2024-04-22 02:52:29
Eleven years of PSG and 28 trophies! Sunday evening in the wake of the big success against Olympique Lyonnais (4-1), Paris had something to celebrate. We were not talking about qualification for the semi-final of the Champions League against Dortmund which will take place on May 1 and 7, but about captain Marquinhos.
During the first leg of the C1 quarter-final, the Brazilian captain left his mark forever in the history of the capital club by surpassing the record for the number of matches played previously held by Jean-Marc Pilorget.
Until then, he and Paris had not wanted to celebrate this important milestone, preferring to remain focused on the major European deadline which awaited the first team against Barcelona. Logically on Wednesday upon returning from Catalonia, everything accelerated to honor “Marqui” at the end of the match against Lyon and the details were refined in collaboration with the player’s entourage on Friday and Saturday.
A bit like what was done for Angel Di Maria when he left in 2022 and for Kylian Mbappé when his extension was made official on the same day, a large tarpaulin bearing the image of the club had been deployed with a large banner decorated with photos of the captain and the number 436, although it is now at 438. A point that Michel Montana, the announcer of the Parc des Princes had obviously not noted when welcoming the hero of the day.
It was a little after 11:05 p.m. when the Parisian’s partners came to stand at the exit of the tunnel and formed a guard of honor. From Kylian Mbappé to Ousmane Dembélé, who did not come into play, to the suspended Lucas Hernandez, including Luis Henrique and Luis Campos, almost everyone wore the t-shirt bearing the image of the Brazilian.
At the end of the guard of honor, President Al-Khelaïfi is waiting to give him the trophy in the shape of the Eiffel Tower. The captain leaves, a few seconds later, to the cheers of the public, accompanied by his wife Carol, his three children, his brother and his father. After being honored by his president, the Brazilian joined the stage placed in the center of the lawn on a gigantic flag in the club’s colors.
“It’s a lot of emotion for me,” says Marquinhos at a listening Parc des Princes. It is the greatest pride for me to wear this trophy. » His “thanks” to President Al-Khelaïfi, “the first to trust me” he said, were greeted with thunderous applause from the stands.
“PSG is my life,” he continues with words that delight his audience. Of course, the Brazilian does not forget to thank his teammates “who protect him”, his various coaches, but also Jean-Marc Pilorget, holder of the previous record for 35 years (435 matches).
After having slipped a word to the supporters, having assured them “that he had never given up, never cheated”, the captain obviously promised the best for the end of the season. “The championship, the Coupe de France and the Champions League, we are going to get them,” he finished in a speech which sparked euphoria in the stands.
Once this ceremonial was over, Marquinhos took a tour of the field accompanied by his family, stopping for a long time in front of the Auteuil stand, while the Park had largely emptied. Smoke bombs and songs came to celebrate the Auriverde international who brandished his trophy before waving one of the kop flags and starting the chants.
Beside him, even his eldest daughter was clapping her hands, jumping and accompanying her father to set the mood. While the Park staff waited to remove the tarpaulin in the center of the field, the captain took the microphone one last time, spelling out the letters of Paris and then thanking the kapos at the corner one by one. As if he had difficulty leaving those who stayed until the end to celebrate him. Let them reassure the captain, under contract until 2028, he should still be there for a good while.
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