The messages Pirlo sent to Verratti after PSG hammered Barcelona 4-0

The messages Pirlo sent to Verratti after PSG hammered Barcelona 4-0

The messages Pirlo sent to Verratti after PSG hammered Barcelona 4-0
The messages Pirlo sent to Verratti after PSG hammered Barcelona 4-0 | sport

The Italian says the midfielder is ready to take his crown as the country's top player

Former Milan and Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo watched on television as Paris Saint-Germain beat Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their round-of-16 Champions League tie. 

After a fine performance from midfielder Marco Verratti at the Parc des Princes, Pirlo sent his compatriout a message, as revealed in an interview with L'Equipe. 

"After the game against Barça, I congratulated him via an SMS," the New York City player said. 

"The same night he said to me that my message had been the one he appreciated the most. And then I said to him 'You are the No.1 now because I'm at the end of my career.'" 

For Pirlo, "Verratti is a great player. He is the future of Italian and European football for the next 10 years. He playes more or less in my position, although we're different in our styles of play. 

"He plays shorter passes, dribbles more than me and keeps the ball more. He's the best Italian player today and tomorrow. We have had goot moments together with the national team. 

"They say sometimes that good players can't play together, but if everyone adds what they can, then it works. And that is what happened with us."