Marquez deal off

Monaco's highly-rated Mexican international defender Rafael Marquez's dream to move to Spanish giants Real Madrid has been declared a non-starter.

The 22-year-old, who bounced back from a poor season last term to star for Mexico in their run to the Copa America final last month, was described by Real's general manager Jorge Valdano as being too similar to his legendary captain and central defender colossus Fernando Hierro - which is some compliment but does nothing for his marketability to the club as the 33-year-old Hierro is still very much first choice.

"I rate Marquez very highly," admitted Valdano, who scored in Argentina's 3-2 World Cup final win over the then West Germany in 1986.

"However he is too like Hierro and we don't need a Hierro clone we need someone who would complement his skills," he told Mexican newspaper La Reforma.