Marquinhos: Champions League Final 'as Important as the World Cup'

Paris Saint-Germain captain Marquinhos has equated the significance of the upcoming Champions League final against Arsenal with that of the World Cup. With the global tournament looming just two weeks away, Marquinhos stressed that players must not hold back in Saturday's final, emphasizing the immense importance of competing for European club football's top prize.

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A Champions League final is just as important as the World Cup.

"A Champions League final is just as important as the World Cup," Marquinhos stated during a press conference. He highlighted the rarity and difficulty of reaching such a stage, noting that many players dedicate their careers to reaching this level without ever succeeding. "You can't play it every year, it's very difficult, very tough to play these kinds of matches," he added.

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It's a Champions League final and you're not going to play it every year, it's very difficult, very tough to play these kinds of matches, there are people who work and prepare a lot and cannot play it in their entire career.

Marquinhos, who will represent Brazil in the upcoming World Cup, insisted on the need for absolute commitment in the final. "You can't slow down, you have to be very concentrated, give 100%, because I want to win, I want to feel that sensation," he explained. He acknowledged that many players in the PSG-Arsenal match will also be participating in the World Cup, underscoring the high stakes for all involved.

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You can't slow down, you have to be very concentrated, give 100%, because I want to win, I want to feel that sensation.

Teammate Ousmane Dembélé echoed Marquinhos' sentiments, praising Arsenal as a "very good team" that has demonstrated its quality by winning the Premier League and reaching the Champions League final. Dembélé recognized Arsenal's strengths across all phases of play, from attack and defense to set pieces, acknowledging the formidable challenge posed by Mikel Arteta's side. He noted that Arsenal's journey has been "incredible" and that they "deserve to be here."

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It's a very good team, we've seen it with their title in England and also with their first place in the Champions League, their journey was incredible, they deserve to be here, they deserved to win the Premier League, they are good at everything, attack, defense, set pieces, they have very good players and a very good coach who has worked a lot with them, I think he has been with them for 4 or 5 years.