There's something almost cinematic about it. Marquinhos, celebrating PSG's Champions League title, stops mid-sprint when he spots Gabriel Magalhães crumpled on the turf — the same position Marquinhos himself was in after his penalty miss for Brazil at the 2022 World Cup. So he walked over to the man he'd just beaten and told him he was the best centre-back on the planet this season.
That's not sentiment. That's a serious opinion from someone who knows what elite defending looks like from both sides of a final.
What Marquinhos actually said
Speaking ahead of Brazil's 2026 World Cup preparations, Marquinhos described the moment in a press conference: "I saw him right in front of me and my team going past him, the same image as after my penalty in 2022. That's when I started thinking about my teammate."
He didn't stop at empathy. "In my opinion, he was the best centre-back in the world this season. He simply didn't deserve to carry that burden."
The context makes this land harder. Gabriel and William Saliba were the spine of an Arsenal side that ended a 22-year Premier League drought. They were disciplined, dominant, and gave the Gunners a defensive platform that made them genuine title contenders week after week. Then Gabriel stepped up in the UCL final shootout — and missed. One kick doesn't erase a season like that, and Marquinhos clearly knows it.
What it means heading into 2026
Brazil's World Cup defence depends heavily on how their defensive core performs, and having Marquinhos and Gabriel on the same side — two centre-backs who've just spent a season in major European finals — is a serious foundation. Marquinhos practically demanded Gabriel shake it off: "We are going to need him very much."
For Arsenal's pre-season morale, this kind of public endorsement from a Champions League winner and Brazil captain matters too. A player who might have carried that penalty miss into the summer is instead being framed — by a peer, not a PR team — as the standard-setter at his position.
Whether Gabriel channels that heading into next season will shape both Brazil's World Cup hopes and Arsenal's bid to defend their title. Marquinhos has already told him which version he expects to show up.
