FCBARCELONA.CAT

14.12.2008 12:14

Márquez chalks up 200 games

Anna Segura

Rafa Márquez celebrated playing his 200th game for FC Barcelona when he appeared against Real Madrid on Saturday evening in a display that saw him complete the 90 minutes and become a key to the hosts’ victory in Camp Nou.

The Mexican international joined the Blaugrana on July 8, 2003 from AS Monaco when he became one of Frank Rijkaard’s first signings. Six seasons later he completed his double century of games for the club.

The first Mexican

When Márquez moved to Barça he became the first Mexican to play for the first team and he has gone on to become a central figure in the defence of the Catalan giants.

Seven competitions

The league is where the majority of his appearances evidently have come as he has notched 137 games in la Primera, while another 34 have come in the Champions League, 20 more n the Copa del Rey and three more in both the UEFA Cup and Spanish Super Cup. The tally is completed by Márquez’s one game in the FIFA Club World Cup and the European Super Cup.

Five trophies

During his time at Camp Nou, the 29-year-old has won five major trophies. The league title was his in 2004-05 and 2005-06, the latter being the same year that he won the Champions League, while two Spanish Super Cups, in 2005-06 and 2006-07, were also secured.

Eleven goals

Going forward, Márquez has netted eleven goals in his 200 matches for FC Barcelona. This season he already has two goals to his names after he scored against Sporting Clube and Atlético de Madrid. During the 2006-05 and 2007-08 campaigns he also scored twice, while in 2004-05 he managed three goals and in the 2003-04 and 2005-06 seasons he notched just once each time.