Former Mexican international defender Rafael Márquez has returned to Barcelona, Spain to manage Barcelona Athletic’s reserve team, the Catalan club announced on Thursday.
Barcelona and Rafael Márquez have reached an agreement whereby the latter will become the manager of Barcelona Athletic for the next two seasons until 30 June 2024, the Catalan club said in a statement.
❗¡@RafaMarquezMX Es el Nuevo entrenador del Barca Athletic!
✍ Temporary firm, until 2024
???? https://t.co/81qsM1WmqX???? ¡Bienvenido de nuevo, Rafa!#ForsaBarca ????❤ pic.twitter.com/E7mwVVxRXz
— Barça Athletic (@FCBarcelonaB) July 14, 2022
He continued: “The move represents the return of the Mexican to a club that defended its colors from 2003 to 2010. Work begins with returning players to complete the (traditional) pre-season health check starting Friday, July. 15, with the first workout for him the next day.”
Barcelona Athletic, in the Spanish third division, will be the 43-year-old Mexican’s second training assignment after Real Sociedad Deportivo Alcala in the fifth division.
Thus, Marquez returns to the team that made him the first Mexican player to defend his colors, en route to winning four national championships, two in the Champions League, one each in the Copa del Rey, the Club World Cup, the European Super Cup. and three in the Spanish Super Cup.
After defending the colors of the Catalan club in 242 matches in all competitions, Márquez left Barcelona for the United States, where he played for the New York Red Bulls for three years, and then returned to his country for three years with Lyon.
Before retiring from football, Atlas, with whom he played from 2015 to 2018, after starting his professional career with him (from 1996 to 1999), Marquez went to Italy, where he defended the colors of Hellas Verona during 2014-2015 and 2015. 2015-2016 seasons.
Márquez made a total of 628 club caps in all competitions and 147 for the national team between 1997 and 2018.
Source: AFP.