VERRATTI: IT IS NOT EASY LIFTING TITLE EVERY YEAR

MARCO VERRATTI declared himself fit to play in tomorrow’s Champions League final against Bayern Munich and insisted: “People should show more respect to French football.”

The Italy midfielder has been struggling with a calf problem that caused him to miss Paris SaintGermain’s quarter-final win over Atalanta and he only played for the last seven minutes of the semi-final win over RB Leipzig.

But the Italian has been back in training this week and ready for the final and insisted that he has never regretted moving to France eight years ago and snubbing offers from Juventus, Roma and Napoli when he left Pescara to join PSG.

Verratti (right), 27, said: “I’m better, I started again slowly. This injury was hard to digest. I have resumed with the group and I will do everything to play.

“I was available for the semi-final.”

PSG have won the Ligue 1 title in seven of the last eight seasons, sparking criticism that football in France is a one-team show but Verratti insisted: “Maybe from abroad we think it’s an easy championship but we who play it know how hard it is.

“Maybe it’s less tactical than Serie A but it’s more physical. There were two French teams in the Champions League semifinals. I hope Ligue 1 is respected more in future.

“I have never regretted my choice to come to PSG. I have been able to train and play with great players, and play in the Champions League every year. And even if we are in our first final, we have started the competition each time considering it our goal.”