Marquinhos reveals text message from Gabriel after Champions League final penalty miss

Marquinhos has recalled the thankful message that he received from Gabriel after their embrace at the Champions League final.

Paris Saint-Germain were crowned as European champions for the second time on Saturday night when they beat Arsenal on penalties.

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Gunners defender Gabriel missed their fifth and decisive spot-kick as his effort sailed over the crossbar.

Whilst most of the PSG players and staff ran off to celebrate with the fans, captain Marquinhos made a classy gesture to his fellow Brazilian.

He hugged the visibly upset Gabriel and appeared to give the centre-back, who addressed the defeat a day later, some consoling words.

Marquinhos later lifted the Champions League trophy for the second year in a row, and was thanked by his compatriot for the kind act.

What did Gabriel send to Marquinhos after the Champions League final?

When speaking during a news conference via ESPN, he said: “A day later, I received a message from him thanking me for that moment, for the support, for the hug, and for the words I’d shared with him.

“I told him it had been my greatest victory that night, and that the reaction it generated was great.

“My mum came over, proud of what I’d done, along with my wife, family and brothers. It was the best accolade I received that night.

“Players have to move on to the next challenge very quickly. I can’t keep celebrating forever; we’ve got other things to do, and so does he.”

Marquinhos then revealed that he used his own experience of missing a crucial penalty to help him comfort Gabriel in Budapest.

The 32-year-old hit the post for Brazil in their 2022 World Cup quarter-final shootout against Croatia, which ended his country’s run.

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“I was ready and prepared to celebrate,” he 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’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.”

Marquinhos added: “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.

“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.”

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Put the heartbreak aside, it’s World Cup time

Gabriel’s penalty miss may well have replayed in his mind numerous times after the defeat.

But Arsenal were back in high spirits less than 24 hours later as they celebrated their Premier League title victory with a parade.

It’s their first title in 22 years and arrived with the help of some big contributions for Gabriel, who is now heading to the World Cup.

The 28-year-old has been named in the 26-man Brazil squad for what will be his second major international tournament.

Marquinhos has also been selected by Carlo Ancelotti, and is likely to start alongside Gabriel in the centre of defence.

Brazil are in Group C and first face Morocco on June 13, then Haiti on June 20, and Scotland on June 24.