MARQUINHOS, DEMBELE: “YOU CAN’T PLAY HALF A**ED!” 😤 PSG v Arsenal 🏆 Champions League Final

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:18]to the 2026 UEFA Champions League final in Budapest. We will start our press conference today with uh Usman Dembele and Marinos from Parisa.

[00:00:30]Um today you'll have translations in uh French, English, Spanish and Hungarian.

[00:00:37]Um, when you ask a question, please raise your hand, indicate the name of your organization and your name, and then I will hand over to Julia.

[00:00:49]>> Good afternoon everyone. We're going to be able to start this press conference.

[00:00:52]This is a match minus one for UEFA Champions League final between PSG and Arsenal with Makinos and Usman Dembele.

[00:01:01]Please only ask questions for Usman Dembele to start with. away you go.

[00:01:09]Hi Osman Face Organ from RMC Sports.

[00:01:12]You've got a lot of experience under your belt now. Loads of experience when it comes to the number of matches that you've played. I just want to know how you're feeling about the match tomorrow and also about the two different styles coming up against each other. So the Luis Enriquez PSG and Artetes Arsenal. What is your vision?

[00:01:33]What is your take on this?

[00:01:36]Good afternoon to begin with.

[00:01:40]So Arsenal is an excellent team.

[00:01:44]We've seen with them running away with the Premier League title, but also what they showed us in the group stages in the Champions League.

[00:01:54]They finished top of their group. I think that their journey in the Champions League has been great. They deserve to be in the final. deserve to have won the Premier League. And if we look at everything they've done in the Champions League, they play great football. They're great across the board. We were talking about up front or down the back uh for set pieces.

[00:02:13]Everyone knows that. But it's it's a great team. They're a great team with great players.

[00:02:19]Once again, be this in defense or up front. And they've got an exceptional coach who has done wonderful work. I think he's been working for it for four or five years now at Arsenal. Got off to a bit of a shaky start, but he's pulled it out the bag and he deserves the Premier League title and also to be in the Champions League final.

[00:02:43]Hman, I'm on your right right at the back.

[00:02:49]Can you see me? Yeah, I can.

[00:02:52]Just a question linked to the Bondo that you went home with last year. How did the winning the prize change your ambitions? Maybe you're looking to write rewrite history or you want to leave your mark. What are you looking for? Are you looking for silverware? Are you looking to win games? And if you're looking for more, do do you not think that tomorrow would be a great opportunity to do that?

[00:03:17]No, it didn't really change anything. It hasn't changed how I play. It hasn't changed who I am.

[00:03:24]I think that I now have a lot more responsibility on my shoulders. And that's been the case since I've since I came to PSG. I just want to be great on the pitch for the big games like tomorrow. But even the smaller games, nothing's changed.

[00:03:42]I still have the appetite, that winning appetite. I still want to take home silverware with the club, with the staff, with the team, and that's the only thing that I've got on my mind at the moment. Individual prizes. Yeah, I know that that gets people talking, but that's always secondary. For me, the most important is what I'm winning with Paris for all our fans and to make everyone happy. And that's it.

[00:04:15]Hi manuk from Nik. I'm on your right.

[00:04:21]It's been a year. You've been waiting for this game for a year. And do you learn to win games like this or do you think that last year's win will make a difference?

[00:04:34]Yeah, we always want to be playing a Champions League final at the end of May and we won the first time for the first time last year which obviously were all on Cloud9. It was a historical moment.

[00:04:45]It was a historical evening for Bahama.

[00:04:49]But no, as I mentioned in August, we've reset everything. We want to win trophies again. We're a young squad.

[00:04:58]We're highly ambitious squad. And we're not going to sit on our laurels.

