Rui Marques
Encyclopedia
Manuel Rui Marques is an Angola
n football defender
and first choice centre-back for the Angolan national side. Although born in Angola, Marques moved to Portugal
as a child. Marques is currently unattached after being released by Leeds.
, following a spell at Baden, he began his professional career at Germany
's SSV Ulm 1846
in the 1999-2000 season. He subsequently moved to Hertha BSC
in Berlin
, Germany's capital. But only managed to play one game for the first team in the league.
Marques then moved to VfB Stuttgart
of the German Bundesliga, spending four seasons at the German club where he won the 2002-2003 Intertoto Cup after beating French side Lille. In the 2004-05 season he moved to CS Marítimo
of Madeira
, Portugal
where he played in the Portuguese Premier Division. After struggling to break into the first team, Marques was released after just one season. As a free agent he then began to look for clubs abroad.
enough to want to sign him permanently, but instead he chose to move to Leeds United
in England
on a Bosman transfer. He was signed by manager Kevin Blackwell
, but Marques made only one appearance for Leeds in the 2005-06 season in the Carling Cup against Oldham, in which he was clearly very nervous and uncomfortable playing out of position at right-back, Marques did not feature again for Leeds that season with Paul Butler, Sean Gregan
, Matthew Kilgallon
, Clarke Carlisle
and Michael Duberry
all ahead of him in the pecking order. Towards the end of 2005-06 he went to Hull City
on a short-term loan, which was cut short due to injury. He thus returned to Leeds. He represented Angola in the 2006 World Cup, and was one of two Leeds United players to take part in that Tournament, with Eddie Lewis being the other player (He represented the USA).
The 2006-07 campaign again saw Marques over-looked by manager Kevin Blackwell
, and initially again by the new Leeds manager Dennis Wise
, who said that Marques would not feature under his leadership and was told he was free to leave the club along with a number of other squad and fringe players. However, Marques did not complain about his isolation from the first team and worked hard to try and prove himself.
Marques' hard-work and persistence was rewarded when he was called up to the first team squad for Leeds United's 2-1 victory against Coventry City
on 1 January 2007, where he turned in a very solid performance at centre back. This performance saw Marques being rewarded with a long run in the starting lineup at Elland Road
. Marques after such a long time out in the cold for Leeds became on of the first names on the team sheet. With questions about extending his contract Marques stated that he would prefer to concentrate on Leeds' relegation battle than signing a new deal. He was an instant hit with the fans. Despite putting in some impressive performances, they were not enough to save Leeds who were relegated to League One
for the first time in their history, but Marques showed his commitment to the club once again and signed a new deal on 7 August 2007. Marques was a regular starter in the first team and scored his first goal for Leeds on 18 August 2007 in the 4-1 drubbing of Southend United
in the dying minutes of the match. Marques missed several matches in January 2008, linking up with Angola
for the African Cup Of Nations
.
On his return, Marques established himself as fourth-choice captain at Leeds, taking up the armband for most of March 2008 whilst Alan Thompson, Jonathan Douglas
and Andy Hughes
were out injured. Marques picked up an injury and was replaced by Paul Huntington
in Leeds' starting line-up. Due to Huntington's fantastic form, Marques was kept out of the side for the rest of the season, only being limited to occasional substitute appearances.
Before he left the club, manager Dennis Wise
stated he would offer Marques a new contract, Wise even said Rui should wait longer before signing the deal to help get a wage increase. Upon his arrival, new manager Gary McAllister
offered Marques a new contract but talks stalled with the length of the contract appearing to be the deciding factor in Marques' decision. Talks were delayed until the summer and Leeds reached the League 1 playoff final but lost 1-0 against Doncaster Rovers. During the summer Marques was linked to a move to the Premiership with him interesting Roy Keane
's Sunderland. However, on 20 May 2008 he signed a new contract with Leeds United, contracting him to the club for a further two seasons. At the start of the 2008-09 season Marques who was fluent in Spanish also acted as a translator for new Argentine signing Luciano Becchio
. After a poor start to the 2008-09 season with Leeds' defence leaking a lot of goals, McAllister was sacked and was replaced by Simon Grayson
. He scored in Leeds United's 2-0 win against Southend on 28 January 2009. Marques played regularly under Grayson, and began partnering new signing Richard Naylor
, but when Sam Sodje
was signed on loan Marques lost his place when he suffered an hamstring injury . Leeds reached the playoff semi finals but lost out to Millwall.
