Marc Marquez: I don’t need Valentino Rossi

My Sporting Life is The i Paper’s look behind the curtain at what drives sports stars to greatness. This week, seven-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez takes us through the defining moments, tough challenges and life choices that have shaped his legendary career to date. My first world championship is the most special The two that stand out the most are 2013 and 2025. It is hard to choose between the two but if I had to choose it would be 2013 because that was my first one in MotoGP. ‘I have some limitations in my right arm – but luckily I can adapt my riding style,’ he adds (Photo: Getty) But last year was the most difficult challenge of my life to come back from that big injury. I made some bad decisions after crashing in 2020 That was a tough one. I came back too early, which made it even worse. It was a nightmare. Last year I hit my right shoulder again after winning the championship. From the elbow to the shoulder, I’ve had seven different surgeries in total. I have some limitations, but luckily I can adapt my riding style and be competitive at the moment. Not as I would like because I feel like I can do more, but enough to fight for the top. Retirement crossed my mind during my time away When you are on the racetrack, you are competing because you love winning, the taste of glory. I was injured for a long time, four years, from 2020 to 2024. Mentally it was tough. I was suffering a lot, and for what? After I recovered, I was like okay, this is the last chance, and that is when I decided to move from Honda to Ducati, and that is where I started to feel again the taste of victory and that it was the best fuel for my body. I can’t sleep on my right side In daily life, I don’t have many physical limitations if I take care of it in the correct way. I go to the physiotherapist more than I would like, but that is the only way to have a normal life. I need to be very careful to sleep on my left side or on my back at night. Overtaking someone is the best feeling in the world There’s nothing else like it. For me, riding on a bike alone is nice for a bit, but it gets boring. Nothing beats the adrenaline rush. I’m just a normal guy I would like to play more football, for example. My friends and I play – we are not good, but we think we are good. But the risk of injury is there so I don’t play as much as I want to. I love cycling – that is part of my physical training. I was playing padel a lot, but not any more with my right arm. I tried to learn to play with my left arm, but it was impossible. Of course, when I go to the supermarket in Spain I have to take photos with fans, but I don’t have any problems. I try to take care of and spend time with my girlfriend and family. If I have free time I’ll play an hour of Warzone on the PlayStation with my friends. At least this season and two more That is what my contract says. I always say the same. If my physical condition allows me, I would like to keep going. But I will not be the first athlete and I will not be the last to finish my career for [the sake of] my health. I think this will happen sooner or later, because I had so many injuries, and every year the pain gets more and more. But at the moment, I can manage. The next Marc Marquez? 22-year-old Spaniard Pedro Acosta can ‘lead the new generation,’ according to Marquez (Photo: Getty) The guy that is now riding in MotoGP and has the talent to lead the new generation is Pedro Acosta. He’s 10 or 11 years younger than me, and he’s super talented. Next year we’ll both ride for Ducati, the Lenovo team, the best bike on the grid. Then David Alonso, Brian Uriarte and Maximo Quiles from the other categories. I don’t want to say one name because it’s difficult but these guys are the future of the sport, but at the moment I’m still keeping them behind me at 33 years old, so let’s see if I keep going. It’s impossible to find a solution. Some things don’t depend on one person. It takes two people. For my personal life, I don’t need him, he doesn’t need me. But I respect what he achieved. We both brought a lot to MotoGP and the motorsport world. We are two very different people.