Paris Saint-Germain defeated Arsenal on penalties (1-1 in regulation time, 4-3 on penalties) this Saturday at the Puskás Arena in Budapest in the 2025-2026 Champions League final. Following the victory, PSG defender and captain Marquinhos spoke in the mixed zone.
Marquinhos: “Luis Enrique showed us the way.”
“It’s a different feeling, I’ll be honest. The first one was very emotional, very special because we suffered for years. This one was tough right to the end. But I didn’t cry beforehand (laughs). It will go down in history, in legend. We’ll be able to say that in a few years.
The keys to this difficult final?
We did what we had to do. We knew this Arsenal team was very strong. We were ready for every eventuality in this match. We have a coach who pushes us all day long. From day one last summer, he told us it was going to be even harder than last year, that we would have to work even harder to succeed. He showed us the way.
Marquinhos “still has a lot to offer for years to come.”
What’s next?
“We have players who are still very young and who can still achieve a lot for years to come,” as reported by L’Equipe.
The two Champions League titles won by PSG are inevitably different, even though they form part of a whole, a continuum. The first was, precisely, the first. It was the incredible milestone, the fulfillment of a dream. The second confirmed this team’s place in legend and PSG’s place among the all-time greats, both past and present.
Of course, there was also a very different final. A far cry from last season’s lesson, PSG had to battle against a frustratingly skillful Arsenal. The Parisians weren’t always at their best, but they didn’t panic. Guided by Luis Enrique, the players from the capital remained confident and focused in order to find a way through. Then, they won the penalty shootout again, as is so often the case with the Spanish coach.
He has truly managed to instill a change of mentality at PSG, in addition to his playing philosophy. This gives us hope for further great performances, even though we must bear in mind that winning the Champions League again will be extremely difficult.
