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Paris Saint-Germain captain Marquinhos continued to provide clutch goals over the weekend as he scored the second in a 2-1 win over RC Lens in a feisty Ligue 1 clash that keeps Mauricio Pochettino’s men in the title race.
The Brazil international was similarly on target in last Wednesday’s 2-1 UEFA Champions League semifinal first leg defeat to Manchester City at Parc des Princes a goal which he followed up with an attempt to inspire his teammates to a result that will overcome those two cheaply conceded away goals on Tuesday at Etihad Stadium (as always the game is available over on Paramount+).
“We need character,” Marquinhos said after the final whistle in Paris. “Anybody who does not believe should not bother coming. A warrior mentality is needed to reach the next round. We are close and must not doubt ourselves. We have what it takes to turn this around. We just need to believe.”
The 26-year-old took over as skipper full-time when Thiago Silva left PSG at the end of last season and he has experienced a lot with the French giants during his time with the club, ranging from the high of reach last year’s final to the low of the Remontada in Barcelona.
However, having packed 300 competitive appearances into what is still quite a young career is starting to pay off for Les Parisiens as Marquinhos is now approaching his prime with the sort of experience that many veterans would envy.
On top of his impressive marshalling of the PSG defense, the former AS Roma and Corinthians man has a habit of chipping in with crucial goals in Sergio Ramos-esque fashion. In fact, since Marquinhos debuted in the Champions League with PSG in 2013-14 he has scored nine goals in Europe’s biggest competition as compared including a current three-match scoring streak with a clinical finish in Munich joining his recent headed pair either side of a brief stint on the sideline through injury. Ramos has ten for Real Madrid in that time but once you take into account that two of Ramos’s goals were penalties, a duty Marquinhos doesn’t have the benefit of taking, the Brazilian’s goal scoring is actually more impressive than the man who has the reputation as the world’s most lethal goal scoring center back.
But it’s not just the volume of contributions that Marquinhos makes on the attacking end, it’s also that he rises to the occasion. Take into account his assist in the 4-2 victory over Olympique Lyonnais and another goal in the 3-1 win away at United on his last visit to Manchester and it starts to paint a picture of a player with a taste for the biggest games.
Indeed, last year’s quarterfinal against Atalanta BC and semifinal with RB Leipzig also featured goals from the South American as PSG finally broke their Champions League curse to make it all the way to the final for the first time in their history.
History suggests that Marquinhos will be key again on Tuesday, but his passion alone will not be enough for Mauricio Pochettino’s men as compatriot Neymar will also need to step up to the plate with fellow superstar Kylian Mbappe looking increasingly unlikely to be able to feature heavily with a calf problem.
The Ligue 1 champions’ star center back is now the Brazilian who has appeared the most times in the capital outfit’s history which is no easy feat at a club that has been home to the likes of Ronaldinho, Rai, Silva and Neymar over the years.
However, he will need the likes of Neymar and Angel Di Maria to combine well in attack and for Marco Verratti to dominate the midfield like never before if PSG are to unnerve Guardiola’s dominant City on their home turf.
Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez’s goals last week were gifts as far as Marquinhos and PSG are concerned, and they cannot afford to be as generous this time around if they want to make it to the final for the second consecutive edition.
There was plenty of debate over the normally faultless Keylor Navas’ role and the absence of Abdou Diallo from the starting XI also destabilized the Parisien backline which should be stronger heading into this one.
Whatever the defensive combination, Marquinhos will be key at the back alongside Presnel Kimpembe and the man from Sao Paulo will not stop roaring his teammates on from the first minute until the very last.
If Pochettino’s troops do find a way to deprive Guardiola’s hosts of the final berth that they crave, then Marquinhos will once again likely play a starring role in that effort as PSG find themselves once more in need of a strong showing on the road.