Like Neymar Jr., Paulo César is a former Santos FC player who also featured at Paris Saint-Germain. However, the now-retired Brazilian doesn’t feel as though his compatriot is the best player in the French capital.
During a recent Instagram Live broadcast (via Goal), César praised Marquinhos and called him PSG’s best player ahead of Neymar and Kylian Mbappé.
“For me, Marquinhos is a great player. At the moment, he’s the best player in Paris.”
“He needs to cement his position in the national team–that’s how people will get to know him and appreciate him more.”
While I disagree with César and believe Mbappé and Neymar are both better than Marquinhos in terms of talent, there’s no denying his importance to the team.
Marquinhos is capable of playing center-back and defensive midfield at a very high level and that versatility has been vital the past couple of seasons. If PSG are to go on and win the UEFA Champions League this season, it will be because of goals scored by Mbappé and Neymar but also the defensive work rate of Marquinhos at the back.
César played 67 matches for PSG from 2002-2007 (pre-Qatar Sports Investments era) where he scored six goals and recorded five assists.
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