Carlos Marchena

Carlos Marchena

Marchena before a game with Spain
Personal information
Full nameCarlos Marchena López[1]
Date of birth31 July 1979
Place of birthLas Cabezas, Spain
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing positionCentre back / Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current team
Free agent
Youth career
Cabecense
1990–1997Sevilla
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1997–2000Sevilla68(1)
1998Sevilla B3(0)
2000–2001Benfica20(2)
2001–2010Valencia230(8)
2010–2012Villarreal45(1)
2012–2014Deportivo La Coruña44(5)
National team
1999Spain U207(0)
1999–2001Spain U2117(0)
2000Spain U235(0)
2002–2011Spain69(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:00, 31 May 2014 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).
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 professional footballer.

Mainly a central defender with an aggressive approach,[2] he can also pitch in as a defensive midfielder. Most of his professional career was spent at Valencia (nine years) which he helped to five major titles, including 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, winning once in each competition.

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 second division. In the 1999–2000 season he made his La Liga debut, playing the entire match in a 2–2 home draw with Real Sociedad on 22 August 1999.[3]

When Sevilla was relegated again at the end of the season, Marchena earned a transfer to Portugal's S.L. Benfica.[4] During his spell in Lisbon he scored in two narrow wins, at home against C.F. Os Belenenses (1–0) and at S.C. Salgueiros (2–1),[5] but almost left the club in late 2000 due to lack of payment.[6]

Valencia

Marchena returned to his country in the 2001 summer as he signed a four-year contract with Valencia CF which involved a swap-deal, with Zlatko Zahovič moving in the opposite direction.[7] Having signed as a cover for ageing Miroslav Đukić, he took a while to impress in his first season (16 appearances) as Valencia clinched its first league title in 30 years, but gradually became first-choice.

In the 2003–04 campaign, with the club capturing an historic league and UEFA Cup double, Marchena played a pivotal role in defense, teaming up with Roberto Ayala. These performances 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 Inter Milan 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 and, 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.[8] 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 the 2009–10 season, veteran Marchena contributed with 24 matches as the Che finished third and returned to the Champions League. He scored in two 3–1 away wins, against CA Osasuna[9] and Xerez CD,[10] only being booked seven times.

Late career

On 1 August 2010, 31-year-old Marchena signed with Villarreal CF for three years.[11] 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 campaign'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.[12] He left at the end of 2011–12 after being released from contract, and his team also suffered relegation.[13]

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 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[14]– he was not a regular starter, however, 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, he 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[15] and the 2010 World Cup; as Spain downed Saudi Arabia on 29 May 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).[16]

International goals

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

Honours

Club

Valencia

Country

Spain

Individual

Statistics

Club

As of 31 May 2014[17][18]
Club Season League Cup[19] Continental[20] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Sevilla 1997–98 Segunda División 1700000170
1998–99 Segunda División 1818000260
2000–01 La Liga 3300000330
Total 6818000761
Benfica 2001–02 Primeira Liga 2020000202
Total 2020000202
Valencia 2001–02 La Liga 1611050221
2002–03 La Liga 2604090390
2003–04 La Liga 3125080442
2004–05 La Liga 3221060392
2005–06 La Liga 2504030320
2006–07 La Liga 2202040280
2007–08 La Liga 2808070430
2008–09 La Liga 2614171373
2009–10 La Liga 2423180353
Total 230832257131911
Villarreal 2010–11 La Liga 28100122403
2011–12 La Liga 1701061241
Total 45110183644
Deportivo 2012–13 La Liga 2221000232
2013–14 Segunda División 2231000233
Total 4452000465
Career total 4071643275452522

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010: List of players" (PDF). FIFA. 4 June 2010. p. 29. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  2. ↑ Carlos Marchena; FIFA.com
  3. ↑ Tablas en el retorno a Primera (Tie in return to Primera); El Mundo Deportivo, 23 August 1999 (Spanish)
  4. ↑ Marchena quatro temporadas no Benfica (Marchena four seasons in Benfica); Record, 6 June 2000 (Portuguese)
  5. ↑ Salgueiros-Benfica, 1–2: Marchena e Meira empurraram e Van Hooijdonk acabou a obra (Salgueiros-Benfica, 1–2: Marchena and Meira pushed forward and Van Hooijdonk the finisher); Record, 8 January 2001 (Portuguese)
  6. ↑ Benfica pode perder Marchena (Benfica may lose Marchena); Record, 31 October 2000 (Portuguese)
  7. ↑ Benfica acerta com Valência troca de Marchena por Zahovic (Benfica arranges Marchena/Zahovic swap with Valencia); Record, 20 June 2001 (Portuguese)
  8. ↑ UEFA charge Valencia and Inter over Champions League brawl; The Guardian, 7 March 2007
  9. ↑ Valencia cruise past nine-man Osasuna; ESPN Soccernet, 22 November 2009
  10. ↑ Valencia heap more misery on Xerez; ESPN Soccernet, 10 January 2010
  11. ↑ Marchena ya es oficialmente jugador del Villarreal (Marchena officially a Villarreal player); Marca, 1 August 2010 (Spanish)
  12. ↑ Five-star Villarreal leave Twente dazed; UEFA.com, 7 April 2011
  13. ↑ El Submarino le da la carta de libertad a Carlos Marchena (The Submarine releases Marchena); Diario AS, 22 May 2012 (Spanish)
  14. ↑ "Luis Aragonés llama a Marchena y descarta a Morientes para el Mundial" [Luis Aragonés calls Marchena and cuts Morientes for World Cup] (in Spanish). Diario Córdoba. 16 May 2006. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  15. ↑ Spain unveil Confeds squad; FIFA.com, 1 June 2009
  16. ↑ Marchena alcanza 50 partidos seguidos sin perder y supera a Garrincha (Marchena plays 50 straight games without losing and passes Garrincha); Diario AS, 29 May 2010 (Spanish)
  17. ↑ "Marchena: Carlos Marchena López". BDFutbol. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  18. ↑ "Marchena". Soccerway. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  19. ↑ Includes Copa del Rey and Supercopa de España
  20. ↑ Includes UEFA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Intertoto Cup

External links

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