Marquinhos Encourages Gabriel After Penalty Miss Ahead Of World Cup

Marquinhos has explained how a brief but emotional exchange with Gabriel Magalhaes after the Champions League final is now helping Brazil prepare for the World Cup, as the Paris Saint-Germain defender urged the Arsenal centre-back to move past the missed penalty and focus on the national team’s campaign.

Paris Saint-Germain defeated Arsenal on penalties last month to claim a second straight Champions League title, after a 1-1 draw across 120 minutes, with Gabriel missing the decisive kick for Arsenal as Mikel Arteta’s side became the only club to fail with two penalties in a Champions League final shootout, through Eberechi Eze and Gabriel.

Gabriel had produced a strong defensive display before the shootout, leading all players with 13 clearances and completing every duel and tackle, winning two out of two duels and one out of one tackles, which underlined why Brazil coaches still see Gabriel as an important figure for the national side despite the painful miss.

Marquinhos experienced a similar setback at the 2022 World Cup, when Croatia eliminated Brazil on penalties in the quarter-finals and Marquinhos struck the left post with a decisive kick, so the PSG defender said those memories immediately returned when Gabriel’s effort failed, prompting Marquinhos to run directly towards Gabriel while other PSG players celebrated.

A day later, I received a message from him thanking me for that moment, for the support, for the hug, and for the words I'd shared with him, Marquinhos said in a news conference.

I told him it had been my greatest victory that night, and that the reaction it generated was great. My mum came over, proud of what I'd done, along with my wife, family and brothers. It was the best accolade I received that night.

I was ready and prepared to celebrate, but when I started running, I saw him right in front of me and my team going past him, the same image as after my penalty [miss] in 2022. That's when I started thinking about my [Brazil] teammate, having empathy, because I've been through a moment like that and I know the responsibility.

I told him that nothing about that moment would take away from the wonderful season he'd had and that we were going to need him very much. Those were my words to him, so that he could get over that moment as quickly as possible because we were going to need him very soon here.

For Brazil, the exchange between Marquinhos and Gabriel offers reassurance that key defenders are supporting each other before linking up again this summer, with Gabriel’s numbers against PSG and Marquinhos’ experiences from 2022 combining to shape a leadership message built on empathy, resilience and a collective focus on the upcoming World Cup challenges.