Adrian Rabiot’s mother Veronqiue has hit back at the criticism he has faced in Italy: “Adrian doesn’t want to explain or justify himself.” The Juventus midfielder joined the club in 2019 but has failed to make an impact, despite playing regularly under both Andrea Pirlo and Max Allegri.
The 26-year-old has come under criticism from both fans and the Italian media for his lacklustre performances, but his mother and agent Veronique doesn’t feel it’s justfied. Speaking to Ouest France, she defended her son and his perceived negative image in the press:
I have thick skin. I have nothing to prove. We have nothing to prove. I don’t want to talk about myself, and neither does Adrien. He plays football, it’s his passion, but off the field, he would like to lead a discreet life. He doesn’t want to explain or justify himself.
Everyone makes mistakes throughout their lives. We don’t realize that footballers are teenagers when they start out and that they have to grow into men. They’re not robots. In Italy, the press says he’s been poor? He doesn’t worry about that, he plays every game. I would like the general public to know what the path is like for footballers to reach the top level. All we say is that they’re overpaid and so on… But people don’t know that it requires sacrifices from them and a mentality of steel.”
