Paris Saint-Germain captain Marquinhos has revealed that the most meaningful moment from his side’s Champions League triumph came not from lifting the trophy, but from supporting Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes in defeat.
PSG successfully defended their European crown after edging Arsenal 4-3 on penalties in a dramatic final in Budapest.
While celebrations erupted among the French champions, Marquinhos took a different path immediately after the decisive spot-kick.
The Brazilian defender walked straight towards a devastated Gabriel, who had missed Arsenal’s crucial fifth penalty, offering words of encouragement and a heartfelt embrace.
Days later, Marquinhos received a message that left a lasting impact.
“A day later, I received a message from him thanking me for that moment, for the support, for the hug, and for the words I’d shared with him,” Marquinhos said in a news conference.
“I told him it had been my greatest victory that night, and that the reaction it generated was great. My mum came over, proud of what I’d done, along with my wife, family and brothers. It was the best accolade I received that night.
“Players have to move on to the next challenge very quickly. I can’t keep celebrating forever; we’ve got other things to do, and so does he.”
Marquinhos understands better than most the emotional burden of missing a decisive penalty.
The PSG skipper experienced a similar heartbreak during Brazil’s World Cup quarter-final defeat to Croatia in 2022, when his missed penalty contributed to the Selecao’s elimination.
That painful memory immediately came flooding back as he saw Gabriel standing alone after the final whistle.
“I was ready and prepared to celebrate,” Marquinhos said. “But when I started running, I saw him right in front of me and my team going past him, the same image as after my penalty [miss] in 2022.
“That’s when I started thinking about my [Brazil] teammate, having empathy, because I’ve been through a moment like that and I know the responsibility.
“I told [Gabriel] to stay strong, to hold his head high because he’d had an incredible season and an incredible match,” he said.
Marquinhos made it clear that one missed penalty should not overshadow Gabriel’s outstanding campaign for club and country.
The experienced defender used the moment to remind his international teammate of his achievements throughout the season.
“I told him that, in my opinion, he was the best centre-back in the world this season. He simply didn’t deserve to carry that burden because, of course, we all want to score penalties.
“I told him that nothing about that moment would take away from the wonderful season he’d had and that we were going to need him very much. Those were my words to him, so that he could get over that moment as quickly as possible because we were going to need him very soon here.”
With the Champions League campaign now over, attention quickly shifts to international duty.
Marquinhos is expected to captain Brazil at the upcoming World Cup, where he is likely to form a defensive partnership alongside Gabriel.
For the PSG skipper, the episode served as a reminder that football’s greatest moments are not always measured by trophies, but sometimes by the support shown in defeat.
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