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Rafael Márquez

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For other people named Rafael Márquez, see Rafael Márquez (disambiguation).

Rafael Márquez
Personal information
Full name Rafael Márquez Alvarez
Date of birth (1979-02-13) 13 February 1979 (age 45)
Place of birth Zamora, Michoacán, Mexico
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Centre back / Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 León
Number 3
Youth career
Atlas
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–1999 Atlas 77 (6)
1999–2003 Monaco 87 (5)
2003–2010 Barcelona 163 (9)
2010–2012 New York Red Bulls 44 (1)
2013– León 3 (0)
International career‡
1999 Mexico U20 4 (2)
1997– Mexico 111 (12)
Medal record
Representing  Mexico
Winner FIFA Confederations Cup 1999
Winner CONCACAF Gold Cup 2003
Winner CONCACAF Gold Cup 2011
Runner-up Copa América 2001
Runner-up CONCACAF Gold Cup 2007

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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 January 2013
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 June 2012

Rafael "Rafa" Márquez Álvarez (locally [rafaˈel ˈrafa ˈmarkes ˈalβaɾes]; born 13 February 1979 in Zamora, Michoacán) is a Mexican footballer currently playing for Club León of the Liga MX. He plays as a centre back or defensive midfielder.

He spent over a decade playing in France and Spain. He has won numerous titles with Monaco and FC Barcelona. After winning the 2006 UEFA Champions League with Barcelona, he became the first Mexican to win the honour, something Mexican legend Hugo Sánchez was not able to do while playing for Real Madrid.

Club career

Atlas

Márquez began his career at Mexican club Atlas, for whom he débuted in 1996 at only 17 years old. Márquez rose to prominence while with Atlas, making 77 appearances for the team and being runner-up in the league, losing the final against Deportivo Toluca in penalties on the Verano 1999 tournament.

Monaco

In 1999, Monaco purchased him for €7 million. Monaco scouts had gone to see Pablo Contreras during the Copa América tournament. After seeing Márquez play, they signed both players. In his first season, Monaco became Ligue 1 champions. In 2003, Márquez was signed by La Liga giants FC Barcelona.

Barcelona

In his first season with Barcelona, Márquez appeared 21 times, and the team came in second place in La Liga. During his second season, he was moved from his natural position as a centre back to a defensive midfield role, due to injuries to players Thiago Motta, Edmílson and Gerard López. That year Barcelona won its 17th league title on 14 May 2005 after a 1–1 tie with Levante. After an injury in his left knee, he returned after a month to play against Milan in the first leg of the 2006 UEFA Champions League semi-final. Barcelona, playing away at the San Siro, won 1–0.

File:Rafael Marquez 15abr2007.jpg
Márquez playing for Barcelona.

Márquez was present in the Champions League final on 17 May 2006 for Barcelona, in which they won the tournament over Arsenal. This achievement made him the first Mexican football player to ever win this competition, something Hugo Sánchez was not able to do during his time in La Liga with Real Madrid. After the 2006 World Cup, Barcelona extended his contract for the following 4 years to €38.5 million which would see his contract end in June 2010. Despite sustaining injuries, he was rumoured to be up for sale at the end of the 2006–07 season. His future at Barça was up in the air until the 2007 Copa América where Mexico reached 3rd place.

In the 2007–08 season, Márquez formed a partnership with new signing Gabriel Milito while captain Carles Puyol was out injured. However, constant injuries threw off his form. Márquez's success declined with the rest of the season leading Barcelona to end up in 3rd place after a miserable second half where injuries lead to his contribution being negligible. Even so, new coach Pep Guardiola continued to rely on his contributions; with the departure of Ronaldinho, Márquez had become the last original signing of the Rijkaard era to remain on the team. He was Guardiola's first choice at centre back along with captain Puyol for the 2008–09 season. On 13 December 2008, Márquez played his 200th match for Barcelona in the clash against Real Madrid, which they won 2–0. He got injured on 28 April 2009, in a match against Chelsea in the semi-final. Márquez was told he needed surgery on his left knee, forcing him to miss the rest of the season.[1] FC Barcelona would go on to win a historic treble after winning the 2008–09 Champions League, in which Márquez did not play. Márquez received an offer from Italian side Fiorentina.[2] However, Márquez said he would like to end his career at Barcelona.[3] Márquez signed a new contract with Barca in November 2009 that would keep him at the club until 2012.[4] On 20 February 2010, he scored his first goal since his return against Racing Santander. On 31 July 2010, Márquez was released by Barcelona.

