Marquinhos, Paris Saint-Germain’s 30-year-old central defender and captain, spoke to PSG TV in an interview broadcast on Wednesday. On the eve of the reception of Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 8, 2024-2025 (kick-off 9pm, UTC+1), he looks back on his roles in Paris off and on the pitch.

Marquinhos “This is the most important thing I want to leave.”

Off the pitch –

Legacy?

What I dream of, what I want to leave, once the time comes to say goodbye to Paris, is the fact that the fans can be proud that someone gave everything for the institution, for the club, for everything I gave for this club, for the city, for the fans.

That’s the most important thing I want to leave: the fact that I have, in one way or another, tried to help the club achieve its goals. Goals that weren’t easy at the time.

But today, we’ve achieved many of them. And the club is only going to grow from here. More and more players are coming. They come and they go, but the club and the fans will always be there. The legacy remains.

Marquinhos “I can’t forget the rest and forget the people around me.”

The link with the fans?

The legacy I want to leave is that of someone who has given everything of himself, who has given practically his whole life to this shirt, to this club. I think that’s what they want too. To see a player they’re proud of, who gives his all, who has simply given his whole life to an institution.

Your role with the youngsters and as captain?

I have this responsibility, I have this commitment, I have this duty. As a leader, as a captain, as someone who’s been with the club for 12 years, I can’t forget the rest and forget the people around me.

Not just the new generation, but all those who work at the club, all those who contribute, who bring something, who fight for the institution, who fight for the club, that’s what I also focus on.

I can’t just navel-gaze and do what I have to do, which is to come here to train, go home and come and play. For me, there’s more to soccer than that. Nor is life, especially when you’re captain.

Marquinhos “I’ll always try to give my best for them.”

When you have a lot of experience, you realize that it’s important to look at others first before looking at yourself. Of course, you mustn’t forget yourself either, give your all, give what you’ve got.

I’m committed to helping the club grow, this team that’s growing from strength to strength. To create a collective DNA, to create the DNA of an increasingly strong institution. I think we certainly need to welcome the new generation more and more, so that they feel at ease. Just as the more experienced players did with me when I arrived here.

And not just the new generation, but all those who work and fight for this club. I’ll always try to give my best for them.

On the pitch –

Marquinhos “I’ve always used my reading of the game to anticipate movements and position myself well.”

The role of defender?

My main responsibility, my biggest objective in a match as a defender, is for my team not to concede a goal. That we achieve a clean sheet, as they say in soccer.

I think that’s my main objective during the match, because I know I’ve got team-mates in attack who are huge assets. So, if we don’t concede any goals, there’s a good chance we’ll score during the match. So the chances of winning the match are very high.

A sense of anticipation?

I think it comes with experience, and my reading of the game, which has always been one of my strengths. Maybe I’m not the tallest, or the most physical of defenders, but I think I’ve always used my reading of the game to anticipate movements and position myself well.

Marquinhos “You can’t arrive on a pitch and remain silent.”

Communication?

I talk a lot! Sometimes at the end of a match, I apologize to my teammates so much I talk to them! (laughs) But I think it’s important because a defender sees the whole game and is there at the same time. He’s close to the game, so he can be verbally active and talk a lot.

It also keeps the team focused and full of energy, and keeps me focused too. I think sound has always been a very important factor, especially because sometimes, in the stadium, with all the noise, you can’t hear much. So we end up passing on information from one person to the next, so that we can pass it on to those further away.

I think that’s what soccer is all about, a team sport. You can’t just turn up on the pitch and stay silent. I think talking, especially to the team-mates next to you and the defender next to you, helps a lot.

That’s how I was brought up when I was young, with the others, with Thiago Silva, with all the other central defenders I played with. We always talked a lot. That helped me a lot. So I try to help others by talking too.

Marquinhos “I’m living my season as if it were my last.”

Motivation?

Experience is already motivation. We think about the day-to-day. Because as you get older, the games come and go, your career goes by and you don’t know when your last moments will be with a big club, in a big season, in a big competition.

I live my season as if it were my last. I live each match as if it were my last. I want to perform well. I want to show that I’m at my best, that I’m getting better and better, that I’m performing better and better, and that people can trust me.

That’s what motivates me… It’s to do everything – my training, my matches, my season – as if it were the last time, to give it my all.