The former Mexican defender has gone through the activities of manager, businessman and technical director since his retirement in August 2018. Today, he announced his departure as a coach to take on a new project.
Just over two years have passed since Rafael Márquez’s last game as a footballer, at Atlas and during his participation in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and the former Mexican defender continues to look for a spot off the field.
Márquez has taken part in several projects after his retirement as a professional footballer: he was manager of the Rojinegros, he reopened his football and boxing gym, as well as a gym, and started his career as a coach in a youth team of the Real Sociedad Deportiva Alcalá, from Spain.
On Monday, however, he announced his resignation as coach of the Spanish team, without giving details of his future, whether it will be on the bench or in the office; He will return to Mexico or stay in Spain just as Barcelona is undergoing restructuring of the board of directors and a new project will start in the hands of Joan Laporta, the manager who brought him to the Blaugrana team.
Against this background, in ESPN Digital We present to you Rafael Márquez’s journey after his retirement from professional football.
Atlas sports seat
After retiring as a professional footballer, Rafael Márquez became the president of Deportivo del Atlas in August 2018, following the resignation of Fabricio Bassa due to the poor results of the red-and-black squad.
With two coaches in his management and the poor choice of reinforcements, accompanied by poor results, he left his position at the red and black institution after nine months as manager with the sale of the Grupo Salinas team to Grupo Orlegi in the month of May 2019 .
Inaugurated gym with Julio César Chávez
In January 2020, the “JC Chávez: Boxing Studio” gym was inaugurated in Zapopan, Jalisco, where Márquez started a boxing gym in the state of Jalisco together with the historic Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez.
In December of the same year, the project between the two referees of the Mexican sport was extended when the gymnasium ‘RM4 Fitness’ was inaugurated, to provide both physical conditioning and the boxing gym in the same place.
Football academy inaugurated
In July 2020, the historic former Mexican footballer opened his football academy in Guadalajara, for children between the ages of 6 and 16.The project is led in the sports section by the former coach of Chivas and Atlas, Efraín Flores, and the goal is in a few years to become a team of the Third or Second Professional Division.
Trainer Real Sociedad Deportiva Alcalá
Rafael Márquez embarked on his new football adventure in August 2020, having become technical director in Spain and being introduced as a base forces strategist in Cadet A of the Real Sociedad Deportiva Alcala.
After completing the theoretical part of his coaching journey, to obtain his Pro UEFA license as a coach, the former Atlas director began his journey as a coach for the 15-16 year olds categories.
Process as concluded by DT in Spain
After seven months as a coach in Spain in the Cadet A category with the Real Sociedad Deportiva Alcalá team, Márquez announced his departure from the club via a message on his Twitter account, without disclosing the reasons for his departure.
So far, the club has not yet commented on the departure of the former Mexican footballer on its website or via his Twitter account.