Paris Saint-Germain captain and Brazil defender Marquinhos has extended his contract until 2028, the club announced on Friday. "The 29-year-old Brazilian defender and the Red and Blue will continue their adventure together until June 30, 2028,” Qatari-owned PSG said in a statement.Marquinhos joined the club from Roma in 2013 when he was just 19. He has become an indispensable part of the PSG set-up and was a member of the side that reached the 2020 Champions League final. "I am very happy to announce this contract extension but also very proud,” said Marquinhos. "This is a very special moment for me,” he added, saying he was "convinced that we will continue to achieve great things together in the years to come”.With Lionel Messi on the point of leaving and speculation surrounding the futures of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, the decision of Marquinhos to throw his weight behind PSG has been welcomed by the club. "This is already very good news for the club, for me as coach and for the fans,” said Christophe Galtier in a press conference. "It is an example. He is finishing his 10th season. He is one of the best central defenders in the world, he has been omnipresent for 10 years. It’s a strong signal sent to everyone.”PSG were beaten by Bayern Munich in the last 16 of this year’s competition but are on the verge of wrapping up their ninth Ligue 1 title in 11 years.PSG breathing easier after back-to-back wins says GaltierPSG have slightly eased the pressure on their shoulders after recovering from a stumble in their Ligue 1 campaign and claiming successive wins as they bid to retain their title, coach Galtier said. PSG, who are six points clear of second-placed Lens with three games remaining this season, lost three out of four home games during a poor run in March and April including a 3-1 defeat by Lorient.However, their bid to win a ninth French title in 11 years appears to be back on track after free-scoring displays against Ajaccio and Troyes in recent weeks. "I’m not sure how much pressure there is on us, but I’m sure we’ll be able to get the points we need,” Galtier told reporters ahead of tomorrow’s trip to 16th-placed Auxerre."The fact that we played a fairly successful match at Troyes and that we were able to win against Ajaccio last weekend, that takes the pressure off a little. But the players have been very serious in their work throughout the week.”Galtier also bemoaned his side’s injury problems up front, highlighting PSG’s inability to consistently play their strongest attacking lineup of Messi, Mbappe and Neymar. Messi and Mbappe have both missed league games due to minor injuries, while Neymar has been ruled out for the rest of the season after ankle surgery in March."Concerning Messi, Mbappe and Neymar, as soon as I took over it was an objective to be able to associate them together,” Galtier said. "Unfortunately, with the World Cup, injuries and fatigue, we were not able to take advantage of them throughout the season. "Every time they were on the pitch, PSG were very good. We had a very interesting attacking game. But that’s part of a season.”
May 19, 2023 | 11:44 PM