Cristóbal Márquez Crespo (born 21 April 1984), known simply as Cristóbal, is a Spanish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Club career

Early career and Villarreal B

Born in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, Cristóbal was in the ranks of local

CD Leganés Club Deportivo Leganés, S.A.D. is a professional football club based in Leganés, Community of Madrid. They currently compete in La Liga, the first tier of the Spanish league system. Leganés was officially founded 23 June 1928 and played thei ...

before joining

Levante UD Levante Unión Deportiva, S.A.D. () is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club in Valencia, in the Valencian Community, namesake autonomous community. Founded on 6 September 1909, the club will compete in La Liga for the 2025– ...

in 2005, being assigned to their reserves in the

Segunda División B Segunda División B (English: second division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish ...

. He was also loaned to

UB Conquense Unión Balompédica Conquense is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football team based in Cuenca, Spain, Cuenca, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Founded in 1946, it plays in , holding home games at ''Estadio La Fuensanta ...

and

UD San Sebastián de los Reyes Unión Deportiva San Sebastián de los Reyes, also known as Sanse is a Spanish football team based in San Sebastián de los Reyes, in the autonomous community of Madrid. Founded in 1971 it plays in , holding home matches at '' Estadio Nuevo Mat ...

of the same league. After Levante B's relegation in

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, Cristóbal joined

Valencian Community The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wit ...

neighbours

Villarreal CF Villarreal Club de Fútbol, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D., usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Villarreal, in the Province of Castellón, Castellón province of easte ...

, also for their second team. He contributed eight goals in total in his first season as they won promotion to

Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...

, including one in the playoff semi-final win against

Lorca Deportiva CF Lorca Deportiva Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. was a Spanish football club in Lorca, in the autonomous community of Murcia. Founded in 2002 it was dissolved ten years later, they held their home matches at ''Estadio Francisco Artés Carrasco'', which ...

Villarreal

Cristóbal made his first-team debut for the club on 26 August 2010, in the second leg of the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

play-offs away to Belarus'

FC Dnepr Mogilev FC Dnepr Mogilev (; ) is a Belarusian football team, playing in the city of Mogilev. Their home stadium is Spartak Stadium. History Dnepr Mogilev was founded in 1960 under the name Khimik Mogilev and began playing in the Class B (second-tier ...

having already won 5–0 at home in the first game; he started and was

sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...

in the 67th minute of a 2–1 away win. The following 15 January he made the first of two

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

appearances, as an 86th-minute substitute for

Borja Valero Borja Valero Iglesias (; born 12 January 1985) is a Spanish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He began his career with Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid but did not have any impact with its first team, a ...

in a 4–2 home victory over

CA Osasuna Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional football club based in Pamplona, Navarre. It was founded on 24 October 1920 and plays in La Liga, the top division of Spanish football. The team's ...

; on 27 February he started at

Racing de Santander Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. (), also known as Racing de Santander () or simply Racing, is a football club based in Santander, Spain, Santander, Cantabria, Spain, that currently competes in Segunda División, the second tier of the Spani ...

Juan Carlos Garrido Juan Carlos Garrido Fernández (born 29 March 1969) is a Spanish football manager who is the manager of Libyan Premier League club Al Ittihad Tripoli. Football career Villarreal Born in Valencia, Garrido started managing at only 24, his first ...

rested his regulars due to an extended European run, and was taken off for

Santi Cazorla Santiago Cazorla González (; born 13 December 1984) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Segunda División club Oviedo. A former Spanish international, Cazorla operates primarily as an attacking midfielder, but also plays as a ...

just past the hour mark in a 2–2 draw. On 31 March 2011, Cristóbal was loaned to second-tier

Elche CF Elche Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional football club based in Elche, Province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community, Spain. Founded in 1923, the club will compete in La Liga for the 2025–26 season, holding home matches at ...

for the rest of the campaign, after injuries to

David Generelo David Generelo Miranda (born 11 August 1982) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a central midfielder, and an assistant manager. He amassed La Liga totals of 100 games and six goals, representing in the competition Zaragoza, Gimnàs ...

and

Miguel Linares Miguel Linares Cólera (born 30 September 1982) is a Spanish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker. Club career Born in Zaragoza, Aragon, Linares began his career at ...

. He scored in consecutive away draws at

RC Celta de Vigo Real Club Celta de Vigo (; ), commonly known as Celta Vigo, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football. Nicknamed ''Os Celestes'' (The Sky Blues), the club was fou ...

and

Granada CF Granada Club de Fútbol (), known simply as Granada or ''"Graná"'', is a professional List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club based in the city of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, that currently plays in Segunda ...

in late May, as his side ended up losing the playoff final to the latter on the

away goals rule The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...

Abroad

Cristóbal moved abroad for the first time in July 2011, signing for an undisclosed fee to

FC Karpaty Lviv Football Club Karpaty Lviv ( ) is a Ukrainian professional football club based in Lviv. In 2020–21 the club was reorganized and changed owner. During that period there existed two clubs with the same name, one at professional level competitio ...

in the

Ukrainian Premier League The Ukrainian Premier League ( ) or UPL is a professional association football league in Ukraine and the highest level of the Ukrainian football league system. Originally known as the Vyshcha Liha ( , ) it was formed in 1991 during the 1992 in ...

