FCBARCELONA.CAT

01.08.2009 10:36

Márquez ready for debut

Berta Brau / David Saura (enviats especials)

Three months after injury ruled him out of the climax to the 08-09 season, Rafa Marquez is back to full fitness and ready to start the new campaign against LA Galaxy on Sunday.

The Mexican defender suffered a cruel knee injury against Chelsea in the first leg of the Champions League semi final at the Nou Camp that meant he missed the decisive league game at the Bernabeu and the two Cup finals. Now he’s back and desperate to get back to playing for the treble winners.

Keen to return

Marquez had been a pillar of the Barca defence until his injury and he’s determined to fight his way back into the team, telling Barça TV and www.fcbarcelona.cat: “ after three months out with this injury it’s not easy to get back into the rhythm I had before, but I’m desperate to get back onto the pitch”.

Knee holding up okay

The Mexican captain, who’ll be off to play for his country on August 12th is hoping to play a few minutes in the opening game of the club’s US Tour and stressed, “the most important thing for me right now is that I’ve had no bad feelings in my knee and it seems to have healed okay”.

International projection

Rafa Márquez spoke during the presentation of the agreement between the Fundación Rafa Márquez and the International Community Foundation, which will publicise the work done by the player’s foundation which currently has 4 centres in Mexico providing nutritional, educational and sporting help to approximately 1,000 youngsters.

Rafa Márquez’s social commitment is a value that he tries to pass on to his own children and he explained: “I try to make them see they should value the things they have and enjoy them. Whenever I visit one of my centres I try and take them with me so that they can see that reality. They need to see that things don’t come to you just because you ask for them, you have to earn them”.