He left the club as one of the most successful foreigners ever to play for Barcelona, earning 12 titles during his 7 seasons with the club. He also scored 13 goals in 242 matches, making him the most-capped non-European player in the club's history and the eighth most capped foreigner.[5]

New York Red Bulls

Márquez during his time with the New York Red Bulls

After being released by Barcelona and participating at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, it was reported that Italian club Juventus was strongly linked to the Mexican defender, as a back-up for defender Leonardo Bonucci.[6]

On 2 August 2010, it was announced that Márquez had signed with New York Red Bulls on a 3½ year contract.[7] He was declared as the club's third Designated Player and was unveiled to the media at Red Bull Arena on 3 August wearing his number 4 jersey and being reunited at the club with former FC Barcelona teammate Thierry Henry. On 8 August, Márquez made his MLS début against the Chicago Fire in a scoreless draw. On 21 August Márquez scored his first goal for the Red Bulls in a 4–1 win at Toronto FC. On 21 October 2010 Márquez started for Red Bulls in a 2–0 victory over New England Revolution which clinched the regular season Eastern Conference title.[8]

New York released Márquez on 13 December 2012.[9]

León

Hours after being released by the New York Red Bulls it was announced that Márquez signed with Mexican club León, returning to his home country after thirteen years.[10]

International career

Since making his international début on 5 February 1997 against Ecuador, Márquez has been a regular selection of the Mexican national football team though he was not chosen for the 1998 FIFA World Cup squad. Márquez has played various tournaments with the Mexican team, winning the 1999 Confederations Cup and the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Márquez started all four of Mexico's games during the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan, where he was given the Captain's Armband by then coach Javier Aguirre despite his young age of 23. He received a red card during Mexico's second round 2–0 loss to the United States for a deliberate mid-air head butt on Cobi Jones in the final minutes of the match. Márquez was selected by Ricardo La Volpe for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

During the 2006 World Cup, Márquez played in all of three of Mexico's opening round matches, and scored the lone Mexican goal in a 2–1 loss to Argentina in the second round off a Pável Pardo free kick which was headed to the far post by Mario Méndez, allowing an unmarked Márquez to strike the ball into the back of the net. The winner was scored by Maxi Rodríguez in extra time after Hernán Crespo had equalised for Argentina. Since Mexico's second round exit, he has spoken out about the need to encourage future Mexican football players to play in Europe to increase the competitiveness of the team.

Former Mexican coach Hugo Sánchez asked Márquez to participate in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 2007 Copa América. Rafael joined up with the team Mexico for the Gold Cup's championship game against the United States after the conclusion of 2006–07 La Liga; Rafa started the match, a game that Mexico lost 2–1.

Márquez captained the Mexico national football team at the 2010 World Cup. Márquez scored Mexico's first goal against South Africa in the 79th minute against the hosts tying the game one a piece. In Mexico's 2–0 win against France, Márquez assisted Javier Hernández in Mexico's first goal.

On 29 March 2011, Márquez became the eighth player in history to reach 100 caps for Mexico in a friendly match against Venezuela where Mexico drew 1–1.[11]

Career statistics

As of 25 April 2010[12]
Club performance League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Mexico League Cup North America Total
1996–97 Atlas Primera División 24 2 — — 24 2
1997–98 20 1 — — 20 1
1998–99 33 3 — — 33 3
France League Coupe de France Europe Total
1999–2000 Monaco Ligue 1 23 3 2 0 6 0 31 3
2000–01 15 1 0 0 4 0 19 1
2001–02 19 0 3 0 — 22 0
2002–03 30 1 0 0 — 30 1
Spain League Copa del Rey Europe Total
2003–04 Barcelona La Liga 22 1 6 0 3 0 31 1
2004–05 34 3 1 0 6 0 41 3
2005–06 25 0 4 1 8 0 37 1
2006–07 21 1 7 0 7 0 35 1
2007–08 23 2 5 0 8 0 36 2
2008–09 23 1 4 1 10 1 37 3
2009–10 15 1 3 0 5 0 23 1
USA League Open Cup League Cup Total
2010 New York Red Bulls Major League Soccer 10 1 0 0 2 0 12 1
2011 19 0 0 0 2 0 21 0
2012 15 0 0 0 2 0 17 0
Total Mexico 77 6 — — 77 6
France 87 5 5 0 10 0 102 5
Spain 163 9 30 2 47 1 240 12
USA 44 1 0 0 6 0 50 1
Career total 371 21 35 2 63 1 469 24

