Marquinhos on his gesture towards Gabriel, ‘my greatest victory’

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·4 June 2026

Marquinhos on his gesture towards Gabriel, ‘my greatest victory’

Marquinhos, the 32-year-old central defender for Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil, spoke at a press conference upon joining the national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The Paris captain was asked to reflect on the words he shared with Gabriel, his 28-year-old compatriot and Arsenal defender, at the end of the Champions League final before celebrating with his teammates.

Marquinhos: “I know how heavy that feels.”

“I was ready to celebrate, but as soon as I started running, the image of Gabi came back to me. It was the same image as my missed penalty at the 2022 World Cup. At that moment, I thought of my teammate and felt empathy. Having gone through something similar myself, I know how heavy that feels. It’s part of our career, and over time, you accept it better and that scar becomes a source of motivation. But that kind of moment is very difficult, especially when you were hoping to score that penalty. I don’t know what he felt, but for me, it was hard. I would have loved to receive a hug at that moment. I stopped my celebration to go over to him and take him in my arms.

Marquinhos: “I received a message from him”

The next day, I received a message from him thanking me for that moment, for my support, for my embrace, for the words I said to him. I told him that it was my greatest victory that night, that the impact had been immense, that my mother was proud of what I had done, my wife, my family, my brothers. It was the finest title I won that night. We players have to move on very quickly, there’s no time to dwell on what we’ve already been through. I can’t celebrate it forever, we have other things to do, and so does he.”

It was a great moment in football, far from the spectacle of the game itself, of course. But just as important. It is good to see that fair play has not been forgotten, that the tension of a match does not erase good feelings. Marquinhos knows this situation well and showed his compassion toward his compatriot. The fact that he knows him well may have helped, but it does not take away from the beauty of his gesture. Stopping a celebration after winning the Champions League is especially powerful.

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It may have helped Gabriel, even if the pain does not suddenly go away. It is still a real positive, and the Brazilian did not forget to thank Marquinhos, once again showing why he is such a great captain. He embodies the mentality we like to see in football.

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