MADRID, 17 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –
Former Spanish soccer player Luis Márquez, a Real Betis player between 1989 and 2000, has died this morning in Seville at the age of 51, the Verdiblanco club confirmed this Monday.
“Real Betis Balompié expresses its deepest regret over the death of Luis Márquez Martín, a player for our club from 1989 to 2000, which occurred in Seville on April 17, 2023, at the age of 51,” the Seville entity announced. “For years, Luis Márquez had been fighting against a cruel disease that forced him to undergo surgery on several occasions, showing strength and integrity that always deserved praise from his colleagues and friends,” he added.
Márquez, who was born in Seville on November 1, 1971, began as a youth player at Real Betis, with whom he was proclaimed champion of Spain in the children’s category in 1987, when he was still known as Schuster due to his physical resemblance and in the game with the German midfielder.
He made his debut with the Verdiblanco first team on February 25, 1989 in Palamós in a match that the Verdiblancos drew 0-0, and with that team coached by Juan Corbacho and later by Julio Cardeñosa he achieved promotion to the First Division.
Márquez played four games that season and made his debut on the same day as Sergei Neiman, the first Russian player to play for Real Betis. That same year, he was proclaimed champion of the Spanish Cup with the Real Betis youth team, forming part of the team that defeated Barcelona 4-2 in Albacete and which also included Ángel Manuel Cuéllar, Juan Merino, Juan José Cañas or Roberto Rios.
As of the 1991-92 campaign, he began to be a regular starter in the verdiblancas line-ups, establishing himself as the great benchmark on the right wing, both in midfield and in defense. In the 1993-94 season, he participated in a new promotion, confirmed in Burgos, scoring one of the goals in the Betic triumph.
Under the orders of Lorenzo Serra Ferrer he played in the UEFA Cup and with Luis Aragonés on the bench he participated in the European Cup Winners’ Cup. His most remembered goal with Real Betis is the one achieved in the 1994-95 season against Atlético de Madrid when he hit an impressive volley after a corner kick.
In the winter market of the 1999-2000 academic year, he signed for Real Valladolid. After two seasons at Pucela, he played for Pontevedra and Real Jaén before retiring in 2005. In his 10 seasons at Real Betis, Luis Márquez played 202 official matches -166 in the League, 32 in the Copa del Rey, two in the Cup Winners’ Cup and two in the UEFA Cup-, in which he scored 15 goals.