FC Barcelona manager set to unexpectedly leave club

FC Barcelona reserve team manager Rafa Marquez is set to leave the club according to World of sportwhich cites anonymous sources, and other Spanish media.

Rafa Marquez teamed up with Carles Puyol as a central defender in the 2000s and started the Champions League final in Paris, which led the Catalans to their second European Cup just over halfway through the decade.

After retiring from the game in 2018 at Atlas in his homeland, ‘The Kaiser’, known as one of Mexico’s best players of all time and arguably the country’s greatest defender, took his first coaching job as youth team manager at Alcala in 2021.

He was appointed by Barça the following year, signing a two-year contract which was extended in June 2023 after Marquez led Barça Atletic to a fourth-place finish and a playoff final where they were beaten by bitter rivals, Real Madrid’s Castilla equivalent, 5-4 on aggregate.

However, just a year after agreeing to new terms, and with Barca Atletic once again on the verge of promotion, Marquez is set to leave the Blaugrana according to World of sport And SPORT.

With Javi Aguirre set to take charge of the Mexican national team for a third time after leaving Mallorca, Marquez will accept an offer to become a sort of European coordinator who will report to Aguirre and keep an eye on the talent of his compatriots across the Old Continent.

Perhaps once the 2026 World Cup, hosted partly in their country, is over, Marquez will succeed Aguirre in what will be his biggest task yet.

Marquez had already been touted as a potential candidate to succeed midfield legend Xavi Hernandez when he was sacked as first-team head coach.

However, many considered that the Mexican did not have enough experience that he could one day acquire with the national team.

MARYLAND explains that Barça are currently trying to finalise the agreement to terminate Marquez’s contract and could announce his departure as early as Sunday.

As for Barca Atletic, they need an emergency replacement who could be Marquez’s former teammate Juliano Belletti.

The Brazilian recently took charge of the Juvenil A youth team but could be promoted to another role that also involves working with a host of La Masia talents.