World Cup stories: Rafael Márquez and the Mexican drug cartel | OneFootball

Rafael Márquez will, this summer, participate in what will be his fifth and final World Cup, but it could have been an oh so different story.

The 39-year-old made his professional debut for Mexican side Atlas at the age of 17 and from there, his career would take him to Monaco, Barcelona, New York, León, Hellas Verona and finally, back to Atlas.

Along the way he broke records, became a folk hero in his homeland and was accused of being involved with Mexican drug cartels, but El Káiser just kept on going.

The accidental international debut

Just under a year after playing his first professional game for Atlas, Márquez was called up to the Mexican national team for his maiden cap. Legend has it, this was not supposed to happen, however.

Former El Tri coach Bora Milutinović actually wanted to call up a fellow Atlas player called Cesar Márquez but an administrative error saw his namesake drafted in instead.

A Mexican record 142 international caps later, Rafa Márquez is still going strong and has captained his country at four different World Cups – a feat no other player in the history of the game has yet matched.

In 1999, he led El Tri to the Confederations Cup, and Gold Cup success also followed in 2003 and 2011.

Poor Cesar Márquez, on the other hand, was never called up to the Mexican squad again, and retired in 2010 without earning a single cap. Sliding doors.

A fish out of water

In 1999, Márquez moved to Europe when he signed for AS Monaco in a deal worth €5m. In his first campaign on the Côte d’Azur, he lifted the Ligue 1 title and was voted into the team of the season.

Three years, 109 games and another league title later, he was on the move again.

Més que un club

In 2003, Márquez answered the call of one the world’s greatest clubs – Barcelona.

His switch to Camp Nou saw him become the first ever Mexican to play in the Champions League, and he would win Europe’s premier competition twice – along with a number of other honours – during his time in Spain.

For seven years, his calmness in possession and intelligent reading of the game made him one of the finest central defenders on the planet, and he remains the most decorated Mexican player of all time by quite some distance.

Start spreading the news

But his time in the sun would come to an end with a surprise move to Major League Soccer at the age of 31.

Following his release by Barcelona, Márquez was courted by a number of top European clubs but he instead opted to join New York Red Bulls – a decision he would later admit was the worst of his career.

Mexicans and Americans have never been the greatest of friends, and Márquez’s card was marked after he clashed with US soccer hero Landon Donovan in a play-off game.

Listlessness, a perceived lack of professionalism and constant injuries saw him become a figure of contempt in the American media, and in December 2012 he was unceremoniously released by the Red Bulls.

His beef with the United States would not end there.

Narcos

In December 2015, Márquez’s stint at Italian Serie A side Hellas Verona came to an end and he returned home to Mexico.

However, his triumphant homecoming was overshadowed by a very serious allegation. According to investigators in the US, one of Mexico’s greatest ever footballers was alleged to have participated in a drug cartel.

More specifically, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control accused him of being a member in the cartel of Raúl Flores Hernández – also known as El Tio.

Hernández is said to have enlisted the help of Márquez and others to carry out illegal business in Mexico and the United States. Márquez’s US accounts were subsequently frozen, his houses and other possessions seized.

Back from the brink

In April 2018, Márquez announced his 21 year playing career would be coming to an end, but not before one last hurrah at the World Cup in Russia.

For many, his inclusion in coach Juan Carlos Osorio’s squad for the tournament was a surprise, but he is set to become the first ever player to participate in five World Cups, and it could be a long, long time before that record is broken.

It could all have been oh so different.