With less than four hours to go before the start of the UEFA Champions League final, Marquinhos was fully focused on Paris Saint-Germain’s bid to retain their title in Budapest.
But it is highly likely that the Brazilian centre-back took a moment in the build-up to process some news from thousands of miles away. That news came from Teresopolis, a mountain town in the state of Rio de Janeiro where the Brazilian national team is currently gathered. There, Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that Marquinhos will serve as captain at the .
What followed has already made headlines across the world, with Marquinhos lifting the Champions League trophy for the second consecutive year with his PSG team-mates, underscoring his commanding leadership at the Parisian club.
However, Marquinhos did not forget his responsibilities to his national team amid the celebrations, and took the time to console fellow Brazilian Gabriel Magalhaes, who, just seconds before, missed Arsenal’s fifth and final penalty, sealing the win for the French side.
Gabriel and Marquinhos are likely to be paired together in Brazil’s central defence at the World Cup, making Marquinhos’ gesture a striking reminder of why he has been chosen to wear the captain’s armband.
As he left the pitch, his attention turned back to celebrating with PSG, a club that had never won Europe’s premier club competition before 2025, and now stand as back-to-back champions and on the verge of creating a dynasty.
“It’s a different feeling," the defender said after the match. "We went from zero Champions League titles to two! It’s unbelievable! Two in a row! We showed how much we wanted this. Right at the start of the season, our coach [Luis Enrique] told us that winning is difficult, but winning twice is even harder.”
Marquinhos also highlighted the strengths of his World Cup-bound team-mates who are continuing to develop and make names for themselves. One such example is centre-back Lucas Beraldo.
In the second half of this season, Beraldo received more time on the pitch as a holding midfielder, and in the final he was tasked with replacing Vitinha in extra time. That responsibility did not seem to faze him, and in the penalty shootout, he successfully converted the French champions’ final spot-kick.
“We had to push ourselves beyond our limits. That was the objective, that was the mentality and it showed through today. Tonight, we worked together as a team,” Marquinhos continued. "The players who came on showed exactly what we stand for as a club. Goncalo [Ramos], Lucas Beraldo – the players who came off the bench did their job and had the courage to take penalties.”
As captain of PSG and now of the Brazil national team, Marquinhos is cementing his status as a leadership figure within the game at the age of 32. For his club, he is already a figure of unprecedented success. For his country, he now faces the task of guiding a revamped team towards the dream of a sixth World Cup title.
Sources: FIFA Official
