Carlos Marchena López (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkaɾlos maɾˈtʃena ˈlopeθ]; born 31 July 1979) is a Spanish retired footballer. Mainly a central defender with an aggressive approach, he also played as a defensive midfielder.[2]

Carlos Marchena
Marchena in 2017
Personal information
Full name Carlos Marchena López[1]
Date of birth (1979-07-31) 31 July 1979 (age 45)[1]
Place of birth Las Cabezas, Spain
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s) Centre-back, defensive midfielder
Youth career
Cabecense
1990–1997 Sevilla
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2000 Sevilla 68 (1)
1998 Sevilla B 3 (0)
2000–2001 Benfica 20 (2)
2001–2010 Valencia 230 (8)
2010–2012 Villarreal 45 (1)
2012–2014 Deportivo La Coruña 44 (5)
2015 Kerala Blasters 1 (0)
Total 411 (17)
International career
1999 Spain U20 7 (0)
1999–2001 Spain U21 17 (0)
2000 Spain U23 5 (0)
2002–2011 Spain 69 (2)
Managerial career
2017–2018 Sevilla C (assistant)
2018 Spain (assistant)
2019–2020 Sevilla B (assistant)
2023 Valencia (assistant)
Medal record
Representing  Spain
Men's Football
Summer Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2000 Sidney Team
FIFA World Cup
Winner 2010 South Africa Team
UEFA European Championship
Winner 2008 Austria – Switzerland Team
FIFA World Youth Championship
Winner 1999 Nigeria
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Most of his professional career (nine years) was spent at Valencia, where he helped the club to win five major titles, including two La Liga championships. He amassed competition totals 330 matches and 11 goals over 13 seasons, also playing for Sevilla, Villarreal and Deportivo.

A Spain international for the better part of the 2000s, Marchena won 69 caps and represented the national team in two World Cups and two European Championships, winning each tournament once.[3]

Club career

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Early years

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Born in Las Cabezas de San Juan, Province of Seville, Andalusia, Marchena started his professional career in hometown club Sevilla FC at the age of 18, when the club was in the Segunda División.[4] He made his La Liga debut on 22 August 1999, playing the entire 2–2 home draw with Real Sociedad.[5]

When Sevilla were relegated again at the end of the season, Marchena earned a transfer to Portugal's S.L. Benfica.[6] During his spell in Lisbon he scored in two narrow wins, at home against C.F. Os Belenenses (1–0)[7] and at S.C. Salgueiros (2–1),[8] but almost left the Estádio da Luz in late 2000 due to lack of payment.[9]

Valencia

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Marchena returned to his country in summer 2001 as he signed a four-year contract with Valencia CF, with Zlatko Zahovič moving in the opposite direction.[10] Having signed as a cover for ageing Miroslav Đukić, he took a while to impress in his first season (16 appearances), as Valencia clinched their first league title in 30 years, but gradually became first choice.[11]

In the 2003–04 campaign, with the side capturing an historic league and UEFA Cup double,[12] Marchena played a pivotal role in defence, teaming up with Roberto Ayala; the former played 44 games in all competitions, the latter 45.[13]

2004–05 was not a very successful season for Valencia, as under new coach Claudio Ranieri the team struggled both domestically and in European tournaments. In a UEFA Champions League group-stage match against SV Werder Bremen at the Weser-Stadion, Marchena was also given his marching orders in the early minutes of the second half (2–1 defeat)[14] and his team was eventually eliminated from the elite competition; he remained a regular at both defensive positions.

 
Marchena (right) tackling Sevilla's Luís Fabiano in 2007

During the Champions League match against Inter Milan on 6 March 2007, Marchena was involved in the on-pitch melee sparked by his teammate David Navarro: the former appeared to kick Inter defender Nicolás Burdisso after an angry exchange of words and, after the latter punched the Argentine's nose, a scuffle took place with several of Burdisso's teammates chasing Navarro all the way into the dressing room.[15][16][17]

Consequently, Marchena, Navarro and several other Inter players involved were later charged with "gross unsporting conduct" by UEFA after the investigation.[18] Both clubs were fined £106,000 while Marchena was banned for four games; after Euro 2008 he was selected by his teammates as the new captain, although he missed the first two months of the new season due to injury.[19]

In the 2009–10 campaign, veteran Marchena contributed 24 appearances as the Che finished third and returned to the Champions League. He scored in two 3–1 away victories, over CA Osasuna[20] and Xerez CD,[21] only being booked seven times.

