The painful way in which Rafa Márquez tried to lead Barcelona – – 2024-03-12 08:29:33

The Mexican Rafa Márquez did not comply with an unwritten rule in football to seek a position in Barcelona. The Mexican technical director, currently at Barcelona Athletic, a subsidiary of the first team, saw an opportunity and, recklessly, wanted to take advantage of it by running for the club where he made history as a player.

The early departure of Xavi, who will end his cycle as Barcelona coach in June, prompted Rafa Márquez to look for that position.

“I believe that you cannot say no to an opportunity like this. And if it arrives, at that moment, I will try to be available and try to do my best,” he said at a press conference about whether he was interested in the position of his former teammate Xavi, who after losing a duel against Villarreal ended his own career. cycle, although not with immediate effect.

Márquez added instability and pressure at a moment that was already critical for the Blaugranas. Xavi’s dismissal had been announced since the last weeks of 2023 and, with his voluntary departure for June, he mitigated the possibility of an immediate departure.

Javier Aguirre, Mexican coach in charge of Mallorca, in an interview with ESPN answered if he would do what Márquez did and gave a precise assessment of that type of attitude. «Do you know what’s happening? That I don’t do things that I wouldn’t want done to me. If I am now in Mallorca, and a coach comes out saying ‘well, I am ready for when they throw this man out’… I don’t know the context, maybe there are nuances, there are misrepresentations, but I wouldn’t do it,” said Aguirre. .

Barcelona is currently in third place in LaLiga. The season has been turbulent for them, but the last couple of months have helped them rebuild their path. The home title seems distant, eight points away from Real Madrid, but with the ticket to the 2024-2025 Champions League very close at hand. Furthermore, next week their survival in the current edition will be at stake when they host Napoli, the Italian champion. Being among the eight best in Europe would give greater credit to the current team and would make the mission easier for whoever comes to succeed Xavi.