| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rafael Márquez Alvarez | ||
| Date of birth | 13 February 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Zamora, Michoacán, Mexico | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back / Defensive midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | New York Red Bulls | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| 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– | New York Red Bulls | 31 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1999 | Mexico U20 | 4 | (2) |
| 1997– | Mexico | 109 | (12) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:00, 7 November 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Rafael Márquez Álvarez (born 13 February 1979 in Zamora, Michoacán) is a Mexican footballer who plays for New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer and the Mexico national team. He plays as a centre back or defensive midfielder.
He spent over a decade playing in France and Spain and is considered one of the best Mexican defenders of all time. He 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.
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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.
In 1996, 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, he helped lead Monaco to become Ligue 1 champions, in which he played a vital part in defence. In 2003, Márquez was signed by La Liga giants FC Barcelona.
In his first season with Barcelona, Márquez appeared 21 times, helping the team to a second place finish 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. He completed a great season, being one of the main players that helped Barcelona win 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.
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 Márquez regained his best form and was one of the best players of the competition, helping Mexico reach the 3rd place.
In the 2007–08 season, Márquez got off to an excellent start, as he managed to form a solid 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 Josep 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 was present but was sidelined. 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 July 31, 2010, Marquez was released from 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]
After being released by Barcelona and a good performance 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 August 3 wearing his number 4 jersey and being reunited at the club with former FC Barcelona teammate Thierry Henry. On August 8, Márquez made his MLS début against the Chicago Fire in a scoreless draw. On August 21 Márquez scored his first goal for the Red Bulls in a 4–1 win at Toronto FC. On October 21, 2010 Márquez started for Red Bulls in a 2–0 victory over New England Revolution which clinched the regular season Eastern Conference title.[8]
Since making his international début on 5 February 1997 against Ecuador, Márquez has been one of the Mexican national football team's most important players, but he was not chosen for the 1998 FIFA World Cup squad. Márquez has played various tournament's 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. Despite a strong performance during the group stage of the tournament, 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 an integral part of Mexico's subsequent World Cup qualification campaign and was selected by Ricardo Lavolpe 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 Rodriguez 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.
Marquez captained the Mexico national football team at the 2010 World Cup. Marquez 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, Marquez assisted Javier Hernández in Mexico's first goal.
On 29 March, 2011, Marquez became the eighth player in history to reach 100 caps for Mexico in a friendly match against Venezuela where Mexico drew 1-1.
| 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 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 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 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 35 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 358 | 21 | 35 | 2 | 61 | 1 | 454 | 24 | ||
| 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 | |
| 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 |
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.[11] He is married to Jaydy Michel, ex-wife of singer Alejandro Sanz.[12][13]
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.
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