Marco Verratti is ideal midfield general to lead Andrea Pirlo's Juventus revolution

While Tuesday night's glittering Champions League tie between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain saw Spain and France go head-to-head, it was actually Italy who claimed a monumental victory at Camp Nou.

Serie A viewers watched on as their former heroes and fellow compatriots shone on Europe's biggest stage, with two of their own notching assists, and a third finding the net. Alessandro Florenzi and Moise Kean impressed, but it was Marco Verratti who stole the show among the trio.

The 28-year-old produced an absolute masterclass in the 4-1 win, bossing Barça's midfield from start to finish and demonstrating just how adept he is in several different roles across the middle of the park.

And on a night when one dire performance seemed to spell the end of Sergio Busquets' reign as one of the elite current midfielders, Verratti's genius display thrust him back into the deserved spotlight from which he's faded in recent years.

For Italians everywhere, it was a bittersweet moment to endure. Sweet when imagining just how formidable the national team's midfield will be for the rearranged Euro 2020 tournament this summer, as he lines up alongside Nicolo Barella and Jorginho for the Azzurri.

Bitter, however, because Serie A viewers were never actually awarded the luxury of seeing Verratti grace Italy's top flight, and it's a frustration that lingers among its onlookers. The midfielder is remembered for being a key cog of what is thought to be the best Serie B side in recent history, directing play for a Pescara team which included Lorenzo Insigne and goal-machine Ciro Immobile.

"He is a player with a very good ability to read the game. He allows for us each time to have attacking possession and to bring the ball out into good situations, to better start off attacks. In attacking phases, he can double his efforts and provoke situations going forward. For me, he is a truly great player."

- PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Pescara were promoted to the top flight, with Verratti winning the Bravo award for Best Player under the age of 21 in Europe, and Serie B's Player of the Season. It was then that PSG acted and pinched the midfielder from under the noses of Italian giants' Juventus, Napoli and AS Roma, and he has been a stalwart in their side ever since.

But now aged 28, time is running out for the Italian to return home and tear up Serie A as we all know he can. And what better time to do so than now, where he can become Andrea Pirlo's regista and lead Juventus' revolution?

I Bianconeri are desperately in need of reinforcements in the centre of the park, and their struggles in defending the scudetto this year are evidence enough of a need for serious investment. One of Pirlo's major issues with his squad is that he does not possess a player similar to himself in style on the pitch, who can dictate the play and really turn Pirloball into an attractive and successful entity.

Juve have often surrendered games due to a lack of balance and control in the centre of the park, allowing teams to spring lightning counters against them, without having the tools or knowhow to stop these incidents from recurring.

When the time comes to really seize the initiative, the midfield can often look extremely passive, unable to affect the game or build the intensity required to strike that crucial blow. Overall, it's just a bit meh.

Now, Verratti is not exactly the footballing doppelgänger of the Maestro, but they do share some similarities. Pirlo was not always a deep-lying playmaker, beginning his career further up the pitch in a number 10 role. It was only later on that he was deployed deeper in order to inflict more of an impact on the game.

And Verratti demonstrated in PSG's crucial victory that he has all the makings to play in any role Pirlo asks of him, should Juve make a summer move. He showed an attacking instinct and an owl-like awareness of his surroundings to assist the equaliser, deftly flicking the ball into the path of Kylian Mbappe with the outside of his boot, baffling Barcelona's statuesque defenders.

Other than the key goal contribution, he regularly galloped up the pitch with possession at his feet, or burst into channels to penetrate from wider angles. For many, it was a surprising addition to his game.

In amongst all this final third action however, he did tend to his duties around his own penalty area, too.

Verratti delivered several key sliding tackles around the pitch, including a vital and perfectly timed challenge just inside the PSG box to frustrate the hosts, breaking up their attacks and striving to pick out the clutch pass to get his teammates moving.

It was his unwavering calmness that allowed les Parisiens to mount blistering counter-attacks, as rather than simply rushing the ball forward, Verratti waited for the right moment to release the ball, cutting Barça down at their knees.

In fact, one of the true joys of seeing him in full flow comes from his ability to avoid the press. No matter how quickly his opponents swarm upon him, Verratti can drop a shoulder, shimmy and turn away from danger in the blink of an eye. Barcelona had no answer to him.

Precise passing, unerring sense of timing and positioning, tough tackling and a hunger for victory - it was as perfect a performance as you are likely to see from a footballer - and one that tugged on Italian heartstrings everywhere.

Realistically, we don't know if Verratti would leave PSG, nor if he wants to make a return to Italy. But Juventus are known for getting what they want, and if they decide that he is the man to help Pirlo execute his idea of football, then they will do everything in their power to bring him to Turin.