Football
Tom Marshall, Mexico correspondent 7y

Mexico's Rafa Marquez focused on recovery, not Confederations Cup

Mexico and Atlas captain Rafa Marquez is on the comeback trail from back surgery and although his recovery has been positive, the 38-year-old doesn't want to rush his return.

El Tri has a hectic summer with two friendlies at the end of May, two World Cup qualifiers in June, then the Confederations Cup followed by the Gold Cup in July.

But Marquez's status for the summer is still uncertain as he last played on March 24, when he injured his back against Costa Rica in World Cup qualifying.

"The first thing is my health, to get myself right physically," Marquez said in an interview with ESPN. "I don't know if I'll be OK to be in the Confederations Cup. What concerns me is getting better."

Marquez has returned to the training pitch and recently posted photos of himself kicking the ball.

"How beautiful it feels to put on football boots again," he wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

But the central defender or holding midfielder isn't rushing back, as he hones in on his quest to become only the third player to feature at five World Cups.

"The results [of the treatment] have been good," said the former Barcelona player. "We have to stay patient and stick to the schedule that the doctors have set."

Marquez underwent surgery on April 13 and the doctor indicated he would be out for around eight weeks, meaning the veteran was virtually ruled out of the rest of the 2017 Clausura.

In Marquez's absence, Atlas managed to earn a playoff spot and will hunt for a first title since 1951 in the postseason.

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