Villarreal

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Marchena (left) challenging Augusto Fernández in the Galician derby in 2012

On 1 August 2010, the 31-year-old Marchena joined Villarreal CF for three years.[22] He made his competitive debut for the Valencians 18 days later, opening the 5–0 home win against FC Dnepr Mogilev in that campaign's Europa League.[23] Regularly used in both defensive positions again, he scored his second goal for the Yellow Submarine on 7 April 2011, in a 5–1 home rout of FC Twente in the first leg of the competition's quarter-finals.[24]

Marchena left at the end of 2011–12 after being released from contract, and his team also suffered relegation.[25]

Later career

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In the 2012 off-season, Marchena initially moved to Deportivo de La Coruña on a one-year deal.[26] The Galicians were eventually relegated, but he chose to remain for a further season in spite of more lucrative offers.[27][28]

Following Deportivo's return to the top flight in 2014, Marchena left the club[29] and remained unemployed until 1 August 2015 when he signed for Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters FC as its marquee player.[30] After missing the start of the season with injury,[31] he made his debut on 18 October in a 0–1 home loss to Delhi Dynamos FC;[32] on 4 November, he left for personal reasons.[33]

After a period of training with amateurs CD Gerena, Marchena announced his retirement in January 2016.[34] On 7 June of the following year he returned to his first club Sevilla, being appointed assistant manager of the C team.[35]

Marchena then had assistant spells at Sevilla Atlético and Valencia, respectively under his former club teammates Paco Gallardo and Rubén Baraja.[36][37]

International career

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Marchena first appeared for Spain as part of the under-20 team alongside Iker Casillas and Xavi, finishing first at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship.[38] He was also on the roster for the 2000 Summer Olympics, winning the silver medal.[3]

Marchena made his senior debut on 21 August 2002, in a testimonial match for Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskás in Budapest just after the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan.[39] Subsequently, he was part of the squad at UEFA Euro 2004, where he was chosen at the last minute by coach Iñaki Sáez as a strategic move to bolster his side defensively;[40] while Spain bowed out after the group phase, he did manage two appearances, but picked up two yellow cards in the process.[41][42]

 
Marchena with Spain in 2010

On 8 June 2005, Marchena scored his first international goal, a last-minute equaliser in a 1–1 draw in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, played in Valencia.[43] He was picked for the finals,[44] but only played the last group fixture against Saudi Arabia.[45]

Marchena was selected again by Luis Aragonés for Euro 2008, this time as undisputed starter, having also featured prominently in the qualifying stages. With Joan Capdevila, Carles Puyol and Sergio Ramos, he formed a rock-solid defense and conceded only two goals in five games, his hard work and man-marking skills earning him a spot in the team of the tournament.[46]

Under new coach Vicente del Bosque, Marchena slowly lost his spot to Gerard Piqué, but was still included in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup[47] and the 2010 World Cup squads. As Spain downed Saudi Arabia on 29 May 2010 in preparation for the latter competition (where he played six minutes in the 1–0 quarter-final win over Paraguay, adding two injury-time appearances for the champions),[48][49][50] he played his 50th consecutive undefeated match with the national team, surpassing previous holder Garrincha (49).[51]

In June 2018, Marchena was allowed by Sevilla to join newly appointed Fernando Hierro's coaching staff for the upcoming World Cup in Russia.[52]

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[53][54]
Club Season League Cup[a] Continental[b] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sevilla 1997–98 Segunda División 17 0 0 0 0 0 17 0
1998–99 Segunda División 18 1 8 0 0 0 26 0
1999–00 La Liga 33 0 0 0 0 0 33 0
Total 68 1 8 0 0 0 76 1
Benfica 2000–01 Primeira Liga 20 2 0 0 0 0 20 2
Valencia 2001–02 La Liga 16 1 1 0 5 0 22 1
2002–03 La Liga 26 0 4 0 9 0 39 0
2003–04 La Liga 31 2 5 0 8 0 44 2
2004–05 La Liga 32 2 1 0 6 0 39 2
2005–06 La Liga 25 0 4 0 3 0 32 0
2006–07 La Liga 22 0 2 0 4 0 28 0
2007–08 La Liga 28 0 8 0 7 0 43 0
2008–09 La Liga 26 1 4 1 7 1 37 3
2009–10 La Liga 24 2 3 1 8 0 35 3
Total 230 8 32 2 57 1 319 11
Villarreal 2010–11 La Liga 28 1 0 0 12 2 40 3
2011–12 La Liga 17 0 1 0 6 1 24 1
Total 45 1 1 0 18 3 64 4
Deportivo 2012–13 La Liga 22 2 1 0 0 0 23 2
2013–14 Segunda División 22 3 1 0 0 0 23 3
Total 44 5 2 0 0 0 46 5
Kerala Blasters 2015 Indian Super League 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Career total 408 17 43 2 75 4 526 23

