PSG/Nantes – Marquinhos on the win, captaincy and Beraldo | OneFootball

Marquinhos, the 31-year-old Paris Saint-Germain center-back and captain, spoke to Ligue1+ after the 3-0 win over Nantes (PSG/Nantes video highlights) this Wednesday at the Parc des Princes in the postponed match from Matchday 26 of Ligue 1 2025-2026.

Marquinhos: “We’re in the title race and Lens are not letting up.”

Did you need to set the record straight after Sunday’s match?

Yes, that’s right. We couldn’t afford to lose those recent home games, and that’s what we told ourselves before the match: we’re in the title race and Lens are not letting up. We mustn’t drop points, especially at home, because away from home it’s even harder to get them. We played a good match today right from the start.

When things go wrong, do they call in firefighter Marquinhos?

I’m always here when the coach calls on me. The manager has all the data to put the players in the best possible conditions. Today it was a game for me, and regardless of Sunday’s mishap, it was more about the data and what the coach wanted.

Marquinhos: “It’s up to us to recover well and as quickly as possible.”

How do you manage to be so strong in the Champions League when you’re not playing in the league?

It’s through training, and also after matches, and we try to stay as competitive as possible. When there’s a match in between, and when you’re playing one game after another, it’s much easier. When there aren’t matches in between, it’s mainly in training that you have to make up for it.

It feels good to find the right balance between training and rest. We have a lot of matches at the end of the season, and it’s up to us to recover well and as quickly as possible. Those who don’t play have to go again the next day and be ready to be in the best shape possible.

Marquinhos: “Everything for the good of PSG.”

Is it also your role to talk to the younger players, especially with Mayulu, and tell him to do like Achraf? That’s not easy (laughs).

I didn’t tell him to do like Achraf, there’s work to do. Senny is taking on more and more importance in the squad. He’s a player who helps us on the wings, in midfield, and sometimes in attack. He has a very good mindset and he’s part of this PSG side that has won and still has a lot ahead of it. I’ve been here a long time, and with age I try to pass on my experience to him.

I come from another generation where we used to shout at each other on the pitch, go at each other on the pitch. When I make mistakes myself, I give them the opportunity to speak to me, there’s no problem, I’m from that generation. Everything for the good of PSG.

Marquinhos: “I think for a coach, a player like that is incredibly valuable.”

Beraldo in midfield—what’s your view of his performances?

He’s perfect, like I was when I played in midfield under Tuchel. He adapted, and the coach saw something in him, and I spoke a lot with him when he changed to that position. He has to keep an open mindset so he can learn what I was able to learn at the time.

I think it did me a lot of good and I learned a lot, and for him it also opens doors with the national team. The World Cup is there, he’s stringing matches together, and it’s very important to have a player like that who can play in midfield, in defense, and at full-back.

I think for a coach, a player like that is incredibly valuable. Everything he does, he does well. He was very effective and gave security to the defense because he plays as a holding midfielder. He knows very well how to cover in front of the defense, and that helps a lot. He’s a player we were missing in this squad. He fulfills that role very well.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.