Being tasked with the job of marking Lionel Messi is enough to give any defender a nervous tummy, but Marquinhos went one step further.
The Paris Saint-Germain star faced the Argentinian legend already suffering with diarrhoea.
Marquinhos revealed that he took ill in the build-up to Brazil’s Copa America semi-final clash against Argentina last Tuesday.
Related: Messi, Scaloni Insist Argentina Were Cheated, Superior In Defeat To Brazil
However, he made himself available to coach Tite and managed to play for 64 minutes, before eventually being substituted by Inter Milan’s Miranda.
The 25-year-old stopper admitted: “It was not easy, no.
“On the day of the game, I ended up suffering a virus, and I spent the day at the hotel. It was very complicated, I had diarrhoea and was vomiting.”
He added: “I still managed to play but, with the effort I put in, it worsened and eventually I had to leave the game.”
Fortunately for Marquinhos, Messi failed to get on the scoresheet as Brazil progressed to Sunday’s final – which they won 3-1 against Peru – 2-0 thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus and Roberto Firmino.
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