Former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino named the greatest footballer he's ever seen grace a pitch - and it's not Lionel Messi.

Pochettino has enjoyed an incredibly successful coaching career to date, overseeing two major Premier League clubs, as well as French giants Paris Saint-Germain. Currently in charge of the United States Men's National Team, the Argentine is being heavily linked with the Manchester United job, which is expected to be vacant soon as Michael Carrick prepares for his dismissal.

Naturally, having managed three of the biggest clubs in Europe, Pochettino has coached an array of talented footballers, including the likes of Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Harry Kane.

However, he doesn't view any of these aforementioned stars as the best he's ever witnessed live.

Pochettino Named Marco Verratti As Best Player He's Ever Seen

Messi, Mbappe and Neymar might have been the figureheads of PSG's team under Pochettino, but the tactician has a soft spot for another player he managed at the Parc des Princes.

In an interview with Goal, Pochettino was quizzed on players he's worked with during his career. Asked to provide one-word phrases or responses to certain individuals, he heaped praise on Marco Verratti when the Italian's name was mentioned:

"The greatest players that I saw in my life."

Verratti now plies his trade in Qatar for Al Duhail, and is certainly past his best at 34. However, when he was under Pochettino's tutelage between 2021 and 2022, he was still at the peak of his powers.

Revered by those who worked with him, Verratti was indeed an outstanding multi-faceted midfielder who was excellent in every phase of the game. While it's well-documented that he had an unconventional lifestyle for a footballer, regularly enjoying partying and cigarettes which many believe held him back, he still managed to reach incredible heights with the Parisians.

Devastating for the Italian himself and for PSG supporters, he narrowly missed out on the French giants' recent European dominance under Luis Enrique. The Ligue 1 outfit have won each of the last two Champions League titles, with the likes of Vitinha and Joao Neves guiding them to these triumphs — something Verratti was never able to do.