Rafael Marquez

Rafael Marquez is a Mexican professional footballer who represents his country as a central defender and defensive midfielder. Rafael Marquez get into Mexico’s final 23-man World Cup team, which will compete in Russia in 2018.

Early Life

Rafael Marquez was born on February 13, 1979, in Zamora Hidalgo, Michoacan de Ocampo, Mexico, under the name Rafael Marquez Alvarez. He is 42 years old. Since he was a boy, he has been enthralled by football. He get selected out of a hundred players for a trial with the Atlas youth teams when he was 14 years old. In addition, he began his career with the Atlas in 1996.

Professional Life

Club Career

Atlas

Marquez made his professional debut at Atlas, a Mexican club when he was 17 years old, and he went on to make 77 appearances for the team. During the Verano 1999 tournament, however, his team lost on penalties in the final to Toluca.

Monaco

After playing in the 1999 Copa America, Marquez signed a $6 million deal with AS Monaco of France. On August 14, he made his first appearance for the club against Bastia. In addition, Monaco captured the league title in its inaugural season. Over the course of four seasons, Marquez appeared in 109 games for the club, winning the Coupe de la Ligue.

Barcelona

Marquez joined Spanish club FC Barcelona in 2003 after playing for Monaco. In his first season with the club, he made 21 appearances and the team finished second. Owing to the injuries of other players, he switched to center back in his second season. Barcelona secured the UEFA Champions League after a 2-1 final victory over Arsenal.

Barcelona agreed to extend Marquez’s contract for another four years, for a total of 38.5 million euros, until June 2010. Following that, Mexico placed third in the 2007 Copa America. He suffered several injuries the following season, preventing him from playing in any of the games.

New York Red Bulls

Marquez signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer on August 1, 2010, after ending his contract with Barcelona. Marquez scored his first goal for the club against Toronto FC on August 21, resulting in a 4-1 victory. Then, in a 2-0 win over the New England Revolution, he played for the Red Bulls.

Leon

After leaving from the New York Red Bulls, Marquez signed with the Mexican club Leon. On 5 October 2013, he scored his first goal for the club in the 17th minute with a penalty kick against Puebla. Marquez competed in the Apertura 2013 after defeating America 5-1.

Verona

Verona of Serie A signed Marquez for a short-term deal on August 7, 2014. On August 31, Marquez made his first appearance for the club against Atalanta. Marquez made history by becoming the first Mexican player to appear in five different countries.

Return to Atlas

Marquez officially returned to Atlas after playing for Verona. Marquez agreed to retire from football on April 19, 2018, after featuring for many years. He did, however, play for his country in the World Cup. On April 20, Marquez played his final match against Guadalajara at the Estadio Jalisco, which ended in a 1-0 win.

International Career

Marquez has made a name for himself on the international stage and has performed several times. On February 5, 1997, he made his international debut for Mexico in a friendly match against Ecuador. He was a member of the Mexican team that won the FIFA Confederations Cup in 1999 and lost the CONCACAF Gold Cup to Canada in 2000.

Ricardo La Volpe chose Marquez for the 2006 World Cup, which held in Germany. Marquez, on the other hand, appeared in all three of Mexico’s first-round matches, scoring a goal in a 2-1 defeat to Argentina. Hugo Sanchez later called him up to play in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 2007 Copa America. He played for the 2006-07 La Liga team, which lost 2-1.

At the 2010 World Cup, Marquez was given the opportunity to captain Mexico. Mexico scored a goal in the opening match of the tournament against South Africa, which ended in a 1-1 draw. With a 1-0 victory over Cameroon in the 2014 World Cup, Marquez became the first player to lead a team in four World Cups. He scored his first goal in a 3-1 victory over Croatia.

In May 2015, Marquez was part of the 23-man squad that competed in the Copa America tournament in Chile. Marquez then scored the game-winning goal for Mexico in a 2-1 victory over the United States in a 2018 World Cup qualifier on November 11, 2016. Marquez was appointed to Mexico’s final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup on June 4, 2018, alongside players such as Javier Hernandez, Guillermo Ochoa, Hirving Lozano, and others.

Networth

Rafael Marquez is a professional footballer who receives a large salary. He has a net worth of around $25 million and is ranked third among Mexico’s top ten wealthiest athletes. He is paying a salary of about $5 million per year. His market value is estimated to be worth 800,000 EUR, according to reports dated April 10, 2018. However, as of January 20, 2006, his peak market value was estimated to be about 16,00 million EUR.

Relationship Status

Rafael Marquez Esqueda, Marquez’s father, was also a professional football player in Mexico. In December 2001, he married Mexican actress Adriana Lavin. Santiago Rafael and Rafaela were the couple’s two daughters.

The couple divorced in 2007, and Marquez later married Jaydy Michel, the ex-wife of singer Alejandro Sanz. Luis Marquez, Marquez’s younger cousin, is also a professional football player.

Body Measurement and Social media

Marquez is a tall man, standing 6 feet tall. He weighs 75 kilograms. He is only active on Twitter where he has more than 3.9M Followers.

Source: Biography Mask