International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year[55]
National team Year Apps Goals
Spain 2002 3 0
2003 9 0
2004 9 0
2005 6 1
2006 1 0
2007 10 1
2008 10 0
2009 8 0
2010 11 0
2011 2 0
Total 69 2
Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Marchena goal.
List of international goals scored by Carlos Marchena[55]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 8 June 2005 Mestalla, Valencia, Spain   Bosnia and Herzegovina 1–1 1–1 2006 World Cup qualification
2 22 August 2007 Toumba, Thessaloniki, Greece   Greece 1–1 3–2 Friendly

Honours

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Valencia

Spain U20

Spain U23

Spain

Individual

References

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  1. ^ a b c "FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010: List of players" (PDF). FIFA. 4 June 2010. p. 29. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  2. ^ "Carlos Marchena". FIFA. Archived from the original on 1 March 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Marchena, historia de España" [Marchena, history of Spain]. Marca (in Spanish). 20 January 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  4. ^ "De los "futbolistas con mucho talento" del Sevilla, Marchena resalta... a Munir" [Of the "very talented footballers" of Sevilla, Marchena highlights... Munir]. Estadio Deportivo (in Spanish). 20 April 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  5. ^ Gómez, Jesús (23 August 1999). "Tablas en el retorno a Primera" [Tie in return to Primera]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  6. ^ "Marchena quatro temporadas no Benfica" [Marchena four seasons in Benfica]. Record (in Portuguese). 6 June 2000. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  7. ^ "Benfica-Belenenses, 1–0 (Marchena 34')". Record (in Portuguese). 15 October 2000. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  8. ^ "Salgueiros-Benfica, 1–2: Marchena e Meira empurraram e Van Hooijdonk acabou a obra" [Salgueiros-Benfica, 1–2: Marchena and Meira pushed forward and Van Hooijdonk the finisher]. Record (in Portuguese). 8 January 2001. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  9. ^ "Benfica pode perder Marchena" [Benfica may lose Marchena]. Record (in Portuguese). 31 October 2000. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  10. ^ "Benfica acerta com Valência troca de Marchena por Zahovic" [Benfica arrange Marchena/Zahovic swap with Valencia]. Record (in Portuguese). 20 June 2001. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Fútbol.– Marchena (Valencia) está a un partido de los 250 encuentros en la Primera" [Football.– Marchena (Valencia) one match away from 250 games in Primera] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 30 December 2009. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Valencia 2–0 Marseille". BBC Sport. 19 May 2004. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  13. ^ Hernández, Toni (1 June 2016). "Raúl Albiol y Marc Bartra, ¿la pareja de centrales del Valencia que hará olvidar a Ayala-Marchena?" [Raúl Albiol and Marc Bartra, the Valencia stopper duo to make forget about Ayala-Marchena?] (in Spanish). Deporte Valenciano. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  14. ^ Costa, Vicente (29 September 2004). "El Valencia se deja remontar ante el Werder Bremen" [Valencia allow comeback against Werder Bremen]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  15. ^ "Uefa charges Valencia and Inter". The Irish Times. 7 March 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  16. ^ "Burdisso slams Navarro". Eurosport. 7 March 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  17. ^ "La brutta rissa di Valencia" [Ugly brawl at Valencia]. La Repubblica (in Italian). March 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  18. ^ Bandini, Nicky (7 March 2007). "UEFA charge Valencia and Inter over Champions League brawl". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 November 2008.
  19. ^ Ballesta, Joaquín (24 September 2008). "Marchena se convierte en capitán seguido por Albiol, Vicente y Villa como sustitutos" [Marchena becomes captain followed by Albiol, Vicente and Villa as replacements]. Las Provincias (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  20. ^ "Valencia cruise past nine-man Osasuna". ESPN Soccernet. 22 November 2009. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  21. ^ "Valencia heap more misery on Xerez". ESPN Soccernet. 10 January 2010. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  22. ^ "Marchena ya es oficialmente jugador del Villarreal" [Marchena is already a Villarreal player officially]. Marca (in Spanish). 1 August 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  23. ^ Huerta, Daniel (19 August 2010). "Festival de goles en El Madrigal" [Goal festival at El Madrigal] (in Spanish). UEFA. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  24. ^ Hunter, Graham (7 April 2011). "Five-star Villarreal leave Twente dazed". UEFA. Retrieved 7 April 2011.
