Thilo Kehrer and Marquinhos reunited as Monaco host European champions in Champions League play-offs | OneFootball

Former PSG rivals but still in touch, Thilo Kehrer and Marquinhos meet again on Tuesday at 21:00 as Monaco host the European champions in the Champions League play-offs first leg.

According to L'Équipe, when they cross paths inside Stade Louis-II they are likely to share a smile and an embrace, even if little needs saying. The Brazilian, 31, is one of the few PSG players with whom the Monaco defender, 29, has stayed in contact since his 2022 departure amid sweeping squad changes.

They are not close friends, but they still exchange messages. Last year the German requested a signed shirt from his senior for his foundation’s gala auction, and Marquinhos obliged immediately, unlike some former team-mates.

On joining Paris in summer 2018 from Schalke 04 aged 21, Kehrer kept a low profile among Neymar, Daniel Alves, Kylian Mbappé and Edinson Cavani. Thiago Silva maintained some distance, but he clicked with Marquinhos, two years older, who offered help and settling-in tips.

On paper they competed for the same centre-back spot. In practice their versatility and coaching choices often moved them elsewhere, right-back for the German, midfield for the Brazilian. They shared 88 matches, making Marquinhos his third most frequent team-mate, with Mbappé first on 110.

They were not in each other's closest circles, Marquinhos with compatriots and families, Kehrer close to Idrissa Gueye and Abdou Diallo. Both were seen as easy to like. Living near each other in western Paris, they sometimes drove home from Camp des Loges.

As vice-captain then captain after Silva left in 2020, Marquinhos backed his junior during rough spells, notably after the 2019 last-16 second leg against Manchester United, a 3-1 defeat after a 2-0 first leg, when Kehrer erred for the first goal conceded in the second minute.

Kehrer admired Marquinhos’s all-round game and heading at both ends, and learned from his positioning and anticipation. Their paths diverged in Paris, Kehrer prominent for two years, including the 2020 Final 8, then slipping down the order after Thomas Tuchel, who drove his arrival, departed. He left after 128 appearances, while for Marquinhos the story continues.

Source: L'Équipe