Rafael Márquez, the first hero of Mexican soccer in the 21st century, played his last league match this Saturday, closing a brilliant career, reaching the peak as a starter in the Spanish League's Barcelona.
In Pachuca, Márquez played 90 minutes in Atlas' goalless draw with the home team, thus closing a career that will only have an appendix if the defender is called up to the Mexican national team for the upcoming friendly matches and the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
It was the end at the club level for the best Mexican footballer of the last 20 years, who was called up to the 1999 Copa America in Paraguay and from there aroused the interest of several of the best teams in the world.
With great personality, speed to make decisions, and calm to execute them, Rafael Márquez experienced his best moments as a Barcelona figure between 2003 and 2010, a period in which he won the Champions League twice, the Spanish League four times, the Super Cup three times, and the Copa del Rey once.
During that time, Rafa coincided with the Brazilian genius Ronaldinho, who later thanked for having played with the Mexican, whom he described as a phenomenon with an extraordinary calmness and quality.
A calmness and coolness were shown this Saturday by Rafa Márquez, who seemed to be playing just another match and after finishing he told the media that he was leaving content because he always gave everything and had no regrets.
His leadership skills allowed him to join Monaco in France at the age of 20, where he quickly became a starter and caught the attention of Barcelona, where he grew as a professional.
After being considered one of the best defenders in the world at some point in his career, in 2010 Márquez went to the New York Red Bulls of the MLS, played two seasons at León in Mexico, had a brief spell at Hellas Verona in the Serie A in Italy, and returned to Atlas, where he made his debut in 1996 and chose to end his career as a prodigal son.
Although at the club level, the "kaiser" showed his quality wherever he was, he will perhaps be best remembered in Mexico for his ability to create harmony in the national team, with which he played in the World Cups of Korea-Japan 2002, Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, and Brazil 2014.
With the "tri" he was a member of the championship team of the 1999 Confederations Cup, played in the Copa America six times and the Gold Cup four times, winning it in 2003 and 2011.
Rafa Márquez left Atlas and the only possibility of him kicking a ball at the professional level again is if Mexican national team coach Juan Carlos Osorio calls him up for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, which could happen because the Colombian strategist recommended the defender to maintain his physical form in case he is needed.
Last August, the player suffered the biggest blow of his career when he was accused by the US government of having ties to a drug lord, which marked the beginning of autumn as a player and took away the necessary concentration in his profession.
The lawyers claim that the footballer will come out clean from the uncomfortable process, which is advocated by his numerous fans who yearn to preserve the almost saintly image of the first hero of Mexican football in the 21st century.
EFE