With Sam Sodje
's loan spell over and captain Richard Naylor
injured, Marques found himself as first choice central defence partnership with Patrick Kisnorbo
at the start of the 2009-10 season, He lost his starting place when Marques suffered an achilles injury whilst on international duty in September, and dropped down the pecking order when he was out injured when Leeds completed the signing of Leigh Bromby
. Marques' injury kept him out for a prolonged period lasting over several games. After featuring in some reserve games and behind closed doors friendlies, Marques returned from injury and was named on the bench against Kettering Town. After his spell out injured he is now behind Patrick Kisnorbo
, Richard Naylor
, Leigh Bromby
and Lubomir Michalik
in the pecking order for Leeds. Marques was named on the bench against Oldham Athletic and kept his place on the bench against Huddersfield Town. When Naylor and Kisnorbo were both fit they returned to the starting 11, with Lubo Michalik dropping to the bench at Marques' expense.
Rui Marques will be unavailable for selection for Leeds during most of January 2010 as he was called up to host nation Angola's African Cup Of Nations squad. The most high profile game's he was unavailable for was Leeds' FA Cup tie away to Manchester United and the away FA Cup tie to Tottenham Hotspur. Angola were knocked out of the African Cup of Nations on 24 January 2010 so Marques returned to Leeds. Marques picked up a small injury at the African Cup Of Nations which when he returned to Leeds kept him on the sidelines for a number of Leeds' games.Then when he recovered, he never had a chance to play, even when the club was strugling to win a game for the last part of the season.
It was announced on 14 May 2010 that he would not be offered a new deal at the club and that he was free to find a new club.At the time of leaving Marques was the longest serving player at the club.
, Where he played against Mexico, Iran and against the country he was brought up in Portugal with Angola finishing 3rd in their group. He also played in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, in which he played in all of Angola's games.
Marques was called up by Angola for the 2010 African Cup of Nations, where his country Angola are the host nation of the tournament, during this spell he will be unavailable to play for Leeds. 30 December 2009 Marques played in the 1-0 loss to Estonia, which was a friendly match as a warm up for the Cup Of Nations. Then played in the 1-1 draw against The Gambia, a game which Manucho
scored Angola's goal. Angola's first game of the African Cup Of Nations is against Mali. Marques started the match for Angola against Mali, Angola were 4-0 up with 15 minutes to go, but conceded 4 in the last 15 minutes and it finished 4-4 with the likes of Seydou Keita
and Frederic Kanoute
getting on the score sheet for Mali. Marques played the whole game for Angola in their 2-0 win over Malawi and featured as a starter in the 0-0 draw with Algeria, a game which enabled Angola to progress to the quarter-finals as winners of their group.
Marques' tournament came to an end when Angola were knocked out in the quarter finals after losing 1-0 against Ghana with Asamoah Gyan
scoring the winner. Rui Marques returned to Leeds from the African Cup of Nations with an injury. As a result Leeds brought in additional centre-back cover in the form of Neil Collins
, with Marques not even making the bench when he returned from injury. Rui Marques was released in May 2010 following the end of his contract.
He is now back with Leeds after a year out on a free transfer and a pay as you play contract as he was well supported as a centre half under Simon Grayson.
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
n football defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
and first choice centre-back for the Angolan national side. Although born in Angola, Marques moved to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
as a child. Marques is currently unattached after being released by Leeds.
Early career
After coming through the youth ranks at Portuguese giants Benfica. Marques left to join Swiss side BadenFC Baden
FC Baden is a Swiss football club based in Baden, Canton Aargau which is a short distance from Zürich. It was founded in 1897. FC Baden has a total of 22 different teams at age levels, including 5 women's teams. They currently play in the Swiss 1. Liga, the third tier of Swiss...
, following a spell at Baden, he began his professional career at Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's SSV Ulm 1846
SSV Ulm 1846
SSV Ulm 1846 is a German association football club from Ulm, Baden-Württemberg and is one of the country's largest and oldest sports clubs with over 12,000 members in more than twenty different departments. The modern-day club was formed out of 5 May 1970 merger of TSG Ulm 1846 and 1...
in the 1999-2000 season. He subsequently moved to Hertha BSC
Hertha BSC Berlin
Hertha Berliner Sport-Club von 1892, commonly known as Hertha BSC or Hertha Berlin, is a German association football club based in Berlin. A founding member of the German Football Association in Leipzig in 1900, the club has a long history as Berlin's best-supported side...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany's capital. But only managed to play one game for the first team in the league.
