How old is Rafael Marquez and is former Barcelona ace starting for Mexico against Brazil?
RAFAEL MARQUEZ is appearing at his fifth World Cup after being included in Mexico’s final 23-man squad for the tournament.
The Atlas defender became the fourth player to play in the competition five times when he came off the bench in El Tri's famous 1-0 win over Germany.
How old is Rafael Marquez?
Rafael Marquez is 39 years old, having been born on February 13, 1979.
He started his career with Atlas in 1996 before making a move to Europe with Monaco in 1999.
After helping Didier Deschamps' side reach the Champions League final in 2003, where they lost 3-0 to Porto, he made a £5m move to Barcelona in 2003.
Marquez spent seven years with Barca, winning two Champions Leagues before moving to New York Red Bulls in 2010.
After seasons at Leon and Hellas Verona, the centre-back returned to Atlas in 2016 and retired from club football there in May this year.
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How long has Rafael Marquez played for Mexico for?
Rafael Marquez has spent 21 years playing for El Tri, having made his debut against Ecuador in 1997.
The former Barcelona star has not missed a World Cup since the 2002 tournament in Japan.
Marquez was targeted by the United States treasury last August over alleged links to drug trafficking, allegations which Marquez denied.
He played his final home game for Mexico when he came on as a substitute in June's 1-0 friendly win against Scotland, his first appearance for the national team since the 2017 Confederations Cup.
But he will not be the oldest World Cup player if he makes an appearance in Russia.
That accolade is still held by Colombian goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon, who played in his nation’s 4-1 win against Japan at the 2014 World Cup aged 43.
Mexico open their tournament against world champions Germany, before facing South Korea and Sweden in Group F.
Which matches has Rafael Marquez played in at World Cup 2018?
Marquez came on for 16 minutes as Mexico overcame Germany in their opening match and then played 22 minutes of their 2-1 win over South Korea.
And now he faces his biggest challenge yet as he starts against a heavily fancied Brazil side in the last 16.