He is currently Javier Aguirre’s assistant coach. He is said to be the natural successor to ‘El Vasco’ to take the reins of the Mexican national team, the only one with the DNA that can straighten the course of national soccer. The symbiosis between Rafael Marquez and the Tricolor team is incorruptible over time. And to think that this union was born from a mistake.
The relaunch of a shirt worn by Mexico in 1997 for a friendly match against Ecuador at the Estadio Azteca has been announced. It was designed by Aba Sport, a brand that dressed Monterrey in the 1990s. The jersey was short-lived and inconsequential in terms of collective results, but not in terms of unforgettable individual stories.
The coach was Bora Milutinovic, who was soon dismissed. For the attack, he decided to call up the young Santos Laguna striker Jared Borgetti, who made his debut at the tricolor level and responded to the confidence with a goal; Eustacio Rizo and Damian Alvarez scored the other two to leave the score 3-1 in favor of the Aztecs.
Jared’s presence and participation were not the only things that caught the attention of that alternate lineup used by Milutinovic. There was another player who stole the spotlight, number 20, a 17-year-old kid who played for Atlas, Rafael Marquez.
The mistake that made Rafael Marquez a legend
Against Ecuador, Marquez contributed with an assist: he put in a long and precise pass for Alvarez to score. From there, you could see the fine touch and wide vision that characterised him throughout his career.
Having made his debut with Atlas in 1996 as a defender, Rafa was practically an unknown at the time. As a developing footballer, he did not make an impact. However, when it became known that he was called up to play against the Ecuadorians, he became the headline news for two reasons:
- It was surprising that Bora Milutinovic decided to call up a 17-year-old who was still establishing himself as a first division player. It was not usual to see underage players in the senior national team.
- It was later learned that his call-up was due to an error. The coaching staff got the name wrong and confused Rafael with his teammate, Cesar Marquez, a midfielder who was in good form. Milutinovic watched Rafa in training and wanted to give him the opportunity because he saw qualities that he could develop.
What happened to Cesar Marquez?
He went from being a prospect with a national team profile to a player with an irregular career and without consolidation in the first division. He wandered between Liga MX and second division teams, being Leon the club where he stayed the longest, with six years of stay. Today he is a coach in the second division.
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