Marques then moved to VfB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
of the German Bundesliga, spending four seasons at the German club where he won the 2002-2003 Intertoto Cup after beating French side Lille. In the 2004-05 season he moved to CS Marítimo
CS Marítimo
Club Sport Marítimo MH M, commonly known as just Marítimo , is a Portuguese sports club, founded in Funchal, Madeira, in 1910. The club is regarded as an important club in Portugal, and are widely known throughout the Portuguese speaking world, in countries such as Brazil, Angola, and Cape...
of Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
where he played in the Portuguese Premier Division. After struggling to break into the first team, Marques was released after just one season. As a free agent he then began to look for clubs abroad.
Leeds United
Prior to the 2005-06 season, Marques went on trial to Ipswich Town where he impressed the then manager Joe RoyleJoe Royle
Joseph "Joe" Royle is an English football manager. In his club career, he played for Everton , Manchester City, Bristol City, Norwich City, and the England national team...
enough to want to sign him permanently, but instead he chose to move to Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on a Bosman transfer. He was signed by manager Kevin Blackwell
Kevin Blackwell
Kevin Patrick Blackwell is an English former professional football goalkeeper who since retiring as a player has worked as a coach and a manager. He has an identical twin, Noel.-Early career:...
, but Marques made only one appearance for Leeds in the 2005-06 season in the Carling Cup against Oldham, in which he was clearly very nervous and uncomfortable playing out of position at right-back, Marques did not feature again for Leeds that season with Paul Butler, Sean Gregan
Sean Gregan
Sean Matthew Gregan is an English professional footballer. A defender, he has played in all of the top four leagues in England.- Early career :...
, Matthew Kilgallon
Matthew Kilgallon
Matthew Shaun Kilgallon is an English professional footballer currently playing for Sunderland. He is a central defender who can also operate at left back.-Leeds United:...
, Clarke Carlisle
Clarke Carlisle
Clarke James Carlisle is an English professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Football League One side Preston North End, on loan from Burnley. Born in Preston, he began playing football at a young age, taking inspiration from his father who played semi-professionally. Carlisle...
and Michael Duberry
Michael Duberry
Michael Wayne Duberry is an English footballer who plays for League Two club Oxford United. He started his career with Premier League side Chelsea and also played for Leeds United, Reading, Stoke City, Bournemouth and St...
all ahead of him in the pecking order. Towards the end of 2005-06 he went to Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
on a short-term loan, which was cut short due to injury. He thus returned to Leeds. He represented Angola in the 2006 World Cup, and was one of two Leeds United players to take part in that Tournament, with Eddie Lewis being the other player (He represented the USA).
The 2006-07 campaign again saw Marques over-looked by manager Kevin Blackwell
Kevin Blackwell
Kevin Patrick Blackwell is an English former professional football goalkeeper who since retiring as a player has worked as a coach and a manager. He has an identical twin, Noel.-Early career:...
, and initially again by the new Leeds manager Dennis Wise
Dennis Wise
Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United....
, who said that Marques would not feature under his leadership and was told he was free to leave the club along with a number of other squad and fringe players. However, Marques did not complain about his isolation from the first team and worked hard to try and prove himself.
Marques' hard-work and persistence was rewarded when he was called up to the first team squad for Leeds United's 2-1 victory against Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
on 1 January 2007, where he turned in a very solid performance at centre back. This performance saw Marques being rewarded with a long run in the starting lineup at Elland Road
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
. Marques after such a long time out in the cold for Leeds became on of the first names on the team sheet. With questions about extending his contract Marques stated that he would prefer to concentrate on Leeds' relegation battle than signing a new deal. He was an instant hit with the fans. Despite putting in some impressive performances, they were not enough to save Leeds who were relegated to League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
for the first time in their history, but Marques showed his commitment to the club once again and signed a new deal on 7 August 2007. Marques was a regular starter in the first team and scored his first goal for Leeds on 18 August 2007 in the 4-1 drubbing of Southend United
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
in the dying minutes of the match. Marques missed several matches in January 2008, linking up with Angola
Angola national football team
The Angola national football team, nicknamed Palancas Negras , is the national team of Angola and is controlled by the Federação Angolana de Futebol. Angola reached 45th in the FIFA Rankings in July 2002...
for the African Cup Of Nations
African Cup of Nations
The Africa Cup of Nations, also referred to as the African Cup of Nations or African Nations Cup, officially CAN , is the main international association football competition in Africa. It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football , and was first held in 1957. Since 1968, it has been...
.
