Carlos Marchena

Carlos Marchena

Marchena before a game with Spain
Personal information
Full name	Carlos Marchena López
Date of birth	31 July 1979 (1979-07-31)
Place of birth	Las Cabezas, Spain
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Centre back / Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current club	Villarreal
Number	5
Youth career
	Sevilla
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1997–2000	Sevilla	68	(1)
2000–2001	Benfica	20	(2)
2001–2010	Valencia	230	(8)
2010–	Villarreal	38	(1)
National team‡
1999	Spain U20	7	(0)
1999–2001	Spain U21	17	(0)
2000	Spain U23	5	(0)
2002–	Spain	69	(2)
Honours Competitor for Spain Men's Football Silver 2000 Sydney Team Competition
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12 February 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 7 June 2011

This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Marchena and the second or maternal family name is López.

Carlos Marchena López (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkaɾlos maɾˈtʃena ˈlopeθ]; born 31 July 1979) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Villarreal CF and the Spanish national team.

Mainly a central defender with an aggressive approach, he can also pitch in as a defensive midfielder. Most of his professional career was spent at Valencia CF (nine years), which he helped to five major titles, namely two La Liga championships.

A Spanish international for the better part of the 2000s, Marchena represented the nation in two World Cups and as many European Championships.

Club career

Early years

Born in Las Cabezas de San Juan, Province of Seville, Andalusia, Marchena started his professional career in hometown club Sevilla FC at the age of 18, when the club was playing in the Spanish second division. In 1999–2000, he made his top flight debut, playing the entire match in a 2–2 home draw with Real Sociedad on 22 August 1999.

When Sevilla was relegated again at the end of the season, Marchena earned a transfer to Portugal's S.L. Benfica, where he did sufficiently well to catch the eye of top club Valencia CF, who were in need to provide cover for aging centre-back Miroslav Đukić.

Valencia

Marchena signed a four-year contract, which involved a swap-deal, with Zlatko Zahovič moving in the opposite direction. While Marchena took a while in his first season to impress (16 appearances), as Valencia clinched their first league title in 30 years, he gradually became first-choice.

In the 2003–04 season, with Valencia capturing an historic league and UEFA Cup double, Marchena played a pivotal role in defense, teaming up with Roberto Ayala. This polished performance led to his selection for the Spanish national team for the Euro 2004 tournament.

2004–05 was not a very successful season for Valencia, as under new coach Claudio Ranieri, the team struggled both domestically and in European tournaments. In a UEFA Champions League group stage match against SV Werder Bremen at the Mestalla Stadium, he was also given his marching orders in the final minutes of the match (0–2 defeat) and Valencia was eliminated from the elite competition. Marchena remained a regular at both defensive positions.

During the Champions League match against F.C. Internazionale Milano on 6 March 2007, Marchena was involved in the on-pitch melee sparked by his teammate David Navarro. Marchena appeared to kick Inter defender Nicolás Burdisso after an angry exchange of words. After Navarro punched the Argentine's nose, a scuffle took place with several of Burdisso's teammates chasing Navarro all the way into the dressing room.

Consequently, Marchena, Navarro and several other Inter players involved were later charged with "gross unsporting conduct" by UEFA after the investigation. Both clubs were fined ₤106,000 while Marchena was banned for four games. After Euro 2008, Marchena was selected by Valencia teammates as new team captain, although he missed the first two months of the new season due to injury.

In 2009–10, veteran Marchena contributed with 24 matches as the Che finished third and returned to the Champions League. He netted in two 3–1 away wins, against CA Osasuna and Xerez CD, only being booked seven times.

Later years

On 1 August 2010, 31-year old Marchena signed with Villarreal CF, for three seasons. On the 19th, he made his official debut for the Valencian, opening the score in a 5–0 home win against FC Dnepr Mogilev, for the season's Europa League.

Regularly used in both defensive positions again, Marchena scored his second goal for the Yellow Submarine on 7 April 2011, in the same competition, a 5–1 home success against FC Twente in the quarterfinals' first leg.

International career

Marchena first appeared internationally for Spain in the youth squad alongside Xavi and Iker Casillas, winning the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship. He was also on the roster for the 2000 Summer Olympics squad, winning the silver medal.

Marchena made his senior team debut on 21 August 2002, playing in a testimonial match for Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskás in Budapest, just after the FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

Subsequently, he was part of the nation's squads at UEFA Euro 2004, where he was chosen at the last minute by then coach Iñaki Sáez as a strategic move to bolster his squad defensively. While Spain did not do well in the tournament and bowed out in the early stages, he did manage two appearances, although he did also pick up two yellow cards while doing so.

Marchena was also picked for the 2006 World Cup squad. However, he was not a regular starter and only featured in the last first-round game against Saudi Arabia. He was called up by Luis Aragonés again for Euro 2008, this time as undisputed starter, having also featured prominently in the qualifying stages. With Carles Puyol, Sergio Ramos and Joan Capdevila, Marchena formed a rock-solid defense and conceded only two goals in five games, his hard work and man-marking skills earning him a spot in the team of the tournament.

Under new coach Vicente del Bosque, Marchena slowly lost his spot to Gerard Piqué, but was still called-up for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, and the 2010 World Cup; as Spain downed Saudi Arabia on May 29, 2010, in preparation for the latter competition (where he played six minutes in the 1–0 quarterfinal win against Paraguay, adding two injury-time appearances), he played his 50th consecutive undefeated match with the national team, surpassing previous holder Garrincha (49).

International Goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	8 June 2005	Estadio Mestalla, Valencia, Spain	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1–1	1–1	2006 World Cup qualification
2.	22 August 2007	Toumba Stadium, Thessaloniki, Greece	Greece	1–1	2–3	Friendly

Honours

Club

Valencia

• UEFA Cup: 2003–04
• UEFA Super Cup: 2004
• Spanish League: 2001–02, 2003–04
• Spanish Cup: 2007–08

Country

Spain

• FIFA World Cup: 2010
• UEFA European Football Championship: 2008
• FIFA Confederations Cup: Third-place 2009
• FIFA U-20 World Cup: 1999
• Summer Olympic Games: Silver medal 2000

Individual

• UEFA Euro 2008: Team of the tournament

External links

• Villarreal official profile
• BDFutbol profile
• National team data (Spanish)
• Carlos Marchena at National-Football-Teams.com
• 2010 FIFA World Cup profile
• Carlos Marchena – FIFA competition record
• Transfermarkt profile