Paris Saint-Germain boasts a storied history. Throughout the years, the Paris club has seen the grace of many stars, including Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and the iconic David Beckham. But in an unexpected twist of events, President Nasser Al Khelaifi has taken a step away from the widely celebrated names as he candidly proclaimed Marco Verratti as ‘one of the best players at PSG.’ 

It isn’t the only eyebrow-raising fact, as the billionaire owner has even openly criticized Messi for disrespecting the Ligue 1 side. In his eyes, Verratti remained the chief man!

Marco Verratti ‘remains a PSG legend’ for Nasser Al Khelaifi 

In an interview with BFM RMC Sport, PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi sat down for a lengthy chat to discuss matters regarding his club. Interestingly, the tête-à-tête somehow escalated to Marco Verratti, where Al Khelaifi highlighted the Italian midfielder’s lasting reputation as a club legend. “Marco, really, for me, was one of the best players at PSG. It was perhaps one of the best investments we made. We bought him for €11 million, if I’m not mistaken. He stayed for eleven years. Every season he was one of the best players,” he said. 

Verratti left the French capital this year and signed for Qatar Stars League side Al Arabi. Al Khelaifi revealed why the midfielder left. “But then the coach has a new philosophy, a new strategy. I promised the coach when choosing him that I would be behind him to give him what he wants. That’s what we did. Marco remains a PSG legend,” he concluded. Indeed, these are some heartwarming remarks, which must have brought a smile to Verratti’s face. In contrast, Messi faced scrutiny for his negative comments about Parisians, which Verratti didn’t do.

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Lionel Messi thrashed for talking ‘badly’ about PSG 

In the same interview, Al Khelaifi didn’t spare Messi from the player’s previous comments to describe his ‘tough’ life at PSG. While insisting that La Pulga should have talked about it while being in France, he said, “I have great respect for him [Messi] but if someone wants to talk badly about Paris Saint-Germain after [his departure], it’s not good. That’s not respect,” he said. 

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Al Khelaifi further clarified that Messi isn’t a ‘bad guy.’ However, he didn’t like the Argentinian superstar candidly revealing that he found his time at Parc des Princes quite ‘rough.’ Mr. President also stated that this message wasn’t just for Messi but for everyone who has been a part of PSG. Either way, these claims certainly must have brought discontent to Messi. 

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