PSG: "Since I was little, I like being someone important", says Marquinhos

Her soft voice and her smile carry a little more.

At 26, Marquinhos took over from Thiago Silva, the one he describes as “brother” and even “father”.

“Logically”, to use Thomas Tuchel's term.

He intends to play a major role in a team coming out of a Champions League final but must face new challenges.

For 35 minutes, the Brazilian tackled without dodging all the subjects of a very lively start to the season at PSG.

THE CAPITANATE

What kind of captain do you want to be?

MARQUINHOS.

I want to give as much energy as possible to my teammates.

Be present, help, always think of the team before myself or a player in particular.

Being a captain is a lot of responsibility.

I saw how Thiago [Silva] played this role, and not just on the pitch.

He was doing a lot of things inside the group that people couldn't see.

It is a great pleasure.

Since I was little, I have enjoyed working for the team, being someone important, helping my teammates.

Today nothing has changed, although I am more experienced.

I always try to think of my teammates first and do the best for them.

Did you speak with Thiago Silva about this role?

Many.

He gave me all the advice possible and we still communicate as much as possible.

He is someone who has given me a lot in my professional and personal life.

It was first an idol.

Today, he is an idol and a great friend.

A big brother and I can even say a father.

The last two seasons we've traded a lot, I was trying to help him with decisions in the locker room.

A captain cannot manage everything alone, he does not see everything.

Leaders must accompany him.

It's a team game, and everyone has responsibilities and duties towards the team to make it work well.

Neymar and Mbappé have global stature.

Were you worried that they would take the armband for you?

In a workforce, there are a lot of leaders.

They are part of it, each in their field, in their way of helping.

We are here to work together.

Just because I wear the armband doesn't mean I'm more important than someone else.

Should the captain bring calm to the team to keep them from losing their nerves?

As well.

The captain must have a good vision of things, think of the future to prevent it.

Sometimes you have to push the team, sometimes you have to calm them down.

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Would things have turned out differently if you had been present for the Clasico (0-1)?

When we reviewed the images, discussed the mistakes, what we had done well or not, everyone would have liked to do differently… I cannot say how I would have acted if I had been in the field.

Regarding the result, we entered a game that was not ours.

It was not our strength and we lost the sense of what we had to do.

This is where the Marseillais took advantage.

THE ALVARO - NEYMAR CASE

Did you speak with Neymar about the racist remarks of which he would have been the victim?

We discussed a lot.

It was a delicate subject to discuss, but we talked a lot among us, especially to find out what really happened.

There are things that happen in the field with stress and pressure, but you don't want to come to that kind of insult.

Anyone can make mistakes in life, but when they do, you have to pay.

We have to see if the images provide evidence.

If so, the player [Alvaro] will have to pay and learn from his mistakes.

According to internal sources, OM claims to have images where Neymar would make racist remarks towards Sakai.

Does this seem possible to you?

We haven't talked about that.

I know Neymar, he's someone who has never used racist insults.

It's hard to say, because I wasn't in the field or nearby and I didn't see the footage.

But for someone who knows Neymar well, he's never played with lyrics like these, and I think he didn't.

Key player of Thomas Tuchel, Marquinhos is now developing a taste for playing in the midfield./LP/ Guillaume Georges  

Your compatriot Dani Alves said after his departure that the Parisians were "fucking racists".

Raphinha, the Rennes player, says he heard monkey cries in some stadiums.

Do you find France or the French racist?

I've been in France for seven years and I've never had a problem with that.

Racism is everywhere in the world, not just in France.

We also see it in Brazil, Italy, Germany.

It's something we have to fight.

The world, people, humanity have changed a lot.

There is no more room for racism in the world.

Football is legendary, it brings a lot of emotions, some good ones, some bad ones, hard to find elsewhere.

That's why it's magic.

We have to face things when they happen to improve respect and education.

HIS POSITION, HIS FUTURE

After defense and midfield, do you prefer to play in goal or attack?

(

) I miss the left-back position too!

Before, I had a little preference for defense, it's true.

I like to play in the middle more and more.

It's a totally different position, where you hit more balls, you participate more in the game. A season is long, there are suspended, injured ... Sometimes you have to play in the middle, sometimes in defense.

It doesn't bother me, it's something I like.

It shows me that the coach has great confidence in me.

Defense is crucial and the sentry position is one of the most important in the team, because everything goes there: to defend, to create the game.

Are you stronger in the middle or in defense?

Frankly I do not know.

I had a few good games in defense and a few good games in the middle.

Before, I had the fixed idea that I was a central defender.

Playing in the midfield, I changed my game a lot. You have to anticipate things a lot before the ball arrives.

It goes so fast, you have such intense and strong pressing that, if you don't plan, you're always late.

When I am in the midfield, I also think about my references as a defender, to fill in the spaces, to cover the side, the defense.

I know how important the player in front of defense is when I'm playing behind him, so I take the good things from every position.

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How do you manage the transition between the two positions, from one game to another?

At first, I was a little confused when I changed a lot of jobs.

I got lost a bit.

Over time, with experience, and also with the mistakes you make, you start to be more demanding of yourself.

Today, I am concentrating on the benchmarks to be found immediately in the match, I put myself in mind before what to do.

Lately, I've been cruising between the two positions a lot.

I really don't have a problem with that anymore.

While you are captain and under contract until 2024, do you plan to end your career at PSG?

Yes, yes, why not.

I hope I have a lot of years left until then!

