Away from the ecstatic celebrations of Paris Saint-Germain, PSG captain Marquinhos provided arguably the most touching scene of the Champions League final.
After Arsenal’s defender Gabriel missed the decisive penalty on Saturday evening in Budapest, and Marquinhos’ teammates immediately plunged into jubilation over their repeat Champions League triumph, the Brazilian paused briefly.
In the sweet feeling of a successful title defense, Marquinhos’ first thought was for Gabriel. The 28-year-old was understandably devastated after his tragic miss, and his teammate from the Brazilian national team approached the defender to comfort him before Gabriel’s club colleagues did.
For seconds, Marquinhos held Gabriel in his arms, spoke encouraging words to him, and one could feel how much he empathized with his compatriot. Only when some Arsenal players came over to attend to their teammate did Marquinhos make his way to celebrate the dramatic victory in the top European club competition.
Arsenal Captain Ødegaard Praises Marquinhos: ‘A True Gentleman’
‘He is a true gentleman. He is probably the most experienced player on the pitch and has experienced these moments from both sides. Great respect for him for the gesture and for the person and player he is,’ received Marquinhos high praise from his counterpart, Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard, afterwards.
Perhaps in that emotional moment, Marquinhos also conveyed to Gabriel the need to quickly bounce back despite the evening’s tragedy, as a significant task awaits him this summer. After all, Marquinhos and Gabriel are expected to form Brazil’s central defensive pairing at the World Cup starting on June 11 in the USA, Mexico, and Canada. While Carlo Ancelotti’s Seleção would dearly love to gift their countrymen a sixth World Cup title, they are not among the absolute top favorites.
To kick off their group stage, Marquinhos, Gabriel, and co. will face Morocco on June 12. Their other group opponents are Scotland and Haiti.
Champions League Final: Kai Havertz Makes History, Gabriel Becomes the Tragic Figure
For Gabriel’s Arsenal, the Champions League final on Saturday had started excellently. Kai Havertz gave the English side the lead in the 6th minute, and with his goal, he made Champions League history, becoming the first German to score in two CL finals since the competition was introduced under its current name in 1992. In 2021, Havertz scored the 1-0 winning goal for FC Chelsea against Manchester City.
This time, however, Havertz’s goal was not the only one of the evening. Ousmane Dembele equalized for PSG with a penalty in the 65th minute, a deserved goal. With the score tied 1-1 after both 90 and 120 minutes, a penalty shootout ultimately decided the fate of the match.
Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze committed the first miss, but after PSG left-back Nuno Mendes also failed immediately afterward and Declan Rice converted his penalty, the score was level again after three penalties each. Gabriel was then the last of the first five penalty takers for both teams and had to score to keep Arsenal’s chance of winning their first Champions League title alive. However, the Brazilian international sent his attempt over the bar, and thus, Paris crowned themselves European champions once again, just as they had the previous year.
With Marquinhos and Gabriel: Brazil’s Group Stage Matches at the 2026 World Cup
Kick-off (German time) | Match
Saturday, June 13, 0:00 AM | Brazil vs. Morocco
Saturday, June 20, 2:30 AM | Brazil vs. Haiti
Wednesday, June 24, 0:00 AM | Brazil vs. Scotland