Mexico confirms Rafa Márquez will become national team manager after World Cup

Rafa Márquez, left, will replace Javier Aguirre, right, as Mexico manager Omar Vega / Getty Images Share articleMexico Football Federation sporting director Duilio Davino has confirmed that former Barcelona and Mexico national team defender Rafael Márquez will take over the senior men’s side following the 2026 World Cup. Márquez, 47, is a Mexico national team assistant on Javier Aguirre’s current staff. In an interview with Fox Sports Mexico on Monday, Davino was asked if Márquez had signed a contract to lead Mexico towards the 2030 World Cup. “His contract is signed and his staff is nearly 80 percent set,” Davino said regarding Márquez. “Andrés (Guardado) is an option (to join Rafa’s staff). Off the pitch, Márquez is a (big) personality. On the pitch today, as both an assistant and a coach, Rafa is the way he was as a player. He transforms inside a dressing room.” Márquez is among Mexico’s most accomplished players. Nicknamed “El Kaiser,” Márquez was a central defender with a sophisticated style of play. He was a ball-dominant defender across seven seasons with FC Barcelona. His technique and passing range and vision were ideal traits, first under Frank Rijkaard and later for Pep Guardiola. After a brief spell with AS Monaco, Márquez won 10 trophies with Barcelona from 2003 to 2010, including two Champions League titles and four La Liga championships. He also captained Mexico at five World Cup tournaments (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018) and is considered one of his country’s greatest players. Márquez has only been coaching for a short time. His most recent role prior to joining Aguirre’s staff in 2024 was as head coach of Barcelona B, the club’s reserve team. Still, Márquez had long been expected to succeed Aguirre. Davino made it official on Monday, which comes as Mexico prepares for their World Cup opener against South Africa on June 11. In December, FMF executive Ivar Sisniega told reporters in Mexico that Márquez was under contract as an assistant with Aguirre with a plan to make him the senior side’s next manager. Sisniega said at the time that Márquez was actively scouting Mexico’s U-20 side. “This plan has been in motion,” Sisniega said. “He has been scouting players, including at the U-20 World Cup in Chile, looking at players who could be part of his first (senior) national team squad. He has been doing a lot of scouting. We hope to fulfill this plan because that’s how it is stipulated in his contract.” As an elder statesman and veteran manager, Aguirre brings experience to Mexico’s touchline. This is Aguirre’s third stint as Mexico’s head coach, while Márquez, his chief assistant, represents a more progressive footballing future for El Tri. Mexico is in World Cup Group A along with South Korea, Czech Republic and South Africa. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms