From the day Juan Carlos Osorio was hired, he's had a Rafa Marquez problem.
First, the issue was that the Mexico national team manager still needed to play him. There was no one to push the veteran out of the squad, so he continued on. Mexico has learned to live without the now 39-year-old, who hasn't played for the national team since he somehow ended up being named as a frontman for a drug kingpin by the United States Department of Treasury. His lawyers have been able to unfreeze accounts, Marquez returned to work and now, it appears, is in the clear to travel to Russia should Osorio name him to the 23-man squad.
That decision, which Osorio is set to announce Monday when he names his list for the World Cup with a few extras because of injury concerns and required rest for Europe-based players still in their season, will have an outsized impact on Osorio's legacy with the Mexico national team when he moves on from the post.
All indications are that Osorio is set to name Marquez to the squad, but there are two sides to the debate - both with reasonable arguments.
On the one hand, with the hurdles cleared, how can he not take him to the World Cup? For one, players like Carlos Vela have come out to say that Marquez needs to be in Russia, even if it comes at his own expense. Such is the respect Mexico players have for Marquez. Even if he's not a big contributor to the squad, the gravity of Marquez playing in a fifth World Cup and tying the record would be a special moment. He certainly has a lot of experience and can provide the leadership that other squads that go to the World Cup so often find they're lacking in the locker room or at the base camp.
Then again ... how can he take him to the World Cup? Marquez wasn't a top 10 defender in Liga MX this season. Liga MX! A league known far more for its wild scoring and porous back lines than any sort of defensive dominance. He hasn't played for Mexico since last summer, in a Confederations Cup tournament that didn't even go all that well. Leadership? Marquez isn't even that vocal of a leader, and Andres Guardado not only has been to multiple World Cups (so have several players on a team that isn't all that stocked with youth), but he's still playing at a high level. He's the leader Mexico needs.
The decision falls on Osorio, and you can understand why he might go either way. It's going to be the type of choice commentators talk about for years to come. Marquez isn't just one of the most famous athletes in Mexico, he's one of the most famous people in Mexico, truly putting together a playing career that may go down as the best ever by a Mexican player. If Osorio takes him and things don't go well, the critics will ask why he wasted a spot in the 23-man roster on this player who obviously is past his prime. If he doesn't take Marquez, it's a lack of respect and a slap in the face to one of Mexico's all-time greats who could've helped Mexico past whatever round El Tri get to in the tournament.
Osorio is a bit of a romantic when it comes to the game. He holed up in a room in Liverpool to watch the Reds train. He travels to speak with other managers at any chance he gets - sometimes despite criticism from those inside Mexico. You can tell from listening to him speak at news conferences and in interviews that he truly feels privileged to have dined with the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Marcelo Bielsa and Pep Guardiola. Denying Marquez his opportunity to make another tournament might not seem right to someone who is so deferential to the figures of football.
Yet, the manager also can be cutting in his analysis of players, especially those who have been below par in the Mexico shirt. America right-back Paul Aguilar has been ostracized after being part of the 7-0 defeat to the Copa America Centenario in 2016. Others who have been stars in the domestic league have been passed over even in call-ups that only involve domestic players. If he doesn't fit the manager's peculiar parameters, Osorio has no problem leaving out a player that everyone thinks should be included.
The triumphant World Cup qualification campaign and heavy defeats to Chile and Germany at summer tournaments currently make up Osorio's legacy, but the decision he announces Monday will have a huge influence on how he's remembered. Even if success or failure in Russia doesn't hinge on Marquez, it's a choice that won't be forgotten.