Absent from the list of 30 Ballon d’Or contenders, Marquinhos has seen his name return to the web in recent hours, some taking offense not to see the PSG defender among the nominees. In the columns of L’Équipe, a Brazilian journalist believes that it is “not recognized at its true value”.
Not awarded for the first time in its history last year since its creation in 1956, the Ballon d’Or is making a comeback this year. Unveiled this Friday by France Football, the list of the last 30 contenders for the trophy is somewhat talked about as every year, several presences as absences being discussed. If four Parisians are among the nominated (Messi, Neymar, Mbappé, Donnarumma), the name of Marquinhos does not appear in this list while the Brazilian defender is yet coming out of a good season on a personal level, although contrasted by a few injuries.
28th in the last edition in 2019, the PSG captain does not taste a second consecutive appearance among the finalists. However, his fruitful year could have been rewarded, the Brazilian having notably been decisive on several occasions on the European scene by finding the net against Manchester United, Bayern Munich or Manchester City in the semi-final first leg of the League. of Champions.
Embarrassed by several physical glitches during last season, especially in the adductors, Marquinhos put on an armband heavy with responsibilities after the departure of Thiago Silva at Chelsea, signing a successful season with PSG. A dynamic that he continued with Brazil, finalist of the Copa America this summer. But that was not enough to see his name appear in the Ballon d’Or list.
“Not recognized at its fair value,” said a local journalist
Again scorer this week with Brazil against Venezuela (3-1), Marquinhos has also become an indestructible piece in the selection since he is the player most used by his coach, Tite. A thick grip put forward by Alexandre Lozetti, journalist for O Globo, who also believes that the Parisian defender is a victim of his post in the country, in the columns of L’Équipe: “It is true that it is not recognized at its fair value. The Brazilians are only interested in attackers, and they give Marquinhos the recognition they want to give a defender. However, I do not know of anyone who disputes this. He is by far the best Brazilian defender. He will be indisputable in 2022. It makes me happy because, in addition to being a great player, he is a nice, discreet boy who never argues. “
With just over a year to go until the 2022 World Cup kicks off in Qatar, Marquinhos is clearly the favorite to occupy the central hinge in Brazil. Designated as the noble successor of Thiago Silva upon his arrival in Paris in 2013, the teenager who arrived from Rome has grown up since …
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