Rafa Márquez officially retires from international soccer | OneFootball

In the least surprising headline of the day, 39-year-old Rafa Márquez has retired from the Mexican National Team.

The El Tri captain made his debut for Mexico in 1997 and went on to earn 146 caps, scoring 19 goals in the process.

Márquez is one of just a few players to ever appear in five World Cups, joining Antonio Carbajal (MEX), Lothar Matthaus (GER), and Gianluigi Buffon (ITA).

He became one of the oldest outfield players to ever appear in a World Cup when he stepped on the pitch against Germany.

Marquez’s has dominated headlines since last August, when the player was accused by the U.S. Treasury Department of acting “as front persons” for a Mexican drug trafficking network.

The defender has not been allowed to wear the same training tops as his team-mates as a result of sponsor issues.

Marquez had bank accounts, both in Mexico and in the U.S. where he lived for two years while playing for New York Red Bulls, frozen. His U.S. visa has also been revoked.