Carlos Marchena Facts for Kids

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Marchena and the second or maternal family name is López.

Quick facts for kids
Carlos Marchena

Marchena in 2017

Personal information

Full name

Carlos Marchena López

Date of birth

31 July 1979 (age 46)

Place of birth

Las Cabezas, Spain

Height

1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)

Position(s)

Centre-back, defensive midfielder

Youth career

Cabecense

1990–1997

Sevilla

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

1997–2000

Sevilla

(1)

1998

Sevilla B

(0)

2000–2001

Benfica

(2)

2001–2010

Valencia

230

(8)

2010–2012

Villarreal

(1)

2012–2014

Deportivo La Coruña

(5)

2015

Kerala Blasters

(0)

Total

411

(17)

International career

1999

Spain U20

(0)

1999–2001

Spain U21

(0)

2000

Spain U23

(0)

2002–2011

Spain

(2)

Managerial career

2017–2018

Sevilla C (assistant)

2018

Spain (assistant)

2019–2020

Sevilla B (assistant)

2023

Valencia (assistant)

Medal record

Men's Football

Representing Spain
Summer Olympic Games
Silver	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

Carlos Marchena López is a Spanish former professional footballer. He was born on July 31, 1979. Carlos mainly played as a central defender. He could also play as a defensive midfielder.

Marchena spent most of his career, nine years, playing for Valencia. With Valencia, he helped the team win five major titles. These included two La Liga championships. He played a total of 330 matches and scored 11 goals over 13 seasons in the top Spanish league. He also played for Sevilla, Villarreal, and Deportivo.

Carlos Marchena was also a key player for the Spanish national team for many years. He played in 69 matches for Spain. He represented his country in two World Cups and two European Championships. He won both of these big tournaments once.

Club Career Highlights
International Career with Spain
Honours and Achievements
Images for kids
See also

Club Career Highlights

Starting Out in Football

Carlos Marchena was born in Las Cabezas de San Juan, a town in Spain. He began his professional football journey at his hometown club, Sevilla, when he was 18 years old. At that time, Sevilla was in the Segunda División, which is Spain's second division league. He played his first game in La Liga, Spain's top league, on August 22, 1999.

After Sevilla was moved down to a lower league, Marchena moved to Portugal. He joined Benfica in the summer of 2000. He scored two goals during his time in Lisbon.

Success with Valencia

In 2001, Marchena returned to Spain and signed with Valencia. He quickly became an important player for the team. In his first season, Valencia won their first league title in 30 years.

During the 2003–04 season, Valencia had an amazing year. They won both the league title and the UEFA Cup. Marchena was a very important part of their defense during this successful period. He played in 44 games across all competitions that season.

In a UEFA Champions League match in 2007 against Inter Milan, Marchena was involved in a small incident on the field. He was later banned for four games by UEFA. After this, his teammates chose him to be the new team captain.

In the 2009–10 season, Marchena played 24 games for Valencia. The team finished third in the league, which meant they could play in the Champions League again. He scored two goals that season.

Moving to Villarreal and Later Teams

On August 1, 2010, Marchena joined Villarreal. He played for them for three years. He scored his first goal for Villarreal in a big 5–0 win in the Europa League. He continued to play well in defense for Villarreal.

Marchena left Villarreal in 2012. He then joined Deportivo de La Coruña. Even though Deportivo was moved down to a lower league, he decided to stay with them for another season. After Deportivo returned to the top league in 2014, Marchena left the club.

In 2015, he signed with Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League. He played one game for them before leaving for personal reasons. Carlos Marchena announced his retirement from playing football in January 2016.

After retiring, Marchena started a new career as an assistant manager. He worked for his first club, Sevilla, with their C team. He also had assistant coaching roles at Sevilla Atlético and Valencia.

International Career with Spain

Carlos Marchena first played for Spain with the under-20 team. He played alongside famous players like Iker Casillas and Xavi. They won the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship together. He also won a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Marchena made his debut for the senior Spanish national team on August 21, 2002. He was part of the squad for UEFA Euro 2004. He played in two matches during that tournament.

Marchena with Spain in 2010

On June 8, 2005, Marchena scored his first goal for Spain. It was a last-minute goal that helped Spain draw 1–1 in a World Cup qualifier. He was chosen for the 2006 FIFA World Cup but only played in one group game.

Marchena was a key player for Spain at UEFA Euro 2008. He played as a starting defender and helped Spain win the tournament. The team's defense was very strong, letting in only two goals in five games. His excellent play earned him a spot in the tournament's best team.

Under the new coach, Vicente del Bosque, Marchena was still part of the team. He was included in the squads for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Spain won the 2010 World Cup, and Marchena played a small part in their victory. On May 29, 2010, he played his 50th consecutive undefeated match for the national team. This was a new record, beating the previous record held by Garrincha.

In June 2018, Marchena joined the coaching staff for the Spanish national team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.