The former left side of PSG, currently based in Belo Horizonte, maintains close contact with the club in the capital where he played from 2012 to 2017. At 38, he says he is ready to return to work there if the Parisian leaders do appeal to him.
Do you remember your transfer to PSG?
MAXWELL. The first time Leonardo called me was in December 2011. At that time, I was in Japan with Barça for the Club World Cup. He presents me with the PSG project and tells me that he wants me to be part of it. This is the very first contact and I admit that it piqued my curiosity. Then we chatted again and I thought it was the perfect time to join Paris Saint-Germain.
What attracted you to Leonardo's speech?
All the clubs where I had signed until then, they were established clubs (Editor's note: Ajax Amsterdam, Inter Milan, FC Barcelona) which had already won a lot of titles. There, Leonardo proposed to me to be at the origin of a new project within a club which wanted to go very high. I felt honored.
Did you know PSG well at that time?
Honestly, not at all. Of course, in Brazil, we knew the name of PSG because many Brazilian players like Leonardo, Raï, Valdo have evolved in this club and built its history. But the history of the club I did not know. For me it was a discovery.
When you arrive in January 2012, what are your first memories?
PSG Express
The essential newsletter for Parisian supportersI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to enable you to receive our news and commercial offers. Learn more
Everything went very quickly. I arrived on Wednesday January 12, Thursday I had the medical examination with Doctor Rolland, in the evening I signed my contract, on Friday I participated in my first training, and on Saturday I played 90 minutes against Toulouse at the Parc des Princes. Then I was able to take a break on Sunday and start my real adaptation the following week.
Did you know PSG players when you arrived?
I had played with Nene in the youth team in Brazil and I knew players like Pastore by name from Italy. On the other hand I must admit that I did not know the French players.
Was someone important to your adaptation?
All the people in the club have helped me feel good and settle into my new life. Doctor Rolland was super important. But if I have to retain a person outside the club, it is Olivier Dacourt. I had played with him at Inter Milan where we had created friendships. He came to visit me at the hotel where I was staying and gave me contacts in Paris. With his wife, they helped me a lot.
Why did you decide to live in Paris and not near the Camp des Loges?
Normally, in other clubs, I wanted to live in rather quiet places. But there I wanted to live in Paris to feel the city, to know it in its daily life, to take advantage of it.
Have you never been disappointed with Paris? You never found it too noisy, too congested?
On the contrary, I have felt more and more attached to Paris over the years. It is the city from which I have benefited the most in my career and where I have adapted perfectly. It is still the city that my children love today.
Do you have a secret garden in Paris?
Saint Germain des Pres. It's a neighborhood where I used to go for a walk alone, especially on days off when my family was on vacation in Brazil. In general, I put the headphones and the music in my ears, I would walk around aimlessly to discover small restaurants or brasseries. It allowed me to relieve the stress associated with being a footballer.
How important was the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the summer of 2013 to you?
This is the best friend I made in football. So having someone I trusted and appreciated by my side was a lot to me. I've always had a huge relationship with all the players, but our friendship was different. Our families know each other and he is someone I continue to see as a brother. Anyone could see it. And for the club, it was super important. It has transformed the image of the club and made it shine around the world.
Do you think the club got more professional after his arrival?
No more professional. Leonardo and Carlo Ancelotti had already greatly improved the infrastructures, habits etc. But Ibra with his desire to win at all costs has changed the way we work on a daily basis. He changed the mentality of the group by his example.
In 2013-2014, you score on the outward and return legs during the clasico, PSG-OM. Do you remember your goal at the Vélodrome?
I was surprised by the rivalry between the two clubs and tried to explain it to Zlatan when he arrived. This match where I scored in Marseille, it was a difficult match because we were playing at 10 after losing Thiago Motta. I remember a cross from Van der Wiel, and as I was already in the box, I tried to hit the ball with my head. However, this is not my strong point, I have only scored two headed goals in my career, including this one. I remember that we celebrated this victory a lot at the end of the match in the locker room. Winning a clasico, you're already happy, but at 10 it was magnificent.
And your goal at the Parc des Princes?
In the second leg, I'm still in the box and Ibra gives me a great ball. I had already tried in training not to hit hard on the diagonal, but to shoot at the near post to surprise the keeper. That's what I did, I checked, I looked up and surprised Mandanda. Again, it was an important goal because we open the scoring and that allows us to control the match afterwards.
What is the best goal you have scored for Paris?