On his return, Marques established himself as fourth-choice captain at Leeds, taking up the armband for most of March 2008 whilst Alan Thompson, Jonathan Douglas
Jonathan Douglas
Jonathan Douglas is an Irish football player who currently plays for Brentford. Douglas made his debut in the League of Ireland for Monaghan United aged 16...
and Andy Hughes
Andrew Hughes (footballer)
Andrew John Hughes is an English footballer, currently playing for Charlton Athletic in League One of the English Football League. Known for his versatility, his main position is as a central midfielder, but he has also played regularly at fullback during his career...
were out injured. Marques picked up an injury and was replaced by Paul Huntington
Paul Huntington
Paul Huntington is an English professional footballer. He plays primarily in the centre half position and currently plays for Yeovil Town.-Newcastle United:...
in Leeds' starting line-up. Due to Huntington's fantastic form, Marques was kept out of the side for the rest of the season, only being limited to occasional substitute appearances.
Before he left the club, manager Dennis Wise
Dennis Wise
Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United....
stated he would offer Marques a new contract, Wise even said Rui should wait longer before signing the deal to help get a wage increase. Upon his arrival, new manager Gary McAllister
Gary McAllister
Gary McAllister MBE is a Scottish former professional footballer.McAllister played primarily as a midfielder, in a successful career spanning over nineteen years. He started his career at local side Motherwell before moving south of the border to Leicester City at the age of 20...
offered Marques a new contract but talks stalled with the length of the contract appearing to be the deciding factor in Marques' decision. Talks were delayed until the summer and Leeds reached the League 1 playoff final but lost 1-0 against Doncaster Rovers. During the summer Marques was linked to a move to the Premiership with him interesting Roy Keane
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
's Sunderland. However, on 20 May 2008 he signed a new contract with Leeds United, contracting him to the club for a further two seasons. At the start of the 2008-09 season Marques who was fluent in Spanish also acted as a translator for new Argentine signing Luciano Becchio
Luciano Becchio
Luciano Héctor Becchio is an Argentine footballer who plays for Leeds United as a striker. Born in Córdoba, Argentina, Becchio began his career at Boca Juniors before moving to Europe on an Italian passport, where he established himself in the Spanish lower leagues.He moved to England in the...
. After a poor start to the 2008-09 season with Leeds' defence leaking a lot of goals, McAllister was sacked and was replaced by Simon Grayson
Simon Grayson
Simon Nicholas Grayson is a retired English footballer and current manager of Leeds United. He is the elder brother of cricketer Paul Grayson....
. He scored in Leeds United's 2-0 win against Southend on 28 January 2009. Marques played regularly under Grayson, and began partnering new signing Richard Naylor
Richard Naylor
Richard Alan Naylor is an English footballer who plays as a centre back for Doncaster Rovers after leaving Leeds United where he had been Captain...
, but when Sam Sodje
Sam Sodje
Samuel Okeremute Sodje is an English-born Nigerian footballer who plays as a defender for Notts County. Sodje also represents Nigeria at international level.-Early years:...
was signed on loan Marques lost his place when he suffered an hamstring injury . Leeds reached the playoff semi finals but lost out to Millwall.
With Sam Sodje
Sam Sodje
Samuel Okeremute Sodje is an English-born Nigerian footballer who plays as a defender for Notts County. Sodje also represents Nigeria at international level.-Early years:...
's loan spell over and captain Richard Naylor
Richard Naylor
Richard Alan Naylor is an English footballer who plays as a centre back for Doncaster Rovers after leaving Leeds United where he had been Captain...
injured, Marques found himself as first choice central defence partnership with Patrick Kisnorbo
Patrick Kisnorbo
Patrick Fabio Maxime Kisnorbo is an Australian football player of Mauritian and Italian heritage who plays for Leeds United in The Championship of the English Football League. Kisnorbo is also an Australian international with 18 caps to his name. Also known by his nickname Paddy...
at the start of the 2009-10 season, He lost his starting place when Marques suffered an achilles injury whilst on international duty in September, and dropped down the pecking order when he was out injured when Leeds completed the signing of Leigh Bromby
Leigh Bromby
Leigh David Bromby is an English footballer who plays for Leeds United in The Championship of the English Football League. He can play as a Central Defender or Right Back or Left Back. He's the only player to have played 100 games for each of the steel city rivals Sheffield United and Sheffield...
. Marques' injury kept him out for a prolonged period lasting over several games. After featuring in some reserve games and behind closed doors friendlies, Marques returned from injury and was named on the bench against Kettering Town. After his spell out injured he is now behind Patrick Kisnorbo
Patrick Kisnorbo
Patrick Fabio Maxime Kisnorbo is an Australian football player of Mauritian and Italian heritage who plays for Leeds United in The Championship of the English Football League. Kisnorbo is also an Australian international with 18 caps to his name. Also known by his nickname Paddy...
