serious project and they helped the club grow. On an individual level we had a lot of superstars, but as a team we were missing something. This is very important in today's football. Superstars can really change the situation in big games, but that's not usually the case.

What do you think of Paris Saint-Germain now?

They have an incredible team with everyone playing offense and defense. Then there are the two full-backs like Mendes and Achraf who, despite being defenders, will often be involved in the attack.

Is Luis Enrique the difference?

He is a top coach. You can understand it from the moment Dembélé is out and you put someone else in and he does just as well and the team is not affected.

What is the most difficult thing when you play against Real Madrid?

This is difficult to explain. Just when you think they're in bad shape, they come back to life. This is a team that can kill you even if they don't have 30% of the ball. Other teams need to run the ball to win. Real Madrid don't need it. Real Madrid are very pragmatic. They only played 10 good minutes and scored three goals for you, but you played 80 good minutes and scored one. This is a team that knows how to endure, knows victory will come, and will surely come back.

Are you suffering at the Santiago Bernabeu?

It is a magnificent and beautiful stadium. Just when you thought Real Madrid were dead, they come back to life. They only need a small chance to come back to life, and they prove it not once, but many times.