The German coach believes his Brazilian defender was unfairly snubbed from the honours awarded by the governing body
PSG star Marquinhos is at “Ballon d’Or level” and should have been recognised by FIFA with a position in the FIFPro Men’s World XI for the last year, according to his coach Thomas Tuchel.
The club captain made a successful return from injury in PSG’s goalless Ligue 1 draw with Lille after being absent from the last two matches with a hip problem.
Despite being a part of a PSG side that won all four French domestic competitions last season and finished runners-up in the Champions League, Marquinhos missed out on a place in the FIFPro World XI.
Tuchel feels the 26-year-old’s performance against Lille showed that he was among the best in the world.
“Tonight, Marquinhos is Ballon d’Or level,” Tuchel said to reporters after the game.
“I don’t understand his absence in the FIFA XI of the year.”
Despite the return of Marquinhos, PSG were hit by three more injuries in the match against Lille, with Presnel Kimpembe, Alessandro Florenzi and Layvin Kurzawa suffering issues.
Tuchel already had to contend with the absence of Neymar and Mauro Icardi, while Kylian Mbappe had fitness problems and could only come on as a late substitute.
The German warned that this season’s demanding schedule will “kill the players” with his squad unable to recover properly between games.
“You already know my opinion, we are going to kill the players,” Tuchel told Telefoot.
“We are always allowed to play at nine o’clock [in the evening]. We lack the rhythm to eat, sleep, recover. But it will continue like this.
“Today, we miss Neymar, Kylian, Mauro, Juan [Bernat]. Are we surprised? No. Three new players are injured now. Well done.”
Speaking after his injury return, Marquinhos was pleased with the point earned by his team but insisted they could have been better in attack.
“We were able to control the match but we could have been more dangerous,” the skipper told Telefoot. “We had to be well organised.
“This is an important point for us, but we are always looking for victory.”
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