Context

“You know, when I took over the team, I think Ismael was a raw, talented person,” Marsch said.

“And since then, I’ve talked to him a lot about discipline and concentration and everything from what that means in his daily life, in his nutrition, in his sleep habits, in the way he trains and the way he shows up every day, in the way he plays, in his overall intelligence.”

“Going to Italy and playing for a team that was newly promoted, and having to fight through a situation like that in a very organised league, he’s played an incredibly important role in that team and had a great year.”

“So I mean, it would probably be easy to say that Ismael is the one. Not just from what I’ve done with him and what the national team has done with him but also what he’s been able to achieve in his career, and the steps he’s been able to make through difficulty I might add.”

“Because it wasn’t easy with De Zerbi and Marseille. De Zerbi was a real, real asshole with him and he stayed strong. He never doubted himself. He found a new situation, and now look at him flourishing.”

“Let me reiterate. De Zerbi was a real asshole with him.”