'The best in the world!' - PSG captain reveals what he told Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes after Brazil team-mate's devastating penalty miss in Champions League final

Arsenal's hopes of winning the 2026 Champions League ended in heartbreak as they lost to PSG on penalties in Budapest. Gabriel, one of Mikel Arteta's most consistent performers throughout the season, missed a crucial spot-kick in the shootout.

While PSG's players rushed away to celebrate their triumph, captain Marquinhos headed towards Gabriel instead. The veteran defender recognised the pain his international team-mate was experiencing and decided to offer support before joining the celebrations. Marquinhos later explained that he was driven by empathy, having endured a similar experience with Brazil after missing a penalty at the 2022 World Cup.

Speaking from Brazil's national team camp, Marquinhos revealed the message he delivered to Gabriel following the final. He admitted that seeing Gabriel standing alone after the shootout immediately reminded him of his own difficult moment on the international stage.

"I was ready and prepared to celebrate," Marquinhos told reporters. "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’s when I started thinking about my [Brazil] teammate, having empathy, because I’ve been through a moment like that and I know the responsibility. I told [Gabriel] to stay strong, to hold his head high because he’d had an incredible season and an incredible match.

"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.

Marquinhos was determined that Gabriel's missed penalty should not become the defining image of his season. The PSG captain stressed that the Arsenal defender's performances over the campaign deserved far greater recognition than a single mistake in a shootout. The Brazilian also underlined Gabriel's importance to the national team ahead of a major international tournament.

He added: "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 defenders have now linked up with Brazil, putting club allegiances aside as attention turns to international football. Marquinhos is keen for Gabriel to move on quickly from the disappointment in Budapest and regain full confidence. With the World Cup approaching, Gabriel remains an important figure in Brazil's plans. At the tournament in North America, Selecao are in Group C with Morocco, Haiti and Scotland.