Who is Rafa Marquez? Mexico head coach returns to USMNT rivalry where El Tri boss is hated

As the United States men face off against their CONCACAF rivals Mexico on Saturday in an international friendly, the third of this lengthy window, many USMNT fans will be surprised to recognize the new El Tri head coach.

In the aftermath of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where Mexico was eliminated in heartbreaking fashion against England in a dogfight at Estadio Azteca, El Tri parted ways with Javier Aguirre, making a change at the helm to begin a new World Cup cycle.

In comes Rafa Marquez, the one-time captain and longtime legend of the Mexican national team. Marquez has a long history leading El Tri on the field, and now he will lead them off it, wearing street clothes on the touchline.

When asked before his first coaching appearance against the United States if he was aware of his villain status in the United States, he had a cheeky response. "I don't know what you're talking about," Marquez said. "I've already forgotten about that." USMNT fans probably haven't, though.

One of the greatest players to ever take the field for Mexico, Rafa Marquez began his career as a young player in the youth system of Liga MX club Atlas, debuting for the club at 17 years old in 1996.

After three seasons with his boyhood club, he was spotted by European scouts at the 1999 Copa America and made the switch to French side Monaco, where he would play four years, making 109 appearances.

After being named to the Ligue 1 Team of the Season in a league title-winning 2002/03 campaign, he got a move to Barcelona in the summer of 2003, joining for just over €5 million. He would become a fixture at the La Liga giants, making 242 appearances for the Catalan side over a seven-year career at the Camp Nou.

During his time there, Marquez would win two UEFA Champions League titles, four La Liga titles, and a host of other trophies. He would play alongside Barcelona greats like Lionel Messi , Lillian Thuram, Eric Abidal, Carles Puyol, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto'o, and many others.

Marquez's best season came in the 2005/06 campaign, when he made 25 starts in La Liga play plus another eight in the Champions League, including a full 90-minute performance in the UEFA Champions League final where they beat Arsenal .

When his Barcelona career concluded, Marquez moved to the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer, spending three seasons in the United States, winning the Eastern Conference title in 2010 but flopping in the playoffs all three times. His career was far from over though, as Marquez would play well into his late 30's with stints at Club Leon, Italian side Hellas Verona, and then back at Atlas to finish his career.

By his retirement in 2018, he was 39 years old and had made over 600 career appearances on the club side, scoring 26 goals. Marquez would first move into a front office role at Atlas, named the club's new sporting director. He would hold that role for less than a year, departing in May of 2019.

After some time as an analyst for TUDN, he joined the youth ranks at Atlas, where he once came through as a young player himself. In 2022, he was appointed the head coach of Barcelona Atletic, where he would stay for two years, before moving back home to join Javier Aguirre's setup at the Mexican senior national team.

He was hired as head coach to replace Aguirre after the 2026 World Cup, his first senior head coaching job.

As one of the most legendary players in the history of the Mexican national team, Rafa Marquez built a glittering career at the international level.

Overall, Marquez made 148 international appearances, scoring 17 goals. He has the joint-fourth-most appearances in national team history, behind only Andres Guardado (180), Claudio Suarez (178), and Guillermo Ochoa (153) and level with Pavel Pardo.

As a defensive midfielder, and occasionally deputizing as a defender, he was known for his tenacity and grit on the pitch. He holds the Mexico record for most World Cup appearances with 19, and in 2018 became the fourth player to appear at five consecutive World Cup tournaments after Antonio Carbajal, Lothar Matthaus, and Gianluigi Buffon.

Rafa Marquez history vs. USA as a player

Rafa Marquez became known as a massive villain in the United States, mostly during his time with the Mexico national team.

He made his first appearance against the United States in the 1999 Confederations Cup, helping Mexico shut out their rivals in a 1-0 golden-goal victory in the semifinals.

After that, however, Marquez would be known for two infamous moments. First, he was sent off in their World Cup Round of 16 meeting for a bad head-to-head clash with Cobi Jones, with the U.S. already leading 2-0. Then, he was shown another red card for an absolutely awful kung-fu kick to the knee of USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard in 2009 World Cup qualifying.

He would, however, be part of some big wins against Mexico's main rival too. He would play a big part in multiple World Cup qualifying wins at Estadio Azteca, making the USMNT's life at the famed Mexican arena a living hell. He would score a goal in his final match against the United States, a World Cup qualifier in 2016 that marked the only time Mexico would beat the U.S. on home soil in qualifying during his career.

* Rafa Marquez scored a goal ** Rafa Marquez shown a red card