PSG captain Marquinhos backs Argentine great Messi to fire against 13-time Champions League winners Real Madrid in Last-16 clash in Paris tonight; says former Barca forward has settled well
PSG’s star striker Lionel Messi during a training session in Paris recently. Pic/Getty Images
Having repeatedly failed in its bid to win Europe’s most coveted trophy, Paris Saint-Germain have turned to the mercurial Lionel Messi, who has won the Champions League four times and is a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, to help them succeed on the biggest stage.
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Since the wealthy Qatari royal family took control of the French side over 10 years ago, PSG has grown into a global brand with strong commercial revenues. Year after year, the French outfit have signed up some of the world’s best players including Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Brazilian Neymar and Frenchman Kylian Mbappe among others, but the nearest they have come to the Champion League title is a runner-up finish in 2020.
PSG skipper Marquinhos
On Tuesday, PSG host 13-time Champions League winners Real Madrid in their pre-quarterfinal first leg at the Parc des Princes. Messi has tortured Madrid during his long spell with Barcelona, scoring 26 goals and delivering 14 assists in 45 games against them, and PSG skipper Marquinhos is looking up to the Argentine to deliver again.
‘Great player’
“Leo is a great player, a great man. It’s wonderful to see him in the locker room. I had already faced him a lot; he had made us suffer. Now, I enjoy being on his side. He is gaining momentum,” Marquinhos told psgtalk.com. PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino has always stressed that the Argentine great, who signed a two-year deal here last summer and scored seven goals in 20 appearances this far, needs time to find the right balance in his new surroundings.
Marquinhos however, believes Messi is ready to explode on Europe’s biggest stage. “I feel him more and more at ease. We try to put him well so that he can trust to give his best. If he has that, I think he will bring us a lot in this kind of big meeting,” added Marquinhos.
Neymar set for return
Meanwhile, Neymar could play his first game for PSG since November. The French club revealed on the eve of the tie that former Real defender Sergio Ramos is the only player missing due to injury as he continues to struggle with a calf problem. Neymar has been back in training and could feature for the first time since suffering an ankle injury in a Ligue 1 game against Saint-Etienne on November 28. “Neymar is fine and he is full of confidence,” said Marquinhos.
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