Champions League - PSG: Marquinhos makes a revelation

After Gabriel's missed attempt during the penalty shootout in the Champions League final, Marquinhos immediately went to comfort his Brazilian teammate. The Parisian defender reflected on that moment.

Marquinhos and Gabriel are now reunited with the national team for the 2026 World Cup. The PSG player took advantage of a press conference to revisit the event in the final and explain that the Gunner's miss reminded him of a traumatic moment in his own career.

"I told him to keep his head up, that he had an incredible season, that he was the best defender in the world this year. And that he didn't deserve to carry this weight alone. That nothing from this moment would erase the wonderful season he had, and that we would really need him here (in the United States, editor's note). I was already ready to celebrate, but as soon as I started running, I had this image of Gabi flash back into my mind, the same image I had when I missed my penalty at the 2022 World Cup, and at that moment I turned to my teammate to show empathy. Since I've experienced a tough moment like that myself, I know how heavy it is, it's part of our career; then, as days go by, you start to process it better and that scar becomes a source of motivation. But that moment is very tough, especially when you have the hope of scoring the penalty. I don't know how much it meant to him, but for me, it was hard. Since I would have liked a hug at that moment, I left the celebration for a few minutes to go and embrace him. I can talk about how I felt after missing a penalty at the World Cup: I felt an enormous weight. The next day, I received a message from him thanking me for that moment, for my support, for the hug, for the words I gave him. I told him that was my greatest victory that night, that it was nice to see the impact it had: my mother came, proud of what I had done, my wife, my family, my brothers. That was the most beautiful title I won that night. We players have to move on very quickly, we don't have time to dwell on what we've already experienced. I can't keep partying forever, we've already got other things to focus on here, and so does he.", he said.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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