If things keep going in the right direction and both parties are happy, that is most important.

We also know what happens at the end of a career.

But I hope to stay here as long as possible.

THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

What do you have left, a month after the lost 1-0 final against Bayern Munich?

It's hard to get to the final, so close to a title and not win it.

But considering where we came from in recent years, what we did this season was a real plus for us.

It's more of a pride than a scar.

I really liked the way the team was competitive and lived as a group, going in the same direction.

A lot of things happened, we stayed together, in a good atmosphere.

We have to keep that for this year, because we know how difficult it is to get to where we are.

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Do you feel like you missed out on the final a bit?

We did not miss this match.

Bayern came with great force, scoring a lot of goals against great opponents.

We always want to do more, but this final was a good game.

Bayern are used to playing this competition, getting to the final and winning it.

It was our first final.

With our philosophy, our way of playing, we tried to do the maximum.

We defended well, we had chances.

Afterwards, their goal cut us off a bit.

We knew that this first goal would be really very important.

There is great pride in the distance traveled.

Are you aiming for the final again this year?

The goal and the ambition are really to go as high as possible.

It's the most important competition, everyone likes to be in the final, it brings a lot of pride.

Afterwards, it's different to want and get there.

You have to have this goal and work to achieve it.

THE MERCATO

Is PSG likely to be weaker after the departures of Thiago Silva, Cavani, Meunier, Choupo-Moting, Kouassi?

Now is the time to work with what you have.

We must not think too much, ask ourselves if we are more or less strong.

If we look at our group, we really have a very good team, very important players who have done very good things in football too.

The club is still working on recruiting and we'll see what will happen.

Like Thomas Tuchel, Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappé, do you think Paris needs to recruit?

I first want to say that my teammates are the best in the world (

)!

I believe a lot in this team!

But if players can come and help us, it can only do us good.

It's good for the competition, for the season, for our goals… We have a very good base and, if the club thinks of expanding it, it is with pleasure.

A season is a long time, there is a lot going on.

To go far in the various competitions, we need a good squad and a maximum of competitive players anyway.

Marquinhos hopes that his compatriot Neymar, linked to PSG until 2022, will extend his contract./LP/Arnaud Journois  

Neymar and Mbappé have still not extended their contract.

Are you pushing to convince them to stay?

When I have the opportunity to chat with them, I try to give them the best advice I can.

In this case, I play it selfish, I will always ask them to stay (

).

Me, I extended so I want my teammates to stay too.

But I can't go into this debate too much, everyone has their own goals and their own lives.

But, if I'm asked for my opinion, of course I want both Neymar and Kylian to stay.

Are you afraid of losing them?

When important players leave, as was the case with Edi, with Thiago, we always take a hit.

But that's life, the meaning of football too.

From the time I signed in Paris, only Verratti, Presko (Kimpembe) and me remain… Football is like that, made of permanent changes.

We work in the present, without thinking about all that.

Today, when they put on the jersey, I am convinced that they are giving everything on the pitch for PSG.

But I hope they will always stay with us because they are two great world class players.

COVID

How did you go through the period when you and your family contracted the Covid?

We went on vacation with my wife, my children, my parents, my brother to take advantage of a few days of rest, after the efforts made in the Champions League.

Catching this virus can happen in Paris as in Ibiza.

It is a global phenomenon that we must really pay attention to because it can cause problems.

Like some players, I felt a little bad.

I felt like I had a bad flu, I had a headache, had a fever, lost my sense of smell and taste.

My whole family had the same symptoms.

It's been a bit of a week, but luckily nothing bad has happened.

Do you understand, however, that these holidays in Ibiza have been criticized?

Compared to the way we contracted the Covid, it is normal that there were some criticisms.

But if we had not had this disease, this vacation would not have triggered so many comments.

Unfortunately, it happened, we have to accept it.

But we didn't do anything wrong.

It was our vacation, we deserved those days off.

We left as a family to rest, to regain energy before the long season ahead.

Critics are part of the game, we know.

In football there is a lot of love, passion and losing players for several games can cause bad reactions.

I try to put myself in people's shoes and understand them.

I hope they do the same with us, that they understand that a long season is looming, that we just took a week of vacation and that unfortunately it happened then.

View this post on Instagram

Yeeeeees guys, 3 important points 💪🏾🔥🔴🔵 #AllezPSG

A post shared by Marcos Aoás Corrêa (@ marquinhosm5) on Sep 20, 2020 at 1:38 pm PDT

Exactly, do infernal cadences make you fear form or injury?

This season will require us to be very careful, to manage the recovery and the intensity of training as well as games.

With the accumulation of dates, it will be a lot.

We necessarily multiply the risks.

As professionals, we must think about our bodies and be attentive to recovery.

Despite the overloaded schedule, the Covid and the two games lost at the start of the year, can you imagine that Paris is not champion this season?

We must continue the series of recent years.

If we start to drop points right to left, the gaps will widen and the opponents will gain confidence.

So, it doesn't matter if we play badly, if we are not in the best possible mood, we must always win.

We will have plenty of time to think about what to improve after the victories.

The points are what is most important, especially at the start of the season when we know that we are behind the others in the preparation and in the dynamics.

Would you like to compete in the Copa America and the Olympics like in 2016?

I did that once and it's going to be hard to get it accepted a second time at the club (

).

We, the players, want to do all the competitions.

The Olympics are a great event, not just for football, but for all sport in general.

As for the Copa America, it is an important competition for the Brazilian selection… We will see when the time comes!