Rafael Marquez

Quick Facts

The best defender in Mexico’s history and possibly the best player to appear for his national side, Rafael Marquez is also one of the most successful football players of all time.

During his 23-year long professional career, Rafael has amassed more than 25 trophies. Added to that, he is Mexico’s third most capped player with 147 appearances to his name.

Hence, it is only right, so many people want to know about this 41-year-old, $25 million man.

So join us as we are going to inform you about Marquez’s entire life story from his early years to his glory days and his eventual retirement. Besides that, there is plenty of various other information that will satisfy your appetite.

Rafael Marquez | Wikimedia Commons

Rafael Marquez Alvarez is the son of Rafael Marquez Esqueda and Rosa Maria Alvarez. He was also born and raised in Zamora, Michoacan. Aside from that, Rafael appears to be his parents’ only child.

In his youth, he played for several youth teams before joining Atlas’ youth team at the age of 14. He would later make his professional debut with Atlas’ senior team in the Primera Division (now Liga MX).

Rafael Marquez | Career, Teams, and Accomplishments

When it comes to Marquez’s career, nothing short of extraordinary can be said. Rafael, for example, made his professional debut for Atlas at the age of 17.

After three years there, he signed for the French club Monaco for $6 million in 1999.

Marquez went on to have four successful seasons at Monaco, winning the Ligue 1. In 1999-2000, he was also named to the Ligue 1 team of the year.

Barcelona swooped in and signed the Mexican international for an undisclosed fee as a result. Rafael went on to make 163 appearances for the Catalan club, scoring nine goals in the process.

However, it is his trophy haul during his seven years at Barcelona that is impressive, not his goals. Marquez, for example, has four La Liga titles, three Supercopa de Espana titles, and one each of the UEFA Super Cup, Copa del Rey, and FIFA Club World Cup.

The 41-year-most old’s cherished achievement, however, has to be winning the UEFA Champions League twice.

So, after having a fantastic time in Barcelona, Rafael decided to relocate to the United States and play for the New York Red Bulls.

He stayed there for two years before returning to his home country, Mexico, to play for Leon.

Marquez then played for Hellas Verona in the Seria A during the 2014-15 season. Rafael, however, only stayed in Italy for a year before returning to Atlas, the club where he began his professional career.

As a result, after a long and successful career, Marquez decided to retire in 2018.

Rafael played in 504 games and scored 23 goals during his 22-year career. In addition, the 41-year-old won an incredible 21 trophies during that time period.

International

Marques is the best defender in Mexican national team history. As a result, the 41-year-old has made 147 appearances for his country. As a result, he has the third most caps in El Tri’s history.

Rafael debuted in 1997 and played for another 20 years before retiring from international duty in 2018.

He won the FIFA Confederations Cup in 1999, the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2003 and 2011, and the CONCACAF Cup in 2015. In addition, Marquez was named to the CONCACAF Best XI in 2016 and won the CONCACAF Best Player award in 2005. As a result, Rafael’s international career has been as successful as his club’s.

Rafael Marquez Jersey | Mexican National Team

For the Mexican National Football Team, Marquez wore jersey number 4. Here’s a photo of him wearing his jersey:

Rafael Marquez | Career Stats (Clubs)

Ligue 1 Champion1999-2000French League Cup Winner2002-2003

FC Barcelona

Mexican Champion2013 and 2014

Mexico

How old is Rafael Marquez? | Body Measurements & Nationality

Having been born in the year 1979 makes Rafael’s age 41 years old at the moment. Likewise, Marquez shares his birthday on the 13th of February, which makes him an Aquarius.

Moreover, Aquarians tend to be highly intelligent and make great friends with all very soon.

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Moving on, Rafael stands at exactly 6 feet (1.82 m), but the detail concerning his weight is in the dark. Nevertheless, because he is a former athlete, we believe that Marquez likes to stay fit and healthy.

And, about his nationality, Rafael was born in Zamora, a city in Michoacan. As a result, he is a proud Mexican citizen.

How much is Rafael Marquez Worth? | Net Worth & Salary

Marquez started playing professionally at just 17 years old. Subsequently, he went on to play for another 23 years before hanging up his boots at the age of 39.

Hence, it should come as no surprise when we tell you that Rafael has a staggering net worth of $25 million.

Consequently, Marquez is one of the wealthiest athletes in his home country of Mexico. Likewise, his estimated salary is $5 million per year.

Moreover, the 41-year-old was one of the best defenders of his era. As a result, Rafael was also one of the top earners.

Rafael Marquez | Wife & Kids

When we talk about Rafael’s love affairs, it is as exciting if not more than his footballing journey.

To explain, the former Mexican national team captain has tied the knot twice. Firstly, he married Adriana Lavat on December 23, 2003.

But, sadly, the two got divorced four years later, in 2007. Together, the couple had two kids, Santiago Marquez and Rafaela Marquez. Likewise, Santiago was born in 2003 while Rafaela came into this world in 2005.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8UscqChnxt/

After four long years of searching for his right soulmate, Marquez finally found the true love of his life in Jaydy Michel.

Following months of dating, the couple tied the knot on January 4, 2011, at an incredibly lavish ceremony.

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Talking about Jaydy, she is an actress whose most recent appearance on TV occurred during Mexico’s Next Top Model in 2014.

Moving on, there has been nothing but love between Rafael and his wife ever since they married. Furthermore, the two lovebirds share one child, Leondaro Marquez, who was born on June 16, 2016.

Rafael Marquez | Social Media Presence

Instagram: 587k followers

Twitter: 3.8 million followers

Feliz cumpleaños amigo @10Ronaldinho A la distancia y con mucho cariño te mando un fuerte abrazo y con el grato recuerdo de haber compartido grandes momentos juntos! pic.twitter.com/3BIqb79oF9

— Rafa Marquez (@RafaMarquezMX) March 21, 2021

Common Queries about Rafael Marquez

What happened between Rafael Marquez and Lionel Messi?

Rafael Marquez, in an interview, shared a story about how he frustrated Lionel Messi in a training session. He further added that Pep Guardiola had to intervene to calm down Messi.

It happened during a seven on seven game when both Leo and Rafael were playing for the same team. Messi had dribbled several players and then he turned back and again dribbled past them again.

Rafael responded to the incident as he yelled, “Leo, let it go.” Messi yelled back and the duo started arguing. At that time, Messi was just a youngster and Rafael was a senior in the team.

Is Rafel Marquez retired?

Rafael Marquez retired in July 2018. He declared his retirement from international soccer soon after Mexico was eliminated from the 2018 World Cup.

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