Marquinhos: Paris Saint-Germain's dressing room has evolved, and Dembélé is an ideal player

Marquinhos, the captain of Paris Saint-Germain, has confirmed that the team is entering the UEFA Champions League with great ambitions, pointing out that the current squad has become more experienced and mature, and that the goal is to compete for the title once again.

Marquinhos said: "We are very motivated, and the competition has finally started. Everything we have won is left in history, and we will strive to achieve beautiful things this year. It is important to start the tournament well."

The team captain spoke about the evolution of the dressing room over the past few years, saying: "Playing at Paris Saint-Germain requires a lot, but the dressing room has evolved. The players are gaining more and more experience, and more leaders are emerging within the team. The players have changed a lot over the past three years."

He added: "I am the captain, but we have many leaders inside the dressing room. We must maintain these high demands within our group and this philosophy. This is how we won, and this is how we made people cry with emotion when we won, and that is why we will fight to win this competition again."

Marquinhos praised the new signings made by the club, but he avoided stating that the team has become stronger, explaining: "It is difficult to say whether we have become stronger or better. I am very happy with the new signings; they are players with quality and a high level. They will provide us with a lot, in line with the coach's philosophy."

He also mentioned his teammate Ousmane Dembélé, praising his role within the team, saying: "He has already shown his worth. He is a leader in the dressing room and a very important player. The coach knows how to manage him to be at his best, just like he was last season."

He added: "He is very motivated, and that shows every day in training. He scores goals, provides assists, defends, and helps his teammates to play. He is an ideal player, and we are all happy to have him here."

The captain of Paris Saint-Germain spoke about the team's defensive struggles at the beginning of the season, confirming that the players know the reasons behind it. He said: "For a defender, conceding goals is painful, and we are conceding a lot of them. We know the reason, we have talked about it, and the coach has shown us video clips. It is a collective effort."

He also indicated that the team has already started working on correcting mistakes, adding: "These are details related to the start of the season, and sometimes we lose a bit of the feeling we had in previous years. We have started making adjustments, and many of us are relying on ourselves to regain that strength and dynamism."

Speaking about the possibility of avoiding the play-offs, Marquinhos said: "If we have won the title in the past two years after going through the play-offs, that is not what we wanted. Our ambition is not to be in the play-offs, but to occupy the best possible position. However, the real competition starts after that. It is important for us to be in a good position."

The captain praised Luis Enrique's management style, emphasizing that the coach is not afraid to make tough decisions. He said: "He has his own way of managing. The group must give 100% in training to earn their place. Every player must give their all every day."

Marquinhos concluded his remarks on the Ballon d'Or race by expressing his hope that a Paris Saint-Germain player would win the award, saying: "I hope that someone from Paris Saint-Germain wins it. We have very good players who have had a great season... I hope the award goes to one of the Paris Saint-Germain players."