National team

As of 8 February 2008[13]
All-Time National Performance
Nationality Year Games Played Minutes Played Goals Scored Yellow Card Red Card
Mexico 1997 1 29 — — —
1999 13 1177 1 2 —
2000 10 902 2 1 —
2001 12 1020 — 5 1
2002 7 557 1 — 1
2003 7 299 1 1 —
2004 8 676 1 3 —
2005 11 710 1 3 1
2006 6 554 1 2 —
2007 10 810 1 2 —
2008 6 540 1 2 —
2009 2 155 — 2 1
2010 6 496 1 — —
2011 13 — 1 — —
Career totals 106 7925 12 23 4

International goals

Scores and results list Mexico's goal tally first.
Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 5 February 1999 Hong Kong Stadium, Wan Chai, Hong Kong  Egypt 1–0 3–0 1999 Carlsberg Cup
2. 13 February 2000 Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, United States  Trinidad and Tobago 1–0 4–0 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup
3. 3 September 2000 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico  Panama 5–1 7–1 2002 World Cup qualifier
4. 12 May 2002 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico  Colombia 2–1 2–1 Friendly
5. 24 July 2003 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico  Costa Rica 1–0 2–0 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup
6. 19 June 2004 Alamodome, San Antonio, United States  Dominica 3–0 3–0 2006 World Cup qualifier
7. 7 September 2005 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico  Panama 2–0 5–0 2006 World Cup qualifier
8. 24 June 2006 Zentralstadion, Leipzig, Germany  Argentina 1–0 1–2 (a.e.t.) 2006 FIFA World Cup
9. 28 March 2007 McAfee Coliseum, Oakland, United States  Ecuador 2–2 4–2 Friendly
10. 10 September 2008 Estadio Víctor Manuel Reyna, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Mexico  Canada 2–0 2–1 2010 World Cup qualifier
11. 11 June 2010 Soccer City, Johannesburg, South Africa  South Africa 1–1 1–1 2010 FIFA World Cup
12. 12 June 2011 Soldier Field, Chicago, United States  Costa Rica 1–0 4–1 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Honours

Club honours

Monaco
Barcelona
New York Red Bulls

International Honours

Mexico Mexico National Football Team

Individual Awards

Personal life

His father Rafael Márquez Esqueda was also a professional soccer player in Mexico. He was married to Mexican actress Adriana Lavat, the couple married in December 2001 and had 2 children, Santiago Rafael and Rafaela, before separating in 2007.[14] He is married to Jaydy Michel, ex-wife of singer Alejandro Sanz.[15][16]

Rafael was also featured in the music video for Shakira's song "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" to celebrate South Africa hosting the 2010 World Cup. He also is a distant cousin of Chicago socialite Tom Marquez, who rose to fame by being the first Marquez to have been on both prom court and turnabout court at Immaculate Conception High School. His father's father's brother's son's daughter's son is Ignacio O. "Al" Marquez, grandfather of Tom Marquez.

References

  1. ^ Crawford, Stephen (28 April 2009). "Barcelona Defender Rafael Marquez Out For The Season". Goal.com. Retrieved 27 July 2009. Barcelona centre-back Rafael Marquez has been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury in Tuesday night's Champions League clash with Chelsea.
  2. ^ "Bueno, bonito y barato" (in Spanish). Fox Sports en Español. 14 June 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2009. Florentina ha mostrado su interés formal en el mexicano Rafael Márquez..." ["Florentina have formally demonstrated their interest in the Mexican Rafael Márquez...] {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "Marquez nears Barça return". FIFA. FIFA. 26 July 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2009. It would be my wish to retire at Barca. I'm very calm with regards the contract renewal. I know that we will arrive at an agreement, so it's only a question of time.
  4. ^ "Marquez signs new Barca deal". Ontheminute.com. 1 December 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  5. ^ "Adeu al viute estranger amb mes partits". fcbarcelona.cat. 1 August 2010. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  6. ^ http://www.goal.com/en-india/news/222/transfer-zone/2010/07/09/2017418/juventus-monitor-barcelona-defender-rafael-marquez
  7. ^ http://worldsoccerreader.com/2010/08/new-york-red-bulls-sign-rafael-marquez/
  8. ^ http://www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter-recap/red-bulls-beat-revs-clinch-eastern-conference
  9. ^ http://www.newyorkredbulls.com/news/2012/12/defender-rafa-marquez-released-new-york-red-bulls
  10. ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/news/rafa-marquez-signs-club-leon-171000785--mls.html
  11. ^ Slevison, Andrew (29 March 2011). "New York Red Bulls' Marquez triumphs in 100th Mexico cap". TribalFootball.com. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  12. ^ Soccernet player statistics
  13. ^ FMF player statistics
  14. ^ Adriana Lavat y Rafa Márquez firman divorcio por separado/
  15. ^ Jaydy Michel, blaugrana de corazón
  16. ^ Rafael Márquez y su novia, reafirman su amor,


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