Speaking to RMC Sport, Marquinhos (31) discussed at length the situation at Paris Saint-Germain, between injuries, young players breaking through, and the arrival of major signings like Illya Zabarnyi (23) and Lucas Chevalier (24). The captain acknowledges the difficulties at the start of the season but reminds everyone of football’s logic and the club’s permanent level of demand.
Marquinhos: “Football is like that, it’s very hard to have a linear season.”
“Do you feel frustrated that since the start of the season, unfortunately, you still haven’t had the full squad available? You’re always adjusting: squad management, playing time management… As captain, are you frustrated to tell yourself the team isn’t at 100%? Do you feel the team is weaker right now than last year?”
The history of football is like that. That’s how you see talents emerging, you see young players taking opportunities. Football is like that, it’s very difficult to have a linear season. The coach trusts everyone. On Wednesday, we saw young Quentin (Ndjantou), just a kid. He started a match like that (against Tottenham). The coach trusts everyone, he’s not afraid to. These young players seize opportunities and use these moments to show themselves.
Marquinhos: “I don’t think it’s that simple to arrive in a team that has already won everything.”
It’s true we’ve seen a lot of young players, more than expected because many key players are injured. There were many criticisms of the transfer window, some said PSG didn’t sign enough. But it was a way to trust the young players. Regarding recruitment, two very important players did arrive: Illya Zabarnyi and Lucas Chevalier. How do you judge their adaptation?
I don’t think it’s easy to arrive in a team that has already won everything. But they’ve adapted very well. As a team, we try to put them in the best possible conditions so they can also perform. Little by little, they will understand what Paris is, what it represents to be a PSG player, the weight of it. Since they were signed by PSG, it means they surely have huge abilities and qualities, and we trust them. Even I, after all these years here, have had difficulties in certain matches or certain moments. It’s normal for players to go through difficult times, but they have the ability to bounce back.
Marquinhos: “As captain and teammate, we always remind them not to doubt their abilities.”
It’s maybe even more particular for Lucas Chevalier, who is French, replacing a legend, Donnarumma, who was excellent at the end of last season in the Champions League and who played a very unique role as a goalkeeper. There’s a lot of pressure. How do you judge his start to the season? And is it your role as captain to integrate him, reassure him, make him comfortable?
Yes, always. The role of goalkeepers is very important. As I said, it’s always difficult to step into a championship-winning team when the previous goalkeeper was very important and made big saves. It’s not easy to come in and immediately perform at a high level. We must not forget he is still a young goalkeeper with huge room for improvement. He has already shown his qualities — at Lille, with the French national team, and he’s trying to show them at PSG. As captain, as a teammate, we always tell him not to doubt himself. As I said earlier, I’ve had many seasons with difficulties, errors, tough moments — everyone does. That’s when you need to be strong and demanding with yourself to keep improving. Once you show your abilities at Paris, you can achieve great things in your career: play for France, be the starter, be named the best goalkeeper in the world. That’s why we’re here to help him.
Marquinhos: “Even if we go through tough moments, the next day we must come back and keep working.”
This is where your role is important, because it has evolved — you’re fully involved in guiding, integrating, helping these players adapt. With everything you say about Chevalier and Zabarnyi, does it reassure you about the future when you see their work in training?
Yes, it reassures me. Sometimes things in training are different from games. In training, you can see much more clearly everything they can bring; we see it every day. I’m really reassured by their qualities and especially their mentality — the mentality to keep working, keep giving the maximum. Even if we have difficult moments, the next day we must come here, work again, and get out of those difficult periods.
Do you aim for a Champions League double? Do you want to win it a second year in a row?
Oh yes, that’s the mindset in the locker room. If we really want to make history. We’ve already made it, but we must be demanding of ourselves, always wanting to win.
Marquinhos didn’t sugarcoat anything: a season without turbulence doesn’t exist, especially at Paris Saint-Germain. For him, injuries and adjustments aren’t excuses but the natural mechanics of a top team, where young players — like Quentin Ndjantou (19) against Tottenham — take opportunities nobody planned. The captain insists on context: arriving in a Champions League–winning dressing room isn’t easy, and Chevalier and Zabarnyi must absorb the weight of PSG. He repeats that adaptation, even for players signed for their enormous potential, requires time, patience, and plenty of hard work.
And he knows what he’s talking about — he’s been through rough patches himself. Every day he sees their qualities, their effort, their mentality. That’s why he remains confident: the demands are high, and the aim of a Champions League double doesn’t scare the squad — it motivates them. Actions will need to match the ambition, but Marquinhos has proved he’ll give everything. If the team finds continuity and avoids injuries, they’ll be a team to watch. A PSG double in the Champions League is far from impossible; the team’s steady rise, despite the lack of preseason and the injury toll, shows they remain at the top of every table. There’s every reason to be confident.
