Biography
Angolan international defender Marques made a single City appearance at the end of the 2005/06 season, prior to playing for his country at the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals..
Born in Angolan capital Luanda but raised in Portugal, Marques came through the ranks at Portuguese giants Benfica but did not make it as far as the first team. In 1998 he joined Swiss League side FC Baden and played regularly for the first team, earning a move to German Bundesliga new boys SSV Ulm in July 1999. Marques made 34 appearances, missing only three League and Cup games all season as Ulm headed back to the Second Division. Rui returned to the Bundesliga when he moved to Hertha Berlin in July 2000 but after just two senior appearances he switched to another Bundesliga side when loaned to VfB Stuttgart in January 2001. He returned to first team action with a baptism of fire debut in February 2001 against Bayern Munich and ended the 2000/01 season with 12 appearances. In July 2001 he transferred permanently to VfB Stuttgart, in two seasons he added another 45 senior appearances but spent the whole if the 2003/04 season on the sidelines.
In July 2004 Rui returned to Portugal and signed for Superliga side Maritimo, making 8 appearances in his only season at the Madeira side. During the 2005 close season he had a trial at Ipswich Town but in August 2005 decided to join Championship side Leeds United. He made just one first team appearance for the Whites in the 2005/06 season in an August 2005 League Cup tie against Oldham Athletic and ended the season on loan at Hull City.
Marques returned to Elland Road and for the next three seasons he established himself as a reliable central defender. Leeds slipped into League 1 at the end of the 2006/07 season and Marques scored his first goal in English senior football in an August 2007 League 1 defeat of Southend United. In the next two seasons Leeds twice reached the end of season play-offs but both times Marques was not involved in the post-season campaigns – a May 2008 loss to Doncaster Rovers in the Wembley final and a May 2009 loss to Millwall in the semi-final. Rui began the 2009/10 season as first choice centre back but lost his place after suffering an injury in September 2009. He left Leeds United in May 2010 having scored four goals in precisely 100 appearances and retired from playing shortly afterwards. He returned to Portugal and became a footballers’ agent based in Lisbon.
Marques was a regular senior international for Angola between 2006 and 2010. He made his debut for the Sable Antelopes against South Korea in March 2006 and went on to play two games in the 2006 World Cup Finals tournament in Germany and also represented his country in the 2008 and 2010 African Cup of Nations. The last of his 20 international caps was earned against Ghana in January 2010, a Quarter Final defeat in the 2010 AfCON played in his native country Angola.
Details
Nationality: Angola
Date/Place of Birth: 3 September 1977, Luanda (Angola)
Hull City First Game: 25 March 2006, Ipswich Town A (Championship), 28 years, 203 days old
Hull City Final Game: 25 March 2006, Ipswich Town A (Championship), 28 years, 203 days old
Clubs
Benfica (1995-1998), FC Baden (1998-1999), SSV Ulm 1846 (1999-2000), Hertha Berlin (2000-2001), VfB Stuttgart (2001, loan), VfB Stuttgart (2001-2004), Maritimo (2004-2005), Leeds United (2005-2010), Hull City (2006, loan)
Hull City Record
Career: 1 apps, 0 goals
Rui Marques| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005/06 | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |