Highly-rated Mexican manager Rafael Marquez is reportedly the front-runner to replace Xavi Hernandez as the Barcelona manager.
According to a report by Spanish outlet AS, Xavi Hernandez will unlikely continue as the Barcelona manager beyond the 2023/24 season. The elimination from the UEFA Champions League has ended hopes of retaining the 44-year-old. And Rafael Marquez is the front-runner to replace his former Barcelona teammate in the Catalan club’s first-team setup.
Rafael Marquez is one of the greatest ever footballers from Mexico. A native of Zamora, he was a versatile player who could play as a centre-back and a holding midfielder. He represented several well-known clubs in his career, including Barcelona, spending seven years with the Catalan outfit.
Marquez’s footballing career ended in 2018, hanging up his boots at the club and international levels at the same time. He entered the managerial world in 2021, taking charge of the youth side at Real Sociedad Deportiva Alcala, a Madrid-based club. The 45-year-old did not last long there, joining Barcelona Atletic in 2022.
Since then, the former Mexican international has come leaps and bounds as a tactician, honing his skills with Barcelona’s reserve side. His stock has risen so much that Marquez is now one of the candidates to replace Xavi as the Barcelona manager heading into the 2024/25 season.
Barcelona will part ways with Xavi after the 2023/24 season ends. The former Spanish international had announced his decision in January. However, the reigning La Liga champions have been trying to coax him to reverse his decision, which seemed possible a few days ago. But Barcelona’s ouster from the UEFA Champions League has ended those speculations.
Xavi will not continue as the Barcelona manager beyond the 2023/24 season, compelling the club to identify options to replace him. Recent reports have linked Unai Emery with the Barcelona job. However, the latest update has claimed that Rafael Marquez is now the front-runner to replace Xavi at the club.
With the former Mexican international making his mark at Barcelona Atletic, he might be ready for the first team. But it will be interesting to see if some other candidate usurps the highly-rated 45-year-old manager in the coming weeks.
