Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos has made a smooth transition to being the club’s new team captain. He had hefty responsibilities to fill as he was replacing longtime team captain Thiago Silva to be the one who would now wear the coveted armband. But so far, Marquinhos has not only showed signs of being a leader on the pitch but is also improving his play as a defender and midfielder.
The Brazilian talent is so far enjoying his new leadership role with the club. Marquinhos spoke further to PSG TV about what it means to be PSG’s newest team captain and how Silva played a key role into his move to this position.
“The club gave me this responsibility, and I’m very happy about it,” Marquinhos said. “I know how important it is, and I am proud to wear this armband every day. I worked a lot to become the captain of this team, but I don’t forget that it comes with great responsibilities. I am ready to take them on.”
“We talked a lot with Thiago during Final 8, but also during all these years here, together. I was third captain, with Thiago Silva and Thiago Motta, then I went second. I started to have more responsibility, and more weight in the decisions. We talked a lot, we gave each other advice, we talked a lot. And he did everything to make me feel ready when it came time to take the armband.”
Marquinhos and PSG are now preparing for an upcoming UEFA Champions League group stage fixture against RB Leipzig. While the two sides met just a couple of months ago in last season’s knockout stage, Marquinhos anticipates this meeting being a contrasting game for PSG.
“Everything that happened in the last match against them, you shouldn’t think about it,” Marquinhos said. “It’s a different context, a completely different game. You have to prepare for whoever arrives, use the same ingredients as in the last match, the same intensity, the same energy.
“You have to keep things positive, erase what was wrong and analyze this team well, to see how it has evolved in its game, to be ready.”
A win for PSG can help further improve its odds of finishing group stage play with a ticket to the knockout stage round.
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