About Carlos Marchena
Carlos Marchena López is a Spanish former professional footballer. Mainly a central defender with an aggressive approach, he also played as a defensive midfielder. A Spain international for the better part of the 2000s, Marchena won 69 caps and represented the national team in two World Cups and two European Championships, winning each tournament once. Both clubs were fined £106,000 while Marchena was banned for four games; after Euro 2008 he was selected by his teammates as the new captain, although he missed the first two months of the new season due to injury. Having signed as a cover for ageing Miroslav Đukić, he took a while to impress in his first season (16 appearances), as Valencia clinched their first league title in 30 years, but gradually became first choice.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.