« Back

Marco Verratti: “The friends I see outside of the dressing room are Ney, Kylian & Buffon.”

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Le Parisien, Marco Verratti discussed his closest friends at PSG.

Who are you friends in the dressing room?

I grew up here with Thiago Silva, who I get on very well with. Like with Marqui (Marquinhos), Kylian (Mbappé), Ney (Neymar). I feel good around everyone. The friends that I see outside of the dressing room are Ney, Kylian and Buffon.

How much have you missed Neymar since his injury in January?

I am also missing him in the dressing room. With him, training sessions are always better. When he got injured, we spent a lot of time together, even at his house so that he wouldn’t feel too alone. You could see he was sad not to be with us at this moment in the season.

What makes Kylian Mbappé different to other players?

Apart from the talent that God has given him… He is a very professional boy, who always plays with a desire to score, whether in training or in a match. He listens a lot. He has already, I think, understood everything about football. He knows how to stay concentrated, how to enter into the history books. Players like him, there will be others, but it is his mentality that will make the difference. I really like Kylian and I want him to have a magnificent career.

Who is Gianluigi Buffon to you?

I knew him well already from the national team, he left a magnificent impression on me then. But we did not have the chance to spend time together on a daily basis. I have discovered a fantastic man. Everyone who works at PSG has said at one point or another than he is a unique person in football today. People like him don’t exist anymore. There is nothing you can reproach him for, he doesn’t have any faults. Whenever he can learn something, he learns it. We can speak about politics, art, religion, about everything!