Paris Saint-Germain head coach Thomas Tuchel hailed extraordinary star Marco Verratti as one of the best midfielders in the world.
Verratti signed a new five-year deal with PSG on Wednesday, having established himself as an integral member of the Ligue 1 champions since arriving in 2012.
The Italy international, who will remain in Paris until 2024, has won six Ligue 1 titles and 22 trophies in total following his transfer from Pescara.
Tuchel lauded the 26-year-old as a coach s dream ahead of Friday s trip to bottom side Dijon.
The club is pleased to announce the extension of Marco Verratti s contract for additional seasons.
The Italian midfielder, who will turn 27 next Tuesday, is now signed through June 30, 2024
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English)
As I often said, Marco is very important, Tuchel told reporters. He s a key player. He s one of the best midfielders in the world.
There is always room for improvement but he s highly reliable. He has loads of responsibilities inside the group. He always thinks about others and their happiness. He s a team player. Coaching Marco is the best that can happen to a coach.
To give you an example, ahead of our game against Nice, he played with Italy. It was a Friday evening, both games were very close [Italy played the 15th and PSG on the 18th]. He came back on Thursday. On Friday I talked to him and he said to me: No, no, no! I ll play against Nice, I ll play! . We ve decided then that he will not play. Back in the training on Saturday he was there giving everything during both small and bigger exercises. We ve got a small session with eight players, we walked, we played a few games… and he trained like a youngster about maybe 18 or 19 years old trying to prove to the coach that he can play. This is what Marco is about. It shows a lot in my opinion.
I m delighted to be his coach. I m really pleased he s with us because he s an extraordinary player with a very rare mindset. I think that everybody is happy he s with us.
