Marco Verratti facts for kids
Verratti with Paris Saint-Germain in 2019
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Marco Verratti | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 5 November 1992 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Pescara, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Al-Duhail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Manoppello | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2006 | Manoppello Arabona | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Pescara | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2012 | Pescara | 74 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2023 | Paris Saint-Germain | 276 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2025 | Al-Arabi | 33 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Al-Duhail | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Italy U19 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Italy U20 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Italy U21 | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2023 | Italy | 55 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 July 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Marco Verratti (born 5 November 1992) is a professional footballer from Italy. He plays as a central midfielder for the Qatar Stars League club Al-Duhail.
Marco is known for his amazing skills with the ball and his ability to create chances for his team. He started his career in 2008 with the Italian club Pescara. He quickly became one of the best young midfielders in Europe. He helped Pescara win the 2011–12 Serie B title. In 2012, he won the Bravo Award, which is given to the best young player in Europe.
In July 2012, Marco moved to the French team Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). There, he won many titles, including a record nine Ligue 1 championships. He became one of the best midfielders in the world. He is also one of the players with the most appearances for PSG.
For his country, Marco played for the Italy under-21 team in 2013. He helped them reach the final of the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He made his debut for the senior Italy team in 2012. He played in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and helped Italy win UEFA Euro 2020.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Football
Marco Verratti was born in Pescara, Italy, and grew up in Manoppello. When he was a child, he loved Juventus and looked up to their star player, Alessandro Del Piero.
Marco's football talent was clear from a young age. He had chances to join bigger teams like Atalanta and Internazionale. But he chose to stay close to home and joined his local club, Pescara. Even after a great game against AC Milan, where Milan wanted to sign him, Marco decided to stay with Pescara.
Club Career Highlights
Pescara Journey
Marco Verratti started his youth career with Manoppello, a team that later joined with Manoppello Arabona. He played there until 2006 before moving to the youth academy of Pescara.
He made his first team debut for Pescara in the 2008–09 season. He was only 15 years old! By the 2009–10 season, he played more often and became a key player. People started to notice him as a future star for Italy.
Under coach Zdeněk Zeman, Marco became a fantastic deep-lying playmaker. He helped Pescara win the 2011–12 Serie B title. This meant Pescara was promoted to Serie A, Italy's top league. After this success, Marco won the 2012 Bravo Award for the best young player in Europe. He was also named the best player in Serie B for the 2011–12 season.
Paris Saint-Germain Era
First Seasons and Awards
On 18 July 2012, Marco Verratti signed a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in France. He made his first game for PSG on 2 September 2012 against Lille. Soon after, he helped his teammate Javier Pastore score a goal in a match against Toulouse.
He also played his first UEFA Champions League game on 18 September 2012. In his first season, he helped PSG win the 2012–13 Ligue 1 title. The next season was even better. PSG won the Ligue 1 title again, along with the Coupe de la Ligue and the 2013 Trophée des Champions. Marco was named the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year for the 2013–14 season.
Scoring First Goals
On 30 September 2014, Marco scored his first goal for PSG. It was a header in a Champions League game against Barcelona. On 18 January 2015, he scored his first goal in the French league, Ligue 1. In August 2016, he signed a new contract to stay with PSG until 2021.
European and Domestic Success
Marco continued to be a key player for PSG. In 2018, PSG was knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid. On 3 April 2019, Marco scored his first goal of the 2018–19 season in a French Cup semi-final against Nantes. He also set up another goal in that game.
Winning Many Trophies
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After PSG won the 2019 Trophée des Champions on 3 August 2019, Marco Verratti became the player with the most titles for the club. He had won 22 trophies in total! In October, he signed another contract extension, keeping him at PSG until 2024.
On 12 January 2020, Marco played his 300th game for PSG. In April 2020, PSG won the 2019–20 Ligue 1 title early because the season ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was Marco's seventh Ligue 1 title, which was a record for any player. PSG also won other domestic cups that season. They reached the Champions League final but lost to Bayern Munich.
Record-Breaking Ligue 1 Titles
In the 2020–21 season, PSG reached the Champions League semi-finals but lost to Manchester City. In Ligue 1, PSG did not win the title that year.
On 23 January 2022, Marco scored two goals in a league game against Reims. This was the first time he scored two goals in one match in his career. On 23 April, PSG won Ligue 1 again, making it their tenth title in history. Marco won his eighth Ligue 1 title, becoming the first player to do so.
On 28 December 2022, Marco signed a new contract with PSG until 2026. On 27 May 2023, he won his ninth Ligue 1 title, setting a new record. In August 2023, Marco left Paris Saint-Germain after 11 years. He played 416 matches for the club, which is the second-highest number of games for any PSG player.
Moving to Qatar
On 13 September 2023, Marco Verratti signed a three-year deal with the Qatari club Al-Arabi. He played for Al-Arabi until July 2025, when he moved to his current club, Al-Duhail.
International Career for Italy
Youth Teams
Marco Verratti played for the Italy U-21 team in the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. His team finished as runner-up to Spain. Because of his great performances, he was chosen for UEFA's all-star team of the tournament.
Senior Team Debut
Marco was first called up to the senior Italy team in 2012. He made his debut on 15 August 2012 in a friendly game against England. On 6 February 2013, Marco scored his first goal for Italy in a friendly match against the Netherlands. He scored a goal in the last minute, making the game a 1–1 draw.
Playing in the World Cup
On 1 June 2014, Marco was chosen for Italy's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He started in Italy's first game, a 2–1 win against England. He helped set up the first goal for Italy. However, Italy lost their next two games and were knocked out of the tournament early.
Winning the Euros
On 6 May 2016, it was announced that Marco would miss Euro 2016 due to an injury. He returned to the team later that year. On 26 March 2019, Marco scored his second international goal in a big 6–0 win against Liechtenstein.
In June 2021, Marco was part of Italy's squad for UEFA Euro 2020. He missed the first two group games because of a knee injury. But he played in Italy's final group match against Wales and helped them win. On 2 July, Marco assisted Italy's first goal in their quarter-final win against Belgium.
On 11 July, in the final against England at Wembley Stadium, Marco was involved in the goal that tied the game. Italy then won the tournament in a penalty shootout, their first Euro title since 1968! Marco was named the top performer of Euro 2020 for his excellent passing and three assists.
Personal Life
Marco Verratti has two sons, Tommaso and Andrea, from his first marriage. On 15 July 2021, just after Italy won Euro 2020, Marco married model Jessica Aidi in Paris.
Honours and Achievements
Pescara
- Serie B: 2011–12
Paris Saint-Germain
- Ligue 1: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22, 2022–23
- Coupe de France: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20, 2020–21
- Coupe de la Ligue: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20
- Trophée des Champions: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2019–20
Italy
- UEFA European Championship: 2020
- UEFA Nations League third place: 2020–21, 2022–23
Individual Awards
- Bravo Award: 2012
- Serie B Footballer of the Year: 2012
- UEFA U-21 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2013
- UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19
- UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month: September 2013, February 2017
- UNFP Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year: 2013–14
- UNFP Ligue 1 Foreign Player of the Year: 2014–15
- Pallone Azzurro: 2015
- Qatar Stars League Team of the Year: 2023–24
See also
In Spanish: Marco Verratti para niños
