Marquinhos Sets Three-Peat Target While Backing a Parisien for Ballon d’Or Glory

• Marquinhos said it will be “even harder” for Paris Saint-Germain to win a third consecutive UEFA Champions League this season
• PSG will begin their Champions League defence against Slovan Bratislava tonight
• Nine PSG players, including Marquinhos, have been nominated for the Ballon d’Or, which will be awarded in Paris on 26th October

PSG Captain Warns Champions League Three-Peat Will Be Tougher

Paris Saint-Germain captain Marquinhos has underlined the scale of the challenge facing the Ligue 1 giants as they attempt to win the UEFA Champions League for a third season in succession.

PSG have lifted the trophy in each of the previous two editions. They defeated Inter in Munich two years ago, before retaining the title last summer with victory over Arsenal in Budapest. Luis Enrique’s side are now preparing to open their latest European campaign against Slovan Bratislava tonight.

Speaking before PSG begin their title defence, Marquinhos made clear that extending the club’s run at the top of Europe would require the same ambition and standards that delivered the previous two triumphs.

“It would be historic! It is very difficult to win one, two, so to win three is so, so difficult. It is a matter of ambition and motivation. If we want to win, we have to have high expectations and maintain those high levels of expectation. Other teams have also recruited. It will be even more difficult to win compared to previous years. We will be fighting from the very first match to show that we can go far in this competition,” he said in a press conference.

Nominated for the 2026 Ballon d’Or ⬇️@marquinhos_m5@PSG_inside@CBF_Futebol#ballondor pic.twitter.com/sptUPLcI1V

— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) September 8, 2026

Ballon d’Or Shortlist Features Nine Paris Saint-Germain Players

The Brazilian captain of Paris Saint-Germain has also said he wants this year’s Ballon d’Or to go to a PSG player. The award, presented by France Football, will be awarded in Paris on 26th October.

The nominees were revealed on Tuesday, with nine PSG players included among the 30 names on the shortlist. That matches last season’s figure, when nine Parisiens were also nominated. The latest selection coincides with Les Parisiens winning the UEFA Champions League in back-to-back seasons.

Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, João Neves, Fabián Ruiz, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Willian Pacho, Marquinhos, and Ousmane Dembélé, the winner of the prestigious trophy, awarded by France Football, were all nominated this time around.

“I hope that it will be someone from PSG,” said Marquinhos, in a press conference attended by Get French Football News, ahead of the release of the nominee list. “We have very good players. I can’t pick out one. It is an individual award. We won important titles. I hope that it will be someone from PSG,” he added.

PSG Players Nominated for the Ballon d’Or