The compassionate rival who rushed to console Arsenal’s Gabriel after he missed his penalty in the Champions League final has revealed what the centre-back messaged him later.
Paris Saint-Germain captain Marquinhos ran over to embrace Gabriel moments after he blazed his spot-kick over the bar.
It was a touching moment between two Brazil team-mates which highlighted the fraternal nature of the sport, even at its most brutal level.
And now Marquinhos, speaking at a press conference ahead of the World Cup, has revealed what it meant to Gabriel.
He said: ‘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.
‘I told him it had been my greatest victory that night [hugging him], and that the reaction it generated was great.
Paris Saint-Germain star Marquinhos consoled Arsenal’s Gabriel after he missed his penalty in the Champions League final
‘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.
‘Players have to move on to the next challenge very quickly. I can’t keep celebrating forever; we’ve got other things to do, and so does he.’
He also revealed what he said to Gabriel during their hug.
‘I was ready and prepared to celebrate,’ Marquinhos said. ‘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] team-mate, having empathy, because I’ve been through a moment like that and I know the responsibility.
‘I told [Gabriel] to stay strong, to hold his head high because he’d had an incredible season and an incredible match.
‘I told him that, in my opinion, he was the best centre-back in the world this season. He simply didn’t deserve to carry that burden because, of course, we all want to score penalties.
‘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.’
After lifting a second Champions League trophy in as many years, he hopes to skipper Brazil to World Cup glory
Marquinhos and Gabriel are expected to line up alongside each other as Brazil attempt to win a first World Cup since 2002.
The Selecao have been knocked out in four of the five quarter-finals since then, and finished fourth at their home tournament in 2014, but any team managed by Carlo Ancelotti is going to be a force.
There is a decent chance that Marquinhos, who will captain Brazil through the tournament, is at his last World Cup.
He is now 32 years old and will be desperate to add more silverware to the Copa America he won in 2019.