[00:05:03]Winning tomorrow is also important for us. And we know that it would be something historical if we're able to pull it off. But let's get focused. We know that we're up against a good team, but we're going to do everything we can to take it home tomorrow because it's so important for the club. Hi Osman for AFP. How are you feeling? How's your calf? And were you scared about maybe missing the final? No. No, I wasn't scared about missing the final because I stopped soon as I felt the niggle. I had maybe 10 or 15 days to get myself in shape before the final. The season was quite complicated for everyone at PSG.

[00:05:44]We didn't have a lot of downtime, but the coach and the staff, they really kept a hand over scheduling tweaks so that we could be here for the Champions League, but I'm 100% ready and rowing to go. We've been ma waiting for this.

[00:06:00]We've been preparing for this, and we hope that things will go well tomorrow.

[00:06:12]Good evening with man on your left right at the back from radio France. Just very simple question. What is your mindset? So you've been chasing you had been chasing the Champions League for years and finally you won it last year and a year later you're defending champions and you're defending your silverware. So how do you how are you going through this?

[00:06:34]How are you feeling this? And how have you prepared for this on a maybe mental aspect? Yeah, really well. We're we're on a high. We make the most of these different moments. We're still very focused. I said that we're quite a young squad. We've got incredible staff.

[00:06:48]We've got incredible players.

[00:06:50]That desire to win. So, yeah, we're all quite calm and we know that we can win these championships. We were talking about the championship, the cup, the the Champions League. We're very competitive. We're in it to win it. And if we want to be great players, we know that these are the types of trophies that we need to be winning time and time again. And we hope that things will go well tomorrow for us. Hi man, I'm from Leip. I'm over here. Hi man. Would you say that Luis is the best uh coach of all time in your career or the one who has had the biggest impact, the one that you've been able to um develop with and without the ball?

[00:07:38]Because also when you've not got the ball, you're a leader, especially from a pressing point of view. I think he's one of the best coaches I've ever had. Yeah.

[00:07:46]Throughout my career, he's helped me progress a lot with and without the ball.

[00:07:56]He gives me tactical advice and I try and implement what he's telling me onto the pitch.

[00:08:05]But the older you get, the most the more experience you get on the pitch as well, be this with recent high gear or with the other coaches that I've had in the past. But I'm also surrounded by incredible players, which makes my life easier.

[00:08:19]this man on your left, Yanvin from TA.

[00:08:24]We actually saw a couple of supporters who've been driving for 17 hours to come here. Some of them have come through Romania, but your fans are willing to battle it through thick and thin to get here. Yeah, it's a great we we we saw everything that's going, all the hustle and bustle around the final since last season when we won our first Champions League title. But it I I'm happy. We're delighted that all of our fans, all of the Parisian fans are going to be here to watch the final and we also know that their expectations are high for the game tomorrow and as I mentioned, we hope to be able to give them what they want. Last question for man please. Usman on your right please.

[00:09:11]Yel Aba from Okaria.

[00:09:15]>> Last season for you and Paris and German 65. This season 55 for you. Uh how do you feel? What did you change in your preparation to stay fit until the end of the season?

[00:09:32]>> As I mentioned, it was a season that was quite particular. Last season we did play an a high number of games. We finished mid July. We didn't have that much downtime because we started with the European Super Cup straight away.

[00:09:50]And we we were trying to be ready physically. The coach obviously gave us a lot of rest days so that we could rest up and maybe disconnect from football a little bit. But that's what it is. It's the name of the competition. There are loads of games be we talking about the cup, the championship or even the Champions League. But as I mentioned, the coach and his staff have meticulously managed all of the scheduling for this year.

[00:10:19]I like when we play lots of games because it's a good sign if you're playing lots of games. If you're playing at the end of May, it means that you're playing in the Champions League final.

[00:10:27]So, it's incredible.

[00:10:29]And I think that the coach and all of his staff have really managed this season exceptionally well. Thank you.

[00:10:35]Let's now move on to questions for Minas.