  25. ^ Mata, Javier (22 May 2012). "El Submarino le da la carta de libertad a Carlos Marchena" [The Submarine releases Marchena]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  26. ^ "Llega Carlos Marchena, un campeón del mundo para reforzar la defensa deportivista" [Enter Carlos Marchena, world champion to bolster deportivista defense] (in Spanish). Deportivo La Coruña. 6 August 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  27. ^ Fernández, Xurxo (30 August 2013). "Marchena llega al Dépor por una temporada" [Marchena arrives to Dépor for one season]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  28. ^ "Marchena: ´He antepuesto la felicidad al dinero´" [Marchena: 'I chose happiness over money']. La Opinión A Coruña (in Spanish). 3 September 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  29. ^ "Marchena intuye que su etapa en el Deportivo toca a su fin" [Marchena senses that his spell at Deportivo has come to an end]. Marca (in Spanish). 5 June 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  30. ^ "Indian Super League: Marchena for Blasters". The Hindu. 1 August 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  31. ^ "Indian Super League 2015: Carlos Marchena to miss Kerala Blasters' opening match". International Business Times. 27 September 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  32. ^ Rajan, Adwaidh (19 October 2015). "Gadze goal defuses Kerala Blasters, gives Delhi Dynamos narrow victory". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 20 October 2015.[dead link]
  33. ^ "Kerala Blasters marquee player Carlos Marchena leaves club". NDTV. 4 November 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  34. ^ "Spain World Cup winner Marchena retires aged 36". Reuters. 19 January 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  35. ^ "Agustín López al Sevilla Atlético y Carlos Marchena al 'C'" [Agustín López to Sevilla Atlético and Carlos Marchena to the 'C's] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  36. ^ "Gallardo y Marchena dirigirán al Sevilla Atlético" [Gallardo and Marchena will be in charge of Sevilla Atlético]. Diario de Sevilla (in Spanish). 28 May 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  37. ^ Jarque, Rafa (14 February 2023). "Carlos Marchena formará parte del cuerpo técnico de Baraja" [Carlos Marchena will be part of Baraja's coaching staff]. Super Deporte (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  38. ^ a b García, Miguel Ángel (17 April 2009). "Qué fue de los campeones del mundo sub20" [What happened to the under-20 world champions]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  39. ^ Besa, Ramon (22 August 2002). "Poca luz para tanto estreno" [Too little light for so many premieres]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  40. ^ Modia, Iván (20 May 2004). "Sáez selects Spain squad". UEFA. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  41. ^ "Spain 1–0 Russia". BBC Sport. 12 June 2004. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  42. ^ "Greece 1–1 Spain". BBC Sport. 16 June 2004. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  43. ^ "Marchena salvages last-gasp point". UEFA. 8 June 2005. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  44. ^ "Luis Aragonés llama a Marchena y descarta a Morientes para el Mundial" [Luis Aragonés calls Marchena and cuts Morientes for World Cup]. Diario Córdoba (in Spanish). 16 May 2006. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  45. ^ Burt, Jason (23 June 2006). "Saudi Arabia 0 Spain 1: Spain's shoddy seconds let off hook by Saudis". The Independent. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  46. ^ a b "2008 team of the tournament". UEFA. 1 February 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  47. ^ "Spain unveil Confeds squad". FIFA. 1 June 2009. Archived from the original on 11 June 2009. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
  48. ^ Bevan, Chris (29 June 2010). "Spain 1–0 Portugal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  49. ^ Fletcher, Paul (3 July 2010). "Paraguay 0–1 Spain". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  50. ^ Fletcher, Paul (7 July 2010). "Germany 0–1 Spain". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  51. ^ "Marchena alcanza 50 partidos seguidos sin perder y supera a Garrincha" [Marchena reaches 50 straight games without losing and passes Garrincha]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 29 May 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  52. ^ "Marchena, el talismán de España, en el cuerpo técnico de Hierro para el Mundial" [Marchena, Spain's talisman, in Hierro's coaching staff for the World Cup]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). 13 June 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  53. ^ "Marchena: Carlos Marchena López". BDFutbol. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  54. ^ "Marchena". Soccerway. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  55. ^ a b "Carlos Marchena". European Football. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  56. ^ "Spain 3–2 South Africa (aet)". BBC Sport. 28 June 2009. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
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