The brother of Italy international Marco Verratti has confessed that his sibling rejected a move to AC Milan as a teenager as he felt he was too young.
Having impressed as a youngster at Pescara, breaking through at the age of just 16 for his debut, he earned a move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2012 where he was impressed ever since.
Stefano Verratti also admitted that while his brother did have the chance to join the Rossoneri, he did think that he was set for a move to his boyhood club Juventus when he decided to leave the Delfini.
“I thought that he was actually going to join Juventus [when he left Pescara] because when we were young and playing football in our living room, we would always pretend that we were playing for Juve,” Stefano Verratti told L’Equipe.
“When he was 14, Milan really wanted to sign him but Marco decided not to go because he felt he was too young and would have become frustrated if he didn’t get many opportunities.
“I do remember a friend showing me a newspaper article which said there was a chance he could to to Juve but by then he had already signed for PSG. It was all done in the space of a week.
“My mother was very surprised at his decision to leave Italy. I was afraid at first that he would regret his choice but he has done very well.”
However, now that he has become an integral and popular part of the French champions, Verratti is unlikely to return to Italy and his brother believes Serie A sides may have missed the boat on signing him.
“I think that if he could, Marco would remain at PSG for life,” he continued. “He really loves Paris as a city and his son was born there. Teammates might change but the club and city will always be there.
“Marco has become a man in Paris. In my opinion, he would only ever come back to Italy if PSG decided that they didn’t want him anymore. I hope he can end his career at Pescara. That would be nice. Maybe he could also do a year in China. We will see.”
Source: forzaitalianfootball.com