I think the best thing is against Rennes in Ligue 1 (4-0, November 6, 2016) because the technical gesture is very clean (Editor's note: small bridge on Joris Gnagnon) and behind I strike with the right foot. After against Lens, at the Stade de France in the league (3-1, October 17, 2014), I was far away, the ground was not very good, but here I would say it was the most difficult.
What is the best PSG team you've played in during these five and a half seasons?
In 2015-2016, I really felt that the group was good. We lose a lot of decisive players in the two games against Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. We don't play well, it's true, but it is perhaps the most balanced, the strongest group in which I have played in Paris. This is the season when we had the most possibilities.
Which player made you laugh the most?
Ibra, unlike her image, made me laugh a lot. But to set the mood, it's Lavezzi the champion. He is a pleasant player to live with on a daily basis, he has a smile and creates links between the different generations. After that I have no particular memories of a joke. But we were often overwhelmed with laughter thanks to him.
Who is the attacker who has created the most problems for you?
It's Messi of course. When there was a stoppage of play, we would joke on the pitch and I would ask him to change sides. With him, you are obliged to maintain a permanent attention to try not to give him spaces and that he cannot create situations.
And your worst memory in Paris?
My last season 2016-2017. We lose the title of champion of France at the expense of Monaco. It was a very difficult season in terms of atmosphere. We had lost Ibra and other important players in the locker room, and we were trying to adapt to their departure. This memory is not very good. The most difficult season I have experienced.
Did you enjoy your role as sports coordinator in 2017 after your playing career?
It was a very difficult role. Because I came out of a locker room where I had partners, friends and there I knew the club's strategy vis-à-vis each individual case. Lucas it was difficult to live, but not only, Pastore too, Blaise (Matuidi) also. These are boys to whom I was very attached. It was hard, but it was a way to learn, to adapt to my new role.
Did that dissuade you from continuing in this role?
No, I want to continue working in football administration, and live on different projects. I left to be with my children in Brazil, but the goal is to continue in the world of football.
At PSG is it possible?
I hope to come back to Paris because I am very attached to PSG. Today, I represent him as Ambassador to Brazil, but one day I hope to work there again. My hope and my desire are always to return. After that depends on the club, if I am useful or not.
Do you miss PSG then?
Yes I miss everyday life a lot. We had worked a lot to set up the group that is there today. I am still attached to many players, I also get on well with the staff, the project is ambitious, and I miss not working on a daily basis to take the club higher.
How important were you in Neymar's coming to PSG in July 2017?
First the important thing was that Neymar wanted to come to PSG. It was he who paved the way for a transfer. Afterwards many people worked, and I tried to participate where I was needed. I used my closeness to Neymar to explain the club's sporting project to him and what role he would play in it.
Neymar is still there, like Mbappé, whom you also recruited. Is it a pride?
The pride is to see the club with fantastic players and to consider the possibilities of winning that are offered to PSG with elements like Neymar or Mbappé. It's not personal, but hey, to have done the job and that it ends well, it is a pride yes.
Do you keep in touch with people at the club?
I talk to the people at the club quite a bit, not every day, but I keep up to date. I also have friends among the players. I call them to find out if all is well, if their families are okay. Especially in these times when the virus has changed the daily life of us all.
Do you regularly hear from Neymar?
Regularly no, but from time to time. I take personal news and his family, because I got along well with his entourage. Right now, I can tell he's happy.
We often see him posting photos among his partners. What does this inspire you?
Like everyone else, I see the atmosphere that this group has built. It's nice to see those smiles, these victories and the celebrations that go with them. It is important for the future.
That is to say ? For you, PSG is a candidate for final victory in the Champions League?
For me, PSG has, as in recent years, the ability to win this Champions League. There have been recent failures, but I believe this year the team is more balanced and above all in a very positive moment and atmosphere.
However, this team had difficulties to beat Saint-Etienne and Lyon ...
After the Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue titles, there is optimism and physically they will be better. So I really think they can win. After that there has to be ambition but that it be an obsession. In any case, I will support them from Brazil.
Do you think this tournament format is a chance or a handicap for PSG?
Already it's going to be weird to see the music of the Champions League ringing out in empty stadiums. It's just as strange to think that the teams will not have the support of their public. But hey, it's the best solution UEFA has found and that's understandable. That being said, the matches will generate a lot of intensity and there will be a maximum of adrenaline. I sincerely believe that this formula opens up possibilities for success for the eight teams present. It's very interesting for PSG.