Marquinhos Hails Gabriel as World's Elite Defender After Champions League Heartbreak

Marquinhos has delivered a glowing endorsement of Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes, declaring the Brazilian defender the finest centre-back on the planet this campaign.

The PSG skipper's assessment comes fresh from his side's Champions League final victory over the Gunners, decided by penalties. Gabriel was among those who faltered from the spot, but rather than revel in his team's triumph, Marquinhos sought out his international colleague to offer perspective.

The 28-year-old Gabriel has been a cornerstone of Arsenal's historic season, forming an imposing partnership with William Saliba as the north Londoners claimed their first Premier League crown in two decades. His performances proved equally crucial throughout the club's run to European football's showpiece event.

Witnessing Gabriel's disappointment in the immediate aftermath of the shootout, Marquinhos was reminded of his own penalty miss during PSG's 2022 Champions League campaign. Rather than sprint off to join his teammates' celebrations, he first made a beeline for the Arsenal man.

"I was ready and prepared to celebrate," the Brazil captain explained. "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 moment of recognition prompted Marquinhos to share words of encouragement with Gabriel, emphasising the defender's stellar individual contributions regardless of one difficult evening.

"I told him to stay strong, to hold his head high because he'd had an incredible season and an incredible match," Marquinhos recounted. "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."

The PSG defender stressed that a single penalty miss could not diminish what Gabriel had achieved over the preceding months, while hinting at the importance of his services in the months ahead.

"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."

Both players are now with Brazil's World Cup squad in north America, where they face Morocco, Haiti and Scotland in Group C.