Rafa Márquez appointed coach of Barça Atlètic
FC Barcelona and Rafa Márquez have reached an agreement for the latter to become coach of Barça Atlètic for the next two seasons through to 30 June 2014.
This will mark the Mexican’s return to the club he played for from 2003 to 2010. He starts work on Friday 15 July with the players due back for medicals, while the first training session will be held the day after.
Familiar face
Márquez joined Barça from AS Monaco in 2003/04, and was the first ever Mexican to play for the team, and will also be the first person from his country to manage the reserves.
Following his debut in front of 80,000 fans in a home fixture against Sevilla, his first coach, Frank Rijkaard, soon made him a regular part of his defensive plans en route to Champions League qualification.
The captain of the Mexican national side quickly showed his adaptability. With Edmílson and Motta both injured, he was forced to provide cover as a defensive midfielder and did so brilliantly, although he was best known for forming such a fabulous tandem with Carles Puyol as the team went on to become European champions on that marvellous night in Paris.
In subsequent seasons, his form was struck by injuries, but he was still very much a first choice under Pep Guardiola as the team gathered more and more major honours, including the famous sextuple of the 2009/10 season, which turned out to be the last for Márquez at Barça after 242 appearances and 13 goals.