Rai Marchán

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Marchán and the second or maternal family name is Vidal.
Rai Marchán
Personal information
Full name Raimon Marchán Vidal
Date of birth (1993-08-11) 11 August 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth Vilafranca del Penedès, Spain
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Albacete
Number 6
Youth career
Vilafranca
2010–2012 Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2014 Real Madrid C 32 (0)
2012–2013 → Leganés (loan) 7 (0)
2015–2016 Valencia B 7 (0)
2016–2017 Valladolid B 35 (1)
2017–2019 Celta B 76 (0)
2019–2021 Andorra 44 (0)
2021–2024 Melbourne Victory 50 (0)
2024– Albacete 27 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 November 2024

Raimon "Rai" Marchán Vidal (born 11 August 1993) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Albacete Balompié.

He spent most of his career in the Segunda División B, totalling 194 games with six clubs. In 2021, he signed for Melbourne Victory in the A-League Men.

Football career

Spain

Born in Vilafranca del Penedès, Barcelona, Catalonia, Marchán was a Real Madrid CF youth product and made his senior debut on loan to CD Leganés in the Segunda División B in 2012.[2] He played the following season with the capital club's C-team in the same division, ending in administrative relegation, and in 2015 he signed for another reserve team, Valencia CF Mestalla.

After a year at Real Valladolid Promesas, Marchán joined yet another third-tier second team in July 2017, signing for two years at Celta de Vigo B with the option of two more.[3] On 28 August 2019, he signed for FC Andorra, again in the same division.[4]

Melbourne Victory

On 27 July 2021, Marchán signed for Melbourne Victory FC in the Australian A-League Men.[5][6] He was sent off on 5 December in a 3–0 home loss to Perth Glory FC, for a high challenge on Jonathan Aspropotamitis in first-half added time.[7]

On 25 January 2022, in a game against Sydney FC at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Marchán clashed heads with teammate Jason Geria and was taken off in a stretcher. His facial fractures caused him to eat less and drop five kilograms in weight from what he already described as a slender frame, requiring him to bulk up in order to be recalled by manager Tony Popovic.[8] He made his comeback in his continental debut on 15 March, an AFC Champions League playoff lost 4–3 away to Japanese club Vissel Kobe.[9]

Having made 21 league appearances, Marchán was given a two-year contract extension in June 2022.[10] He earned an interesting statistical oddity as a result of the postponement of a Melbourne Derby game due to a pitch invasion. He had originally started the match before it stopped in the 21st minute, and when it resumed 4 months later both teams were allowed to remake their squads. Marchán was on the bench this time, and as a result he came on as a substitute in the 67th minute of a game he had started & played the first 21 minutes in.

Albacete

After leaving Melbourne, Marchán signed a short-term deal with Albacete Balompié back in his country's Segunda División on 1 February 2024.[11]

Personal life

Marchán graduated from Universidad Camilo José Cela with a degree in business administration.[12]

References

  1. ^ "RAIMON Marchán Vidal". Melbourne Victory FC. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Con Garitano no llegó al Lega ni un jugador blanco" [Under Garitano not a single "Whites" player has arrived at Lega]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 28 April 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  3. ^ Fernández, Claudia (12 July 2017). "El Celta B se refuerza con Rai Marchán" [Celta B bolster themselves with Rai Marchán] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Rai Marchán, nou jugador del FC Andorra" [Rai Marchán, new FC Andorra player] (in Catalan). Cadena SER. 28 August 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Melbourne Victory signs Rai Marchan". Melbourne Victory FC. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  6. ^ Guijarro, Eric (28 July 2021). "El vilafranquí Rai Marchan, nou futbolista del Melbourne Victory" [Vilafranca-born Rai Marchán, new Melbourne Victory footballer] (in Catalan). RTV Vilafranca. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  7. ^ "Antonee Burke-Gilroy stars as Perth Glory beat Melbourne Victory". ESPN. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  8. ^ Harrington, Anna (26 March 2022). "Marchan keen to find ALM form at Victory". The West Australian. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  9. ^ "Rai Machán destaca por su criterio y aporte de gran equilibrio" [Rai Machán stands out for his criteria and contribution of great balance] (in Spanish). Mesas Sport. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  10. ^ "Melbourne Victory re-signs Rai Marchán". Melbourne Victory FC. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  11. ^ "Rai Marchán acepta el desafío" [Rai Marchán accepts the challenge] (in Spanish). Albacete Balompié. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  12. ^ Rhys, James. "'He's a player who is going to fight' – what Victory fans can expect from Rai Marchan". Kick 360. Retrieved 24 November 2021.