, Richard Naylor
Richard Naylor
Richard Alan Naylor is an English footballer who plays as a centre back for Doncaster Rovers after leaving Leeds United where he had been Captain...
, Leigh Bromby
Leigh Bromby
Leigh David Bromby is an English footballer who plays for Leeds United in The Championship of the English Football League. He can play as a Central Defender or Right Back or Left Back. He's the only player to have played 100 games for each of the steel city rivals Sheffield United and Sheffield...
and Lubomir Michalik
Lubomír Michalík
Ľubomír Michalík is a Slovakian footballer who plays as a centre back for Carlisle United and the Slovakian national team.-Bolton Wanderers:...
in the pecking order for Leeds. Marques was named on the bench against Oldham Athletic and kept his place on the bench against Huddersfield Town. When Naylor and Kisnorbo were both fit they returned to the starting 11, with Lubo Michalik dropping to the bench at Marques' expense.
Rui Marques will be unavailable for selection for Leeds during most of January 2010 as he was called up to host nation Angola's African Cup Of Nations squad. The most high profile game's he was unavailable for was Leeds' FA Cup tie away to Manchester United and the away FA Cup tie to Tottenham Hotspur. Angola were knocked out of the African Cup of Nations on 24 January 2010 so Marques returned to Leeds. Marques picked up a small injury at the African Cup Of Nations which when he returned to Leeds kept him on the sidelines for a number of Leeds' games.Then when he recovered, he never had a chance to play, even when the club was strugling to win a game for the last part of the season.
It was announced on 14 May 2010 that he would not be offered a new deal at the club and that he was free to find a new club.At the time of leaving Marques was the longest serving player at the club.
Angola
Despite being eligible for the Portuguese national side, Marques pledged his allegiance to the country of his birth, Angola. Rui Marques played for Angola in the 2006 World Cup2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, Where he played against Mexico, Iran and against the country he was brought up in Portugal with Angola finishing 3rd in their group. He also played in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, in which he played in all of Angola's games.
Marques was called up by Angola for the 2010 African Cup of Nations, where his country Angola are the host nation of the tournament, during this spell he will be unavailable to play for Leeds. 30 December 2009 Marques played in the 1-0 loss to Estonia, which was a friendly match as a warm up for the Cup Of Nations. Then played in the 1-1 draw against The Gambia, a game which Manucho
Manucho
Mateus Alberto Contreiras Gonçalves , better known as Manucho, is an Angolan footballer who currently plays for Real Valladolid.He moved from Petro Atletico to Manchester United in January 2008...
scored Angola's goal. Angola's first game of the African Cup Of Nations is against Mali. Marques started the match for Angola against Mali, Angola were 4-0 up with 15 minutes to go, but conceded 4 in the last 15 minutes and it finished 4-4 with the likes of Seydou Keita
Seydou Keita
Seydou Keita or Seydou Keïta may refer to:* Seydou Keïta , Malian photographer* Seydou Keita , Malian footballer...
and Frederic Kanoute
Frédéric Kanouté
Frédéric Oumar Kanouté is a French-born Malian footballer who currently plays for Sevilla FC in the Spanish La Liga. On 2 February 2008, Kanouté was named the 2007 African Footballer of the Year and is the first foreign-born player to win it.-Lyon:Born in Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, Rhône, Kanouté's...
getting on the score sheet for Mali. Marques played the whole game for Angola in their 2-0 win over Malawi and featured as a starter in the 0-0 draw with Algeria, a game which enabled Angola to progress to the quarter-finals as winners of their group.
Marques' tournament came to an end when Angola were knocked out in the quarter finals after losing 1-0 against Ghana with Asamoah Gyan
Asamoah Gyan
Asamoah Gyan is a Ghanaian professional footballer, who plays as a striker for Emirati club Al Ain in the UAE Pro-League , and the Ghana national team....
scoring the winner. Rui Marques returned to Leeds from the African Cup of Nations with an injury. As a result Leeds brought in additional centre-back cover in the form of Neil Collins
Neil Collins
For the Scottish footballer see Neill Collins.Neil Jeffrey Collins is a former Speedway rider...
, with Marques not even making the bench when he returned from injury. Rui Marques was released in May 2010 following the end of his contract.
He is now back with Leeds after a year out on a free transfer and a pay as you play contract as he was well supported as a centre half under Simon Grayson.
Leeds United
- Coca-Cola League One Runners Up (Promoted): 2009-2010
VfB Stuttgart
- Intertoto Cup Winners: 2002-2003