Paris Saint-Germain's Marquinhos is so good he stopped Lionel Messi when he should have been in bed, he might have played international football with Cristiano Ronaldo instead of Neymar, and is on course to become the best defender in the world…or is that defensive midfielder?
ligue1.com turns the spotlight on PSG's brilliant Brazil international, who has become such a central part of the French champions' folklore.
1) Stopping Messi making runs…with the runs
Trying to stop Lionel Messi having a match-deciding effect on a game is tough enough at the best of times. Try to imagine how difficult it is to keep the Barcelona and Argentina pocket genius in check when you've done your match build-up in the bathroom.
"It wasn't easy. Messi was inspired that night, and in general Argentina played well. But we responded well, in spite of the difficulties," said Marquinhos, whose personal 'difficulty' meant falling ill just before Brazil's 2019 Copa America semi-final with their arch-rivals on home soil in Belo Horizonte.
WATCH: Marquinhos gets his first PSG brace in the seven-goal thriller with Bordeaux
"I got a virus the day of the game, and I stayed in my room all day vomiting and with diarrhoea. I managed to play, but in the end I had to come off because it was getting worse and worse. In fact, following the game, I had to go to hospital."
Replaced just after the hour mark by Miranda, Marquinhos had already done enough to help his team secure a 2-0 win that led them to the final where Peru were beaten and 'Marqui' — as he's known to his PSG teammates — was able to play the full 90 minutes.
2) Pass the ball, Ney...Cristiano!
Marquinhos might have been an international teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo rather than Neymar. "I have dual nationality, Brazilian and Portuguese," he explained. "The idea did cross my mind. I thought about it for some time. If an invitation had come along, why not? But that’s not under discussion anymore. I’m sure I made the best decision."
The first full Brazil cap came in November 2013 for the Sao Paulo-born man, who had joined Corinthians aged just eight. A decade later he was in the first team, and was an unused substitute for their Copa Libertadores win over Boca Juniors in 2012. A few months later — and with just six first-team appearances under his belt — Marquinhos was heading to Roma.
3) Veni, vidi, vici
It was initially on loan with the Italian giants having a purchase option at a bargain €3 million — yes! THREE! — if he made eight appearances of over 45 minutes. Was there ever any doubt…He ended up playing 26 league games in the 2012-13 season, 22 of them starts, as well as four Coppa Italia matches, including the 1-0 loss to arch-rivals Lazio in an all-Rome final.
"Marquinhos is faster and recovers quicker than [Nicolas] Burdisso and [Leandro] Castan," said then-Roma boss Zdenek Zeman to explain why the unheralded Brazilian had rocketed to the top of his centre-back hierarchy.
Not that Burdisso, who played nearly 50 times for his country and had won four scudetti at Inter Milan, held a grudge.
"Marquinhos is a little phenomenon," said Argentina international. "He's quick, a good header of the ball, knows how to do things and is humble. He's a little Thiago Silva. You have to do well at Roma immediately, but with Zeman and a club that focusses on its young players, he's got a great future."
4) A fan of O Monstro
A little Thiago Silva…You wonder what the talented but humble teenager made of sitting in the dressing room at the Parc des Princes following his €31 million move to PSG in summer 2013. After just one season in Europe, he had become one of the most expensive defenders in football history, and now found himself in the same team as his idol.
"My role model is Thiago Silva, who is a benchmark for everyone," Marquinhos had admitted when he had signed for Roma. "I would like to carve out some space for myself. I realise the quality of my teammates and only by working can I earn my place."
That was even more true at PSG where not only Silva — rated the world's best defender at the time and arrived from AC Milan 12 months earlier — was ahead of him in the pecking order. Another Brazil international, Alex, and the experienced Zoumana Camara were in front of the youngster at centre-back, while Gregory van der Wiel and Christophe Jallet had to be seen off if he were to earn a place at right-back.
David Luiz's arrival in 2014 did nothing to help Marquinhos' cause, and Alex suggested, "Had I been in Marquinhos' position, I would have left."
"Competition for places exists in every club in the world. I prefer to play in the middle, as a centre-back. But I am available if I'm needed, on the right or in midfield," was Marquinhos' approach to the problem of forcing his way into the team.
"The season is very long with a lot of matches and the coach needs everyone. Since I arrived in Paris, I have had the ambition of improving in every game and training session."
He has certainly done that. Last season, he was the club's vice-captain, behind Thiago Silva. What will happen now with his hero having joined Chelsea…
5) Dr. Marquinhos & Mr. Marqui
"The problem is that there should be two Marquinhoses at PSG: one in central defence, and the other in midfield," said the French champions' coach Thomas Tuchel, who has played the Brazilian in both positions. "It's always possible to play with him in midfield because he brings a lot of qualities, energy and personality."
Marquinhos actually started his career as a midfielder, but featured at right-back for Roma and also PSG initially before becoming a recognised centre-back for club and country.
Tuchel took him back to the future by playing him in midfield, notably in the 2019-20 campaign, and the Brazilian — unsurprisingly — excelled.
But as Marquinhos said himself, "to become the best central defender in the world, you have to play in central defence", and though at just six feet tall, he has the work ethic to go with the natural talent to take himself to the summit of the defensive arts.
"You can never say I don’t work hard in training – I really do! I compensate [for a relative lack of height] in other areas. I focus on strength exercises in the gym and on the timing of tackles so I can become a more complete centre-back," said Marquinhos, who revealed ex-backroom staff member and former defensive midfielder par excellence Claude Makelele played a major role in his development. "Makelele was very important. He never said no when I asked him for help."