Marquinhos, the 31-year-old central defender and captain of Paris Saint-Germain, reached 500 appearances for PSG this Wednesday during the Champions League match against Tottenham. To mark the occasion, his wife, Carol Cabrino, answered several questions from the newspaper Le Parisien. She notably discussed how they manage match nights.
“If I happen to miss the phone, he’ll call back a thousand times!”
“Marqui is like a robot! He has a lot of superstitions. He always calls me when he’s getting ready before a match. If I happen to miss the phone, he’ll call back a thousand times! It’s a habit we’ve developed. Marqui is like that; he really has his routine.
After matches, we also have our rituals. I send him a message right away. When he wins, he takes his time, enjoys his teammates, and then he replies.” He sends me lots of stickers on WhatsApp when he’s happy! After a loss, I tell him, “I know you’re not happy, but I’m here, just relax…” I try to wait for him after away games, but he often comes back very late. I’m asleep, he comes up to my room and always says, “It’s okay, I’m here.”
“He can never sleep after games…”
Usually, it’s 3 or 4 in the morning, but he can never sleep after games. He’s still buzzing with excitement. He’s up until 7 or 8 and then he goes to training at 9.
What does he do at night? Sometimes he rewatches his games. But what he loves most is going down to the basement and playing video games, Rise of Kingdoms. That’s his time; it helps him unwind. “
Marquinhos has his routines, which is understandable. Some prefer it that way. There are also superstitions that can take root in top-level football, and the fear of changing something that might bring bad luck. A structured environment can also help maintain focus.
We also see that players sometimes need time to “come down” after a match. We wouldn’t expect a professional player to spend all night playing video games after a game. But it might be the wisest course of action if he can’t sleep and needs this time to relax and move on.
In any case, we trust the player and the staff. Marquinhos is a true professional, and he gets the rest he needs to consistently perform at a high level without taking any particular risks of injury.”
