Marquinhos, 31-year-old defender and captain of Paris Saint-Germain, spoke to DAZN after the 4-0 victory over Atlético Madrid on Sunday at the Rose Bowl Stadium as part of Day 1 of the 2025 World Cup. He spoke of a fine victory, as well as the need to keep up the pressure to keep moving forward.
Marquinhos: “Continue in the same vein”.
Did you expect a 4-0 start to the season?
You never know what’s going to happen, especially against an opponent you know and who defends very well. They’re a very tough opponent to play against, and we struggled against them in the Champions League.
Our team showed its strength again today, and even though we were Champions League champions, we’ve got the motivation today and the right intensity. It’s enormous, and we must congratulate our team. We’ve got to stay humble, keep running and defending and attacking, and continue in the same vein.
Marquinhos “They won very young, and now what do we do?”
I’m glad I saw you reframe a player when you fouled him to cut off the action. That’s the role of a captain.
Yes, Claude (Makelele) was there when I arrived, he saw me when I was a kid. He was part of the staff and he helped me a lot. I didn’t play much, I did separate training sessions, but he helped me, and that’s why he says nice things, because today I’m going to start with the most experienced players and I’m trying to help and motivate the kids.
They won when they were very young, and now what do we do? You’ve got to keep working and have goals and motivation. I simply spoke to Desire and told him to always take what I tell him positively. I want to help for the good of the team.