Arriving at Paris Saint-Germain in 2013, Marquinhos, now 31 years old, spoke on Rothen s’enflamme about the club’s evolution since the arrival of Luis Enrique. The captain discussed the new level of demand set by the Spanish coach, the disrupted preparation after the historic treble, and the physical challenges that followed. A clear and honest testimony taken from his interview with RMC Sport.
Marquinhos: “Age isn’t an important factor for him; it doesn’t matter as long as the player performs.”
“When we talk about the Campus, we definitely felt, with the arrival of Luis Enrique — and that’s why I want your perspective — that the club has changed its strategy. They’ve said it themselves regarding sporting policy, but especially in terms of demands. That doesn’t mean there was none before, because you had very good results, but I feel like we’ve been working even more intensely on this since Luis Enrique arrived and since moving to the Campus.”
“Yes, I think he has had experiences elsewhere, not only as a player but as a coach. He has won, and I think that’s why he knows the way. Even when we weren’t winning, he knew we were capable of getting very close to victory and achieving our objectives. That’s how it works: with demands, with this philosophy of always giving your best — whether you’re young or experienced. Age isn’t an important number for him; it’s not an issue as long as the player performs, is demanding with himself, and gives everything. Every time you have the opportunity to step onto the pitch, you need to give your all. That’s his mindset, whether you’re a 16-year-old kid or a 30-year-old player. What matters is the level of effort. For him, nothing changes. I think everyone at PSG today has adopted this philosophy; this mentality has shifted.”*
Marquinhos: “I think it’s always harder to bounce back after a defeat.”
“Do you feel that the level of demand is even higher with Luis Enrique than with his predecessors?”
“I think every coach has his philosophy, his way of playing, thinking, and analyzing things. Luis Enrique has that little extra something. He’s a very demanding coach.”
“Is he the greatest coach you’ve had here? The best?”
“I can’t tell you who’s the best or the worst.”
“You had a historic season: you won the Champions League, you reached the Club World Cup final. You were unbeatable with an incredible level of performance. How do you digest that? How do you reset, get back to work? Is it part of your role as captain to re-mobilize everyone and ensure the desire to win remains just as strong?”
“It’s part of my role, yes, but I think it’s always harder to bounce back after a defeat or a season where we didn’t achieve everything. This time we won everything. We won big titles.”
Marquinhos: “I think this season is harder because of the preparation we missed.”
“Was it difficult to get back to work, training again?”
“It was tough because the season was long. We didn’t have a normal pre-season. We had to go straight back into it against Tottenham after two or three days of training to fight for another trophy. It was a demanding match. We have young players — 18, 17, 20, 23 years old — and more experienced ones. The squad is young overall. There’s always hunger to win, to train, to come back and play matches. For me, as captain, I have to be sensitive to these situations, to know when to motivate the group.
Luis Enrique showed me that too: I need to understand the dressing room. Sometimes the atmosphere is tense, and I need to calm the players down, cool things down. And when I sense the dressing room is too relaxed or ‘dead’, I need to push, to inject hunger and energy. If things get too quiet, you give a reminder to wake everyone up. That’s part of my job. I think this season is harder because of the preparation we missed.”*
Marquinhos: “It’s difficult to judge, because as competitors we always want to perform.”
“You went all the way in every competition, had very little time off, and immediately had to play an important match in the UEFA Super Cup. How do you feel about that? Because there were many injuries afterwards. Is that linked to the lack of rest and recovery? Do you think this kind of schedule is bad for what comes next?”
“It’s difficult to say, because as competitors we always want to perform, always play, always go as far as possible in every competition. As long as we’re winning and there are trophies to claim, we always want to go. But when you play so many matches, without recovery time, without the proper preparation to start a new season… You see the consequences. We have a coach who is smart about managing this and balancing playing time. But even then, you see, there are still issues.”
Marquinhos’ account perfectly illustrates what many have observed for over a year: Luis Enrique has raised the bar — and made it non-negotiable. What stands out most is the idea that age no longer matters. Whether a player is 16 or 30, the coach focuses solely on daily performance. This seemingly simple principle changes everything inside a dressing room. Young players feel there is a real opening; veterans understand that status alone no longer guarantees anything.
The captain also explains the difficulty of starting again after a perfect season: no proper preparation, only a few days off before a decisive match against Tottenham, then the European Super Cup, then the relentless schedule. Injuries don’t happen by accident in such an overloaded calendar. Marquinhos highlights the constant management of energy, pressure, and motivation. His role becomes almost psychological: calming things down when tensions rise, waking everyone up when the group loses intensity. A delicate balance, now essential in a young, talented PSG squad worn down by accumulated efforts.
