Marco Veratti
The youngest contender on our list, I like to nickname Verrati “Paris St Germain’s Pitbull”. He is tenacious in the midfield but also a total loud mouth. Although he is tiny, his control and athleticism can’t be denied, but he is also not shy from punishing opponents before they can even think of making it to the 18 yard box. The tiny Italian is said to be the successor to Andrea Pirlo when the 35 year old retires, but his attitude is much more bold than Pirlo. He will bring an aggressive force to the Italian midfield, as well as possible screaming matches. One of my favorite Verrati moments is when he was booked twice, succeeding to a red card during PSG’s Champions League match against Olympiakos. As he fought in close quarters with the ref, his dismissal was lonely as each Paris player ignored defending the “pitbull” as a rightful foul was given. And of course his teammates couldn’t defend him.