Rafael Marquez Alvarez, commonly known as Rafa Marquez, is a Mexican international football player who plays as a centre back and defensive midfielder for the Spanish and European giants FC Barcelona. He is considered as one of the best defenders in the world and is a legend back home in Mexico.

Marquez commenced his professional football at Mexican club Atlas de Guadalajara in 1996 when he was merely 17 years of age. His reputation soon reached Europe and he was signed by the French principality club AS Monaco in 1999 for 6 million euros. He led Monaco to the French Ligue 1 title in the 1999-2000 season and was signed by Catalan giants FC Barcelona in the summer of 2003 for a paultry sum of 5 million euros.

At Camp Nou, Rafael Marquez progressd into a world class footballer. His versatality to play either in central defence or in defensive midfield was a boon to Barcelona. Rafa Marquez was a key player in Barca's 2005 and 2006 La Liga triumphs and was also one of the most important players in Barca's UEFA Champions League conquest in the 2005-2006 season.

Rafael Marquez made his debut for the Mexican international team in 1997 against Ecuador and won the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup. He has also represented Mexico in the 2002 and 2006 World Cup finals.