Marquinhos faces the challenge of being captain of a Brazil shaken by the pandemic

Marquinhos celebrates his goal against Venezuela, last Sunday, June 13 in Brasilia.NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP

Defender Marquinhos was the first to score in the 2021 Copa América. At 22 minutes into the opening match against Venezuela, the 27-year-old captain had the category of dominating the ball inside the area and hitting it with his left foot. The goal made the rest of his teammates vibrate. Three years have passed after Marquinhos was left on the bench in

Canarinha's

defeat

against Belgium at the World Cup in Russia. Now, at his peak, he is a mainstay in the rear of Tite's team.

The defender plays his second Copa América as the leader of the Brazilian group, also with the reputation of being one of the best in his position in the whole world and with a mission to win a World Cup. The PSG player has beaten Fernandinho, David Luiz and Thiago Silva to be the strong man heading to Qatar 2020.

Born in the Imirim neighborhood, north of São Paulo, Marquinhos grew up as a youth at Corinthians from eight to 18 years old.

He was champion of the main U-20 tournament in Brazil, the Copinha 2012, and was promoted to the first team that ended up winning the Copa Libertadores that year.

With less than 20 games in the First Division, the defender was signed by Roma.

It took him a year in the Italian capital for the giant of Paris Saint-Germain to pay for him 31.4 million euros (almost five times its initial value).

The same year he arrived in France, in 2013, he made his debut with the Brazilian national team.

He was only 19 years old.

More information

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From the PSG offices they knew that with Marquinhos they had signed one of the most promising defenders in the world, but their success was slow to show. The Brazilian is in the shadow of other prestigious centers such as Thiago Silva, David Luiz and Kimpembe. Marquinhos, however, was marked by the historic defeat suffered by the Parisian team when they lost 6-1 against Barça in the Champions League. The Brazilian had to make a place for himself and even had to play in different positions so as not to lose notoriety. When Thiago Silva left the club in 2020, the PSG footballers chose Marquinhos as their new captain.

From being insulted by his own hobby to appearing on the flags of the Parc des Princes stadium. Marquinhos began to be the main spokesman for the PSG footballers. After the French club eliminated Borussia Dortmund from the Champions League, some footballers taunted rival Erling Haaland with a photograph. The Brazilian was the one who showed his face and apologized. “It doesn't surprise me that he is this leader because it always comes naturally to him. He is a boy who knows how to impose himself and solves these types of situations very well, "says Edesildo Silva, known as Didi, Corinthians' youth coach.

“He is a fun person, but very professional in the field. The first to arrive and the last to leave ”, says the physical trainer. "When we had to demonstrate a training exercise, they always chose it," he says. Leandro Idalino, member of the coaching staff who won the 2012 São Paulo Cup with Marquinhos as captain of Corinthians. “When the training was over, he would go to the wall to train his left leg, since he is right-handed. He was always very focused on where he needed to improve, "he adds.

Marquinhos was captain of Tite's team for the first time in 2017 and was, together with Miranda, the starting defender during the qualifying rounds for Russia 2018. At the World Cup, however, he lost his place to Thiago Silva and only entered the field in the victory against Mexico. , in the round of 16. He was a starter in the Copa América 2019, the same one that the Brazilians won. “It is a natural evolution of an athlete who has always been very dedicated and is now at his best. He is a complete defender ", thinks Idalino. “It is gratifying to follow the growth of someone who has worked with us even from a distance,” added Didi.

Marquinhos has been the leader of a team that was reluctant to participate in the rugged Copa América 2021. The day the players announced that they would play the tournament despite health instability, the PSG defender was the only one who spoke to the press. “At no time did we refuse to represent Brazil. We know our role, ”he said.

Thiago Silva was one of the best defenders in the world in his generation.

Today, at 36 years old, he is still part of Tite's group and has just been European champion with Chelsea.

But there are already three World Cups on his resume, two as captain, in which the defender did not avoid the Brazilian eliminations.

In his generation, he and other defenders were branded villains for defeats: Felipe Melo and his 2010 expulsion against the Netherlands;

David Luiz and Germany's 7-1 in 2014;

and Fernandinho and the own goal in the defeat against Belgium in 2018. Everything indicates that, in the 2022 World Cup, Marquinhos will inherit the responsibility of avoiding another defeat as the great name of the Brazilian defense.

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