Twenty one years ago, Rafael Márquez made his professional debut playing for Atlas. “El Káiser de Michoacán” is one of the most emblematic players ever to have played for Mexico. He is no doubt among the most successful players to have played internationally.
The story started a long way back, on October 19th 1996, when he was only 17 years old. On that day, Rafa Márquez made his professional debut as Club Atlas faced Pumas UNAM.
From 1996 to 1999, Márquez was a Club Atlas player, even reaching the league final in 1998 and losing it to Toluca.
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After the 1999 Copa América held in Paraguay, having delivered good performances for Mexico, Márquez caught the eye of AS Monaco, who purchased the twenty-year-old Mexican defender for $6 million.
Playing in the Ligue 1, Márquez won the league in his first season and then won the cup in 2003. Rafa Márquez gained a reputation for being a reliable defender, and was even named one of the best defenders in France.
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It was after three successful seasons at AS Monaco that Spanish powerhouse FC Barcelona became interested in Márquez, and ultimately bought him for $5 million in 2003.
Rafa Márquez was part of one of Barcelona's golden generations in the 2000's @casacelis | Twitter
It was then that the most brilliant phase of his career began. From 2003 to 2010, “El príncipe de Cataluña” won the Liga BBVA in four occasions. He also won the Copa del Rey once and the Supercopa de España three times. He scored 9 goals for Barcelona, many of them from headers and some others via free kick.
In 2010, 31 year-old Rafa Márquez left Barcelona and ventured into the MLS, where he played for New York Red Bulls from 2010 to 2010. As an MLS player, Márquez won the Eastern Conference once and the Atlantic Cup twice.
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In 2012, Márquez left New York Red Bulls and signed for Mexico’s Club León. The club had recently been promoted and was in search for regaining former glory after spending almost a decade in the second division. With Rafa Márquez as one of their most important players, Club León managed to win two back to back Liga MX championships (first beating Club América and then Club Pachuca).
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Márquez’s career took an unexpected turn when he signed for Italian club Hellas Verona in 2014. Right when some thought he was on the verge of retirement, Márquez returned to European football.
After one season playing for Hellas Verona, Márquez returned to Liga MX, signing for the club that debuted him two decades earlier.
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As a Mexico National Team player, Rafa Márquez has participated in four World Cups. Playing for El Tri, Márquez was Confederations Cup champion in 1999 and Copa América runner-up in 2001. He was also CONCACAF GOLD CUP champion twice. He even broke the curse by which Mexico consistently lost to the USMNT in Columbus with a last minute header, clinching the first ever victory for El Tri in Ohio.
Ever since he was accused of having ties with drug trafficking, Márquez was banned from playing but remains an Atlas player until his legal situation gets cleared out.
Rafa Márquez is hands down one of the best Mexican players ever to play the game. His career in Europe can only be matched by that of Hugo Sánchez, who was the Spanish league’s top scorer in five occasions. The 38-year-old may not play forever, but his legacy will be eternal.
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