This Wednesday, Paris Saint-Germain hosted Tottenham at the Parc des Princes for Matchday 5 of the Champions League group stage and came away with a 5–3 victory (video highlights available here). Speaking to PSG TV, Marquinhos — PSG captain and 31-year-old defender — reflected on the match, which also marked his 500th appearance for the club.
Marquinhos: “I think the best celebration today is winning.”
“500 matches… that’s a lot of kilometres! It’s been a long road, but it went by so fast. When I arrived here, I was so young — I just wanted to enjoy the moment, to play in a great team alongside players I admired. Today I’ve reached 500 matches, and that’s not nothing. As I said in the dressing room, it’s a real pride to have worn this shirt for so many years and so many games.
It’s very difficult to achieve something like this — you need a lot of motivation, a lot of hunger, and to always be competitive because the competition is there. And for this 500th match, I think the best celebration today is simply to win.”
Marquinhos: “We know how difficult things become when you lose matches.”
“It was a beautiful Champions League match. I would have liked us to keep a clean sheet to make it a perfect night. We didn’t manage that, but I think the victory is still very satisfying. The team showed up, and as we said in the dressing room, we wanted to win to celebrate this 500th match.
Winning is very important because it brings confidence and positive energy into the dressing room — it helps you work well throughout the week and continue improving what needs improvement. We’ve lived through difficult moments; we know how complicated things get when you lose matches and go through those periods where results just don’t come.”
Marquinhos: “It’s important to qualify for what’s next.”
“Today we’re getting results, and it’s very important to keep going like this. I think once again we showed great mental strength. It’s part of the club’s philosophy now — something the coach has brought in — and we don’t change it. When we concede goals, we keep working, keep running, keep pushing to get a result. Key moments of the season are coming, and it’s important to qualify for what comes next.”
A truly special moment for Marquinhos, who celebrated his 500th PSG appearance with another Champions League win at the Parc des Princes. At the club since 2013, he also became the iconic captain who lifted the Champions League trophy last May. Reaching these milestones is always symbolic for a player.
On the sporting side, PSG secured an important victory in the race for qualification. Now sitting second in the group, they are in a strong position to aim for the top eight and secure direct access to the Round of 16. Despite a long list of injuries and significant physical fatigue across the squad, PSG remain Arsenal’s closest challenger. It is an exceptional achievement — one that again fuels hopes for a spectacular spring and maybe, just maybe, another historic run for the club.
