Khaberni - Former Mexican international defender and iconic player for both Monaco and Barcelona, Rafael Marquez, will become the coach of his national team after the 2026 World Cup, as announced on Monday by Duilio Davino, the director of national teams at the Mexican Football Federation.
Marquez, nicknamed "The Caesar of Michoacan," his home state, has played 147 international matches for Mexico and participated in five World Cup editions (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018), four of them as the captain.
He currently holds the position of assistant coach for the national team since Javier Aguirre took charge in August 2024 until the North American World Cup.
Davino said in an interview with "Fox Sports" alongside former Chilean soccer player Fabian Estay: "His contract is signed." Marquez's goal will be to lead the team to the 2030 World Cup.
Davino added, speaking of Marquez, who is 47 years old and had a rich career as a player between 1996 and 2018: As an assistant and as a coach, he is as he was a player.
During his playing career, Marquez won the UEFA Champions League in 2006 and 2009 and the Spanish League four times with Barcelona. He also won the French League with Monaco in 2000, and with the Mexican national team, he claimed the Confederations Cup in 1999 and was runner-up in the Copa America in 2001.
The fourth most-capped player in the history of the Mexican national team started his second career as the sporting director of Atlas Guadalajara, the club where he started his professional career. As a coach, he oversaw youth categories at Real Sociedad and Deportiva Alcala in Spain (2020-2021), then coached Barcelona Athletic, the reserve team for Barcelona, from 2022 to 2024.
