13 February 1979 - Márquez Gets Off The Mark

On 13 February 1979, Rafael Márquez was born in Zamora and went on to make over 100 appearances for Mexico.

Originally a center back, Márquez started his professional career with Atlas in 1996, making 77 appearances in Mexico's Primera División over three years and helping them reach the final of the 1999 Verano tournament. His performances for Los Zorros attracted the interest of Monaco, who then signed him for a fee of €7 million.

In his first season with Monaco, he made a total of 31 appearances and won the Ligue 1 title. He stayed there for three more years, then moved to Barcelona in 2003. In seven seasons there, playing as a defensive midfielder, he won four league titles and became the first Mexican player to lift the Champions League trophy, winning it in 2006 and 2009.

He followed Barcelona with a difficult three-year spell in New York and, in 2013, returned to Mexico to play for León.

Along the way, he earned 115 caps with Mexico, twice winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup (2003, 2011) and one Confederations Cup (1999).