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Rafa Márquez Praises Gilberto Mora in First Game as Mexico Coach

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Rafa Márquez is a famous former football player from Mexico. Now he is the new coach of the Mexico national team.

Márquez had his first game as coach. His team played to a draw. This means no team won.

In the game, a young player named Gilberto Mora played. Mora wears the number 10 shirt. In Mexico, this shirt is very special. It is called a historic number.

Many people think players with the number 10 must play very well. This can make young players feel a lot of pressure.

Márquez spoke about Mora after the game. He said Mora should not worry about the number 10. Márquez wanted to take the pressure away from him.

Márquez also talked about his old football days. He used to play for Barça, a big team in Spain. He also spoke about the reserve team, where young players learn and grow before joining the main team.

This was a big day for Márquez. It was his first game as the new leader of the Mexican national team.

Vocabulary8 words

coach
a person who leads and trains a sports team
draw
a game that ends with no winner
shirt
the piece of clothing a player wears with a number on it
historic
very important because of the past
pressure
a strong feeling that you must do well
Barça
a famous football team from Spain
reserve team
a team of young players who train to join the main team
national team
a team that plays for a whole country

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Quiz

1. What is Rafa Márquez's new job?
2. What happened in Márquez's first game as coach?
3. True or False: Márquez told Gilberto Mora not to worry about wearing the number 10 shirt.

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Fill-in-the-blank listening

Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.

Rafa Márquez is a famous former football player from Mexico. Now he is the new _____ of the Mexico national team.

Márquez had his first game as coach. His team played to a _____. This means no team won.

In the game, a young player named Gilberto _____ played. He wears the number 10 shirt.

In Mexico, this shirt is very special. It is called a _____ number.

Many people think players with the number 10 must play very well. This can make young players feel a lot of _____.

Márquez spoke about Mora after the game. He said Mora should not worry about the number _____.

Márquez also talked about his old football days. He used to play for _____, a big team in Spain.

He also spoke about the reserve team, where young players _____ and grow before joining the main team.

This was a big day for Márquez. It was his first game as the new leader of the Mexican _____ team.

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