Gabriel stated in an interview with ESPN that after missing a penalty in the Champions League final, he stayed away from social media and received support from Marquinhos.

Gabriel, who missed a penalty in Arsenal's Champions League final loss to Paris Saint-Germain, still remembers that moment. Marquinhos, who had experienced a similar moment, helped him overcome the setback.

In June, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain competed for the Champions League title. After regular time and extra time ended in a 1-1 draw, the match went to a penalty shootout. Gabriel missed his penalty, and Arsenal finished as runner-up.

The defender needed to adjust quickly, as he was due to join the Brazil national team for the Copa América a few days later. Gabriel stated that it was not easy.

Gabriel said: "Of course, I was very sad about what happened. That's normal, right? We missed a penalty in the Champions League final. But I adjusted as quickly as I could, and I spent time with my family, friends, and even teammates."

He added: "After the Champions League final, I tried to stay away from social media, because we all know that people would talk about it constantly. So I tried to detach myself for a while and spend more time with my family. Then we immediately reported to the national team, and I received a warm welcome from the coach and all the players. But of course, people always think about these things, and at some point, they will still remember that incident."

To get through this difficult period, Gabriel received support from Marquinhos. Marquinhos had experienced a similar moment in the 2022 World Cup, where he missed a penalty, leading to Brazil's elimination by Croatia.

In the Champions League final, Marquinhos was the first to embrace Gabriel. This gesture also earned the Paris Saint-Germain captain the Fair Play Award.

Gabriel said: "He fully deserved this award; he is an idol to me. I learned a lot from him when I played with him in the national team. About two days after the match, I messaged him to thank him for his support. He knew how that felt because he had experienced it too. When I arrived at the national team, I thanked him in person. He only said a few words to me at the time, but those words have stayed with me."

He concluded: "He just fully supported me, saying that this is part of football and that he himself had been through it. For a player like him, who has had such a long career and won many titles, to offer words that I will always remember—I will never forget that."

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