Arrived at PSG in January 2012, Maxwell is one of the pillars of the project QSI in Paris. The player who ended his career in 2017 under the colors Red Blue is now responsible for the development of football at theUEFA. Formerly sports coordinator Paris Saint Germain and then ambassador of the club in Brazil, Maxwell confided at length to our colleagues at SoFoot. The full-back keeps an eye on the sporting side of the side of Parisespecially when asked why the PSG still fails to win Champions League : “ This is a difficult question. I believe that this title, which was a desire, has become an obsession mainly because of the people, the public. However, such a project must be built slowly. I think it’s hard to find a why, but what is certain is that this team is competitive“. A lot of speculation exists around the dressing room of the PSG and the status attributed to the players, something to which Maxwell respond : ” I think it’s complicated for an outside observer to have the necessary knowledge to talk about what’s really going on inside. For me, the club has grown a lot, the fans can be proud of what the PSG has become in ten years, in terms of sports brand. We obviously hope for European titles, the players must believe that the most important thing is the interest of the club, but it is difficult to talk about where we are in the relationship between the club and its players.“.
“I still have friends there, from the president to the laundry people. »
When we talk to him about the clubs he went through before the Paris Saint Germainthe Brazilian left side believes that it is not the same thing, thus making the difference between clubs ” already trained“, and another (the PSG) still at the stage of “ project“. And when we talk about identity, Maxwell confides in the bond he has created, he and the players of his generation, with the club of the capital: ” Today the PSG, it is a club that many players want to join. When I arrived, Qatar had just bought the club, but what I can say is that we, the players who arrived at the start, we still have a huge love for what we built. We hope that has passed on to the players who are arriving now. I still have friends there, from the president to the laundry people. And if you go to interview the others who played in Paris between 2013 and 2017, they will answer you the same thing: we created a strong bond between us, because the club expected a lot, we answered present, we identified with the project, with the club“.
When our colleagues from SoFoot interrogate Maxwell on the identity of the club, he replies: Today there is a new cycle. What is certain is that a winning mentality has been created. The club wins in France and is recognized at European level. Now the culture, the DNA, it’s hard to create. Many coaches have come through, each with a different philosophy. And I agree with the supporters: this culture must not forget the past. It was not Qatar that did the PSG, I know it particularly, as a Brazilian, I admired several compatriots who went to the club. And I think it’s important for a player who arrives today to know this story“.
The Head of Football Development at theUEFA also spoke about the 15 titles he won with the jersey of the PSGand the importance it may have: I’m not the best at partying, but when you win titles, I want to stay until the end, because I know what the trophy means, the commitment that we put into it, the effort throughout the year. I remember at PSG the first, the championship we won in 2013 and the party that followed in the streets, to the point that it almost degenerated, but we were so close to the supporters, that marked me. And then I remember the last one, the French Cup in front of Angers and Thiago Silva which lets me lift the trophy for my last match, celebrate not only the title, but also the end of my career“.
“I am in love with Paris”
On life in Paris, Maxwell is dithyrambic with the French capital: “ I am in love with Paris. Culture, gastronomy, education. I think I had a fantastic experience and I remember a lot of days off, when I put on my headphones, I walked along the Seine and in neighborhoods like Saint-Germain and I tried to visit, discover . Sometimes we dined with Lavezziwe had lunch with Ibrawith other players“, he confided, before continuing on the same subject: “ I enjoyed Parisian life a lot and I think that we, our generation, our cycle of players, we had a very strong relationship with the city, with the club. And we learned a lot in Paris, it brought us much, much more than what we could give on the pitch. And besides, what I keep most preciously today are relationships with people, that’s the biggest title of my career for me.“.
Certainly one of the most important elements of the PSG under the era QSI, Maxwell Scherrer Cabelino Andrade played 214 matches between January 2012 and May 2017 with the jersey of PSG on the back, stamped with the number 17.