Biography of Rafael Marquez [Age, Height, Wife, Kids, Family, Salary, Award & Net worth ]

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.

But before we do that, let’s warm up with some quick facts.

Quick Facts

Rafael Marquez | Wiki Bio

Rafael Marquez Alvarez was born to his parents, Rafael Marquez Esqueda and Rosa Maria Alvarez. Likewise, he was born and raised in Zamora, Michoacan. Besides that, it seems like Rafael is the only child of his parents.

Talking about his childhood, he played for various youth teams before joining Atlas’ youth team at 14. Later on, he would go on to make his professional debut with Atlas’ senior side in the Primera Division (now Liga MX).

Rafael Marquez | Career, Teams & Achievements

When we talk about Marquez’s career, it is nothing short of extraordinary. To illustrate, Rafael made his professional debut at the tender age of 17 for Atlas.

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

Subsequently, Marquez had four impressive seasons at Monaco, during which he won the Ligue 1. He was also voted into the Ligue 1 team of the season in 1999-2000.

As a result, Barcelona swooped in and signed the Mexican international for an undisclosed fee.

What ensued is the stuff of dreams as Rafael went on to make 163 appearances for the Catalan club scoring nine goals.

However, it is not his goals that are impressive; instead, it is his trophy haul during his seven years at Barca.

To illustrate, Marquez won the La Liga four times, Supercopa de Espana three times, and UEFA Super Cup, Copa del Rey, and FIFA Club World Cup one time.

But, the 41-year-old’s most prized achievement has to be winning the UEFA Champions League, not once but twice.

 

Thus, after having a wonderful time in Barcelona, Rafael decided to move to the U.S and play for the New York Red Bulls.

Subsequently, he stayed there for two years before moving back to his home country, Mexico, to play for Leon.

After that, Marquez played in the Seria A for Hellas Verona during the 2014-15 season. However, his Italian journey lasted for only a year as Rafael moved back to the club he started his professional journey with, Atlas in 2016.

Thus, after having one hell of a successful career, Marquez decided to hang up his boots in 2018.

During his 22-year long, illustrious career, Rafael played in 504 games scoring 23 goals. Added to that, the 41-year-old won an astonishing 21 trophies in that period.

International

Marques is the best defender to appear for the Mexican national team. Hence, unsurprisingly, the 41-year-old has appeared 147 times for his national side. As a result, he is also the third most capped player in El Tri’s history.

Rafael made his debut in 1997 and went on to play for another 20 years before retiring from international duty in 2018.

During that time, he won the FIFA Confederations Cup in 1999, CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2003 and 2011, and CONCACAF Cup in 2015.

 

Besides that, Marquez also earned himself a spot in the CONCACAF Best XI in 2016 and won the CONCACAF Best Player award in 2005.

Thus, it is safe to say that Rafael’s international career is just as successful as his club’s.

Rafael Marquez | Mexican National Team Jersey

Marquez wore jersey number 4 for the Mexican National Football team. Here’s a picture of him in 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.

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.

 

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

 

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.