[00:10:40]Hi Minas. Nicolola from RTL. I'm on your left. You mentioned a lot. You said last year a lot that you the players as well as Louis that nobody can have be more hungry for it, can want it more. when you were talking about the first Champions League trophy. So this is maybe what Arsenal are thinking now. No one can want it more than us. Is that something that's important to take in mind? And how do you overcome this? How do you ensure that you are still going to be on top of the game tomorrow? Good evening everyone.

[00:11:17]It's really important to have that motivation, that fire in your belly.

[00:11:21]Last year we said this, we we showed that on the pitch. That's the most important. And this year, that's what we've been doing and that's what we're going to be doing for the Champions League final. Give it all we've got on the pitch because winning the Champions League once once you've tasted the title, once you've tasted that moment, you you just want to go in again and again and again.

[00:11:51]I still remember today what it felt like, the emotions, what it was like in the dressing room afterwards.

[00:12:00]We're competitors. We want to live that again. We are hungry. We're still hungry. We are motivated.

[00:12:10]There were, as one of the um questions was said, we've got fans who were coming who are driving across. My father's driving across with his friends. It just shows how motivated everyone is.

[00:12:22]Motivation, ambition, we're hunger. We have that hunger for it. And that hasn't changed from last year. In fact, maybe we're even more hungry for it because we've tasted it. We know what it tastes like to win. And we want that again.

[00:12:38]Hi Mara from Leia. On a personal note, this is your third Champions League final, the second as the captain. you I can still see how exciting it is for you, but you given that you've won it before. Are you able to maybe take a step back and have a little bit more emotional control or in the way that you're preparing for the finals?

[00:13:00]No, I don't think so. I think it's it's the same emotions, the same level of emotion of motivation.

[00:13:09]Even if you've already been through this, we're human beings. We're football players and these are moments are important. They're difficult games there. There's lots going on around the game. That's what I was telling you last year. It's important to be able to have a hand on everything that's going on around the game. Pressure, stress, external factors.

[00:13:31]And I think that's what we said in the changing rooms last time.

[00:13:36]Nothing's changed. We want to continue working as we've been working. Continue to be hungry to have that hunger for it as we had last year.

[00:13:44]That's how we've been preparing for ourselves and I've got exactly the same emotions and the sensations that I had last year right up until now. Hi Maki on your left.

[00:13:57]Question about Lucen. Maybe you can talk about his main strengths and would you say that he's a guru? Would you follow him blindly in your versatility?

[00:14:16]Since Luis Enrique came to PSG, he showed that he was a coach that wanted to implement things, including his philosophy. He has strategies that he's implemented.

[00:14:28]And fortunately, it's all paid off.

[00:14:34]And that's how you convince that's how you preach to the choir. That's how you convince your players. Not just with smoke and mirrors, not with what you say. You need to do this and this and this, but this is why we're here. This is why we're like this as well. He is a coach who has good p he's he understands what's going on. He's very tactical.

[00:14:59]He prepares us personally. He prepares us physically, mentally.

[00:15:05]We've had a he's he's really well managed the season managed the season well.

[00:15:13]It's working. It has worked. It's all paid off and that's why really it is a he is a high level coach and I hope that he'll be staying at PSG for a number of years now.

[00:15:27]Hi Min from Leman started speaking about this earlier. There is a subject that comes up time and time again. It is Arsenal setpiece play. You've worked on this, I imagine, this week, but how to what extent do you think this is going to be a decisive factor? And is it something that is going to be incredible? Is it going to be a gamecher? And how have you been working on this? I think you've also looked at their long balls as well, their long throws.

[00:15:59]We've actually played Arsenal uh quite a few times over the course of the last years. We know what their strengths are.

[00:16:06]We know just how difficult it is to come up against them in a game. Nobody knows what's going to happen. No one knows what's going to trigger what. And that's why you need to be ready for everything for set play, for attacks, to defend. We look at our team as well. Look at the teams that we've come up across.

