According to ESPN, former Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez is one of the leading candidates too replace Xavi Hernandez as the Catalans’ new head coach in the summer.
In late-January, Xavi announced his decision to step down of being in charge of Barcelona this summer following a poor run of form that was made worse by a 5-3 defeat to struggling Villarreal at the Olympic Stadium in Catalonia.
There had been suggestions Xavi may stay on in charge as they progressed in the UEFA Champions League but quarter-final elimination to Paris Saint-Germain in midweek has made it once again most likely that he will depart in a couple of months.
Rafael Marquez, who represented Barcelona on 242 occasions between 2003 and 2010, has been in charge of Barcelona B since 2022 and is following in footsteps taken by the likes of Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique.
Under his management, Barcelona B are currently challenging Galician giants Deportivo La Coruna at the top-of-the-table in Group 1 of the third-tier in Spanish football.
The former Mexico international has now been made the favourite to take the job ahead of the likes of Ruben Amorim, Hansi Flick and Roberto De Zerbi.
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NameRafael Márquez Álvarez Born/Age1979-02-13(45 -yrs-old) Nationality Mexico Job RoleManager | |
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