Five football players that didn't retire early enough

3) Rafael Márquez Álvarez

Born: 13th February 1979

Age he played till: 38 (Present)

Career: 1996-Present

The Mexican Rafael Márquez Álvarez plays for Mexican club Atlas. The central defender also began his career with Atlas in 1996 where he played in more than 70 games.

Quite early in his career, Marquez had tasted success. In 1999, Márquez moved to Monaco in France, where he won the Ligue 1 title.

In 2003, Márquez was transferred to Barcelona. He had a fairly good time at Barca, featuring in over 200 matches and winning several championships.

In 2006, he became the first Mexican player to be part of a UEFA Champions League winning team when Barcelona beat Arsenal in the final game.

However, his time at Barca was also plagued with injuries which kept him sidelined from some key games. Marquez picked up an injury while playing against Chelsea during the 2008-09 Champions League Final, for which he was told he needed a surgery on his left knee.

It forced him to miss the rest of the season which saw Barca win a historic treble after winning the 2008-09 Champions League.

Before the 2009-10 season would get underway, Márquez received an offer from Serie A club Fiorentina, but he rejected it as he wished to end his career at Barcelona. It seemed like a wise move at that time, but stars were not favourably aligned.

In November 2009, Márquez signed a new contract with the Blaugrana, that would have kept the Mexican at the club till 2012. However, on July 31 2010, Márquez was released from his contract at Barca.

He was 33 years old. Perhaps this would have been a good time for him to retire. But, Márquez decided to join MLS Soccer Club New York Red Bulls after spending seven years at the Catalan giants.

His stint at the club was widely criticized by journalists and fans as he was constantly injured or suspended from playing.

He would later describe his decision to play in the United States as a “bad decision”. However, Márquez never found anything close to playing for a high-profile club like Barca. After New York Red Bulls, Márquez has played for different clubs in Mexico.