, who also counted compatriot Borja Gómez in their ranks. He made 12 total appearances during his tenure, and scored the equaliser in a 2–1 home loss to

FC Metalist Kharkiv Football Club Metalist Kharkiv, also known as Football Club Metalist Kharkov or FC Metalist Kharkov ( ), is a Ukrainian professional Association football, football club based in Kharkiv that plays in the Ukrainian First League during the 2023– ...

on 28 August; he returned on loan to Elche on 28 January 2012. In July 2013, Cristóbal sued Karpaty for unpaid wages, winning €600,000 and becoming a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

. Fellow Spaniard

Ramon Tribulietx Ramon Tribulietx Santolaya (born 20 September 1972) is a Spanish football coach and former player. Tribulietx holds the world record for the most trophies in continental competitions, winning seven straight OFC Champions League titles with Au ...

, manager of Oceanian champions

Auckland City FC Auckland City Football Club is an association football club based in the suburb of Sandringham, New Zealand, Sandringham in Auckland, New Zealand. They currently compete in the Northern League (New Zealand), Northern League. Auckland City have ...

, signed him to the New Zealanders with the lure of the club's participation at the year's

FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...

. He played three

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

matches, scoring twice in a 4–4 home draw against

Hawke's Bay United FC Hawke's Bay United was a professional Association football club based in Napier, New Zealand, Napier, New Zealand. HB United most recently played in the New Zealand Football Championship, ISPS Handa Premiership – a semi-professional franc ...

on 22 December. After further stints at Olympiacos Volos F.C. (Greece) and

PS Mitra Kukar Persatuan Sepakbola Mitra Kutai Kartanegara (simply known as a PS Mitra Kukar) is an Indonesian professional football club based in Tenggarong, Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan. They currently compete in the Liga 4. History This club was fou ...

(Indonesia), Cristóbal returned to Spain to play the 2015–16 season at third-tier

CD Toledo Club Deportivo Toledo, S.A.D. is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football team based in Toledo, Spain, Toledo, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Founded in 1928 it plays in , holding home games at ''Estadio Salto del Cab ...

. After play-off elimination by

Hércules CF Hércules de Alicante Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. () is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football team in Alicante, in the Valencian Community. Founded on 25 October 1922, it currently plays in Primera Federación and plays its home games ...

, he transferred to

Anorthosis Famagusta FC Anorthosis Famagusta (), commonly known as Anorthosis in English or Anorthosi in Greek, is a Cypriot football club, part of the Famagusta multi-sport club founded in 1911 in Varosha, Famagusta.

of the

Cypriot First Division The Cypriot First Division (), also known as the Cyprus League by Stoiximan for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Cyprus and the highest level of the Cypriot football league system. Operated by the Cyprus Fo ...

in June 2016.

Fuenlabrada

Unused in his few weeks on the Eastern Mediterranean island, Cristóbal came back to the Spanish third division and his native

Community of Madrid The Community of Madrid (; ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities and 50 provinces of Spain, provinces of Spain. It is located at the heart of the Iberian Peninsula and Meseta Central, Central Plateau (); its capital and largest munici ...

on 31 August 2016, with

CF Fuenlabrada Club de Fútbol Fuenlabrada, S.A.D. is a football club based in Fuenlabrada, Community of Madrid, Spain, that currently competes in Primera División RFEF – Group 1, the third tier of the Spanish league system. It was founded in 1975. It holds ...

. He played regularly in three consecutive play-off seasons, culminating in a championship win in 2019 and the team's first ever promotion to the second tier; his 42 total games earned him a one-year contract extension with the option of a second, at the age of 35. On 2 February 2020, in a 1–0 home loss to

Girona FC Girona Futbol Club, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. ( ) is a Spanish professional Football team, football club based in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. Founded on 23 July 1930, the team plays in La Liga, to which they gained promotion in the 2022 ...

, Cristóbal was sent off for a high challenge on Álex Granell; the challenge was downgraded to a

yellow card Yellow card may refer to: * Yellow card (sport), shown in many sports after a rules infraction or, by analogy, a serious warning in other areas * Yellowcard, an American alternative rock band * Yellow Card Scheme, a United Kingdom initiative co ...

after review by the

video assistant referee The video assistant referee (VAR) is a Assistant referee (association football), match official in association football who assists the referee by reviewing decisions using video footage and providing advice to the referee based on those revi ...

, and he was called back from the changing room. Seconds later, before play reinitiated, he was dismissed again for a clash of heads with the same opponent.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marquez, Cristobal 1984 births Living people Spanish men's footballers Footballers from Madrid Men's association football midfielders La Liga players Segunda División players Segunda División B players Primera Federación players CD Leganés B players Atlético Levante UD players UB Conquense footballers UD San Sebastián de los Reyes players Villarreal CF B players Villarreal CF players Elche CF players CD Toledo players CF Fuenlabrada footballers Ukrainian Premier League players FC Karpaty Lviv players New Zealand Football Championship players Auckland City FC players Football League (Greece) players Olympiacos Volos F.C. players Liga 1 (Indonesia) players PS Mitra Kukar players Anorthosis Famagusta FC players Spanish expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Ukraine Expatriate men's association footballers in New Zealand Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Expatriate men's footballers in Indonesia Expatriate men's footballers in Cyprus Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine Spanish expatriate sportspeople in New Zealand Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Greece Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Indonesia Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus 21st-century Spanish sportsmen