[00:16:27]Liverpool Bayern Munich, Chelsea, all of these teams that we've played since the beginning of the season are teams that have given us a run for our money at certain moments in the game. And we've shown that we don't let that beats us. We've been able to adapt.

[00:16:45]We've always been ready to deal with it.

[00:16:47]You don't know what a match is going to be made of, especially a final. The devil is in the detail. Knowing how to attack, knowing how to defend, knowing how to counter, knowing how to defend against set pieces, attack from set pieces as well. These are little details that are important in a football game. And we have prepared four eventualities.

[00:17:22]Hi, Minas. Hi, I'll be asking the question in Spanish if that's okay tomorrow.

[00:17:32]It's a game that's going to be quite intense. And I imagine that you've been waiting for this game all season, but then you've also got the World Cup in the United States. Don't you think the risk of a game like this there's a risk of injury or do do you how can we how do you strike that balance? How do you not take too many risks? Because everyone wants to win the game tomorrow, but you don't want to risk in getting yourself injured and then missing the World Cup that's coming up afterwards.

[00:18:06]So, what happens? Are you cautious? But can you really be cautious in a Champions League final or do you just go in it?

[00:18:20]No, you can't you can't take the risk. You can't say, "I'm going to be on my back foot for this. It is a final. It's a Champions League final. You don't play a Champions League final every year, even though it is our second consecutive year." It is very difficult. There there are people who work for their whole um career and they've never ever played a Champions League final. So, we've got the opportunity that's presented itself.

[00:18:49]And even if there is a World Cup looming in the background, I think most of the players that will be on the pitch tomorrow would also be called up for the World Cup. But the way we're feeling and if we think about what our heart's saying, what our heads are saying is that you can't play half fast.

[00:19:07]You need to be able to look at them to compartmentalize to look at the moment tomorrow in the World Cup. Even though the World Cup is also extraordinary important for the career of a footballer, a Champions League final is also important. Both both are experiences that are worth living. And so not giving it your all. If if you're not going to give 100%, it's it's worth.

[00:19:31]And that's where the danger comes. You have to be focused. You have to be giving giving it your all for a game like tomorrow because for me I want to win it. I want to win it. I want to be lifting that trophy and that's how I'm going to go out on the pitch even more confident, even more um ready for the World Cup. Last question for Mak. Hi Min from High School Games from MC Sports. We also always talk about the B SG squad and it's also the squad that let you not only pull off the season campaign for this year but I want to talk about two people who has had an exceptional season and Usman Dimare who is probably on route for a second balon. Can you talk to me about these two players?

[00:20:23]I can't talk about man because he's sitting right next to me.

[00:20:30]As you mentioned, it's yeah, the strength in our teams. Everyone's dangerous. We've got dangerous coming in from all sides. We've got players who are versatile, who know exactly what they're doing on the pitch. We have forwards who know how to defend. We know forward how to play on the left, on the right, in the middle. We have really good cohesion. We've got good mobility.

[00:20:54]Luis Enrique built this team. This is the team he's built. This is what he's shared with us. This is what he's instilled with us for the last few years. And it's been working. The proofs in the pudding, which means that it's not just about the two players because danger can come from everywhere.

[00:21:10]Midfield, from the right. There are players who are also very important to the squad.

[00:21:18]As I mentioned, we're very complete team. We're holistic team. Danger comes from everywhere.

[00:21:24]But Kaha, they are both having a blinder of a season, especially in these decisive moments. They're both leaders on the pitch. And we need leaders like them. We need to see them. We need them to be there in the moments, in the games, in the season. And we're delighted to have them as part of our squad. We feel really lucky to have players like them who give all they've got for the club, for the shirt, for the badge. It's not just me. I can probably say on behalf of all of our fans, they're delighted to have players like these two on the pitch that give it their all to attack, to defend, to get the to get the jersey wet, and they really deserve all the accolades that they receive. Thank you very much.

[00:22:28]for which translation is Spanish.

[00:22:34]>> Okay.

[00:22:38]>> Okay.