Rafael Márquez Álvarez (Spanish: (listen); born 13 February 1979) is a former Mexican professional footballer. He played as a central defender, sweeper, or defensive midfielder. Nicknamed El Káiser, Márquez is regarded as the best defender in Mexico's history and one of the best Mexican players of all time.
Márquez began his career with Atlas in 1996, playing in over 70 games with the club before moving to France in 1999 with Monaco, where he won the Ligue 1 title. In 2003, Márquez transferred to Barcelona, becoming the first ever Mexican to represent the club. He would go on to play in over 200 games during seven seasons with Barcelona, and win numerous championships. In 2006, he became the first Mexican player to win the UEFA Champions League when Barcelona defeated Arsenal in the final. In 2010 Márquez joined the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer. After being released from the club in 2012, he moved back to Mexico, this time to play for Club León. After captaining the team to two back-to-back league titles in 2013 and 2014, Márquez transferred to Hellas Verona of the Italian Serie A. He returned to boyhood club Atlas in 2015, and announced his retirement from football in April 2018.