Defender Lucas Beraldo was one of the standout players in Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-1 second-leg win over Real Sociedad last Tuesday. The Brazilian is rising to the occasion for the capital club without Marquinhos.
Beraldo arrived in the winter transfer window from São Paulo FC last January for €20 million. The adaptation is also going very well for the 20-year-old, who recently confided in his father about the process of going from Brazilian to European football.
“All that’s happening today feels like a dream,” Beraldo’s father told L’Equipe (h/t Le10Sport). “Everything happened so quickly. (…) He handles everything calmly: the cold, the distance, and the Champions League. Even facing Mbappé in training doesn’t worry him that much. He tells me, ‘It’s good, dad, I’ll improve by training with him.'”
Beraldo had three clearances, three interceptions, and two tackles. Furthermore, he won nine of 14 total duels during his 90 minutes on the pitch against Real Sociedad. In the passing game, the former São Paulo FC had one key pass while completing 47 of 56 passes for an 84 percent success rate on 71 touches.
With his performance on Tuesday, Beraldo might have secured the starting job going forward in these crucial matches. As a result, rumors of PSG being open to letting Marquinhos leave have surfaced.