Footballers are not robots and Adrien Rabiot has nothing to prove, asserts Veronique

Adrien Rabiot was bought in as the catalyst for Juventus' future in midfield as lofty ambitions were placed on his shoulders ever since he arrived in Turin. The French midfielder signed for the Italian club on a free transfer in 2019 after leaving Paris Saint-Germain on unceremonious terms. But the 26-year-old has failed to live up to expectations, struggling for form and goals with just 12 goal contributions in 120 games across all competitions.

The midfielder has, however, helped the Bianconeri to  Serie A, Coppa Italia, and Supercoppa Italiana honours but it has still seen him hit with criticism. Yet, the 26-year-old has made 30 appearances for the Italian giants this season as they continue to navigate through a tumultuous season. But the media has hit out at Rabiot over his behaviour off the pitch, which has led him to have conflicts with several of his managers throughout the years. His agent, and mother, Veronique has proclaimed that such criticism is not warranted.

“I don’t know where the negative image that the media has of us comes from, they destroy us all the time. Adrien has nothing to prove, he plays football and it is his passion on and off the pitch. The goal of players is to reach the maximum levels, but not everyone knows how many sacrifices it takes and what a strong mentality one must have to face this life,” she told Ouest-France. 

“Everyone thinks they are paid too much, but they know nothing They’ve never forgiven anything to my son. He’s always been criticised since he was 17.. Footballers are not robots. We have an excellent relationship, in private and professional life. I don’t understand why media are always targeting us, maybe because we don’t speak much with them,” she added.