In just over a month, Ricardo Márquez went from being a discard in Millonarios to being the top scorer in the League with the surprising leader, Unión Magdalenawho tries to escape relegation with a great start to the tournament.
It’s not just the four goals he has scored. Márquez seems like another player, closer to the one who dazzled in the promotion in 2018 and in the first months of 2019, which even took him to the Colombian National Team that played in the 2020 Pre-Olympic. Very different from the one who was filled with despair in Bogotá.
This is how Ricardo Márquez saw his time in Millonarios
“I did not do very well in Millionaires, it is a reality. I had an injury that took me out of the field for almost six months and then getting into the rhythm was very complicated. Now I come to Unión Magdalena with the desire to carry out this project”, said the ‘Caballo’ at a press conference, when he was presented with the team from his land.
“I learned from Professor Gamero and his coaching staff, as well as from the managers. In Millionaires they loved me very much and I am sure they always want the best for me, “he added.
Why did Márquez once again make a difference in Unión and what is he doing differently from what he did in Millonarios? The first thing, and it seems obvious: continuity.
In four games with Unión this semester, he spent more time on the pitch than in the entire 2022-I League with Millos (see graph). He only played one game as a starter, against Deportivo Pereira. The last time he played a full match dressed in blue was on October 26 of last year, against Envigado.
A second factor that favors Márquez at Unión is that he has adapted very quickly to a team that plays at his pace, in which he is not only an area man but also goes to the sides, fights for the ball and even had an assist on the first date, against Once Caldas, after recovering a ball on the wing. In Millos he entered out of place, almost always with the game well advanced and without joining the base payroll.
In the Union, the pressure is less for Márquez
In Bogotá, in addition to the injuries, the pressure played against Márquez. With just 1,167 minutes on the pitch, he received ten yellow cards and one red, when he tried to compensate with temperament for what he did not find with football.
At Unión Magdalena do you play without pressure? Of course not, because relegation puts pressure on his team, beyond an auspicious start. But in Santa Marta he looks comfortable and has also had the fortune to start the tournament playing behind closed doors at home, in a scenario sanctioned for the bad behavior of the fans.
“I was 21 years old when I left, I was a young promise that was just starting out. I was in Millonarios with a great coach and in a great club, the biggest in Colombia, it was a big and difficult responsibility”, insisted Márquez.
“It didn’t go very well, but I learned other things. Now I am more mature, I am more focused on football, I have better movements and more technique. I am not the same young man as before and I hope to get ahead with this project. I wanted and longed to return to the Union”, he added.
Jose Orlando Ascencio
Sports Sub-Editor
@josasc
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