Valentino Rossi may have retired from MotoGP in 2021, but Marc Marquez is still competing against him.

That’s according to rider coach Fonsi Nieto, who believes that Marquez needs the motivation of eclipsing Rossi’s records to keep going despite his countless injuries.

Rossi is by far Marquez’s most bitter rival, with the pair infamously clashing in 2015, ending the Italian’s title bid, something that still divides the sport.

Now, over a decade on, the pair possess exactly the same championship record: nine world titles in total, with seven in the premier class.

Marquez is now in the driving seat to eclipse Rossi with a tenth this season, as he now has a 10-point championship lead over Jorge Martin, who has broken his wrist.

Ducati’s Marquez has also had a career of horrific injuries, but is still fighting, and Nieto believes the motivation of topping Rossi is what gets him out of bed in the morning.

Valentino Rossi rivalry continues to motivate Marc Marquez

The former rider told AS: “I think that's his daily motivation, with a shoulder and an arm like that.

“Getting up every day to train, with the sacrifice it entails and that dedication. You have to find motivation somewhere.

“All great athletes do. Once they retire, they tell you they got where they did because they were motivated by their rivals.

“I'm talking about Rossi-Biaggi, Larry Bird-Magic Johnson, etc. In the history of sports. All the great legends have always had a rival who made them who they are.”

Nieto, nephew of the legendary Angel, was referring to Marquez’s shoulder injury that saw a teary exit from Le Mans earlier this year in favour of a double surgery.

The Spaniard returned and obliterated a 102-point title deficit before showing his war wounds on social media.

Fonsi Nieto explains what makes Marquez almost unbeatable

Speaking about the motorsport legend, Nieto explained: “For me, he's the best of all time in terms of what he does on the track.

“I was there for seven or eight years, from the start to the finish, and I've seen him do things that defy physics.

“You'll be in a corner and you think he's going to run wide, but he doesn't. The next lap, you think he's going to run wide, but he doesn't.

“Where he brakes and how he does it makes it seem like he's going to go off the track, lap after lap, but he doesn't. And those saves we've seen him pull off. Marc sometimes defies physics.”

Since retiring from Grand Prix racing, Nieto has become a rider coach, most famously with Marquez’s 2026 title rival Martin.

Nieto saw his prodigy win the 2024 MotoGP championship, and has shed light on the advice he’s given to the Madrid-native.

Marquez's one weakness identified by former rival

“Marc, for me, only has one weakness, just one, and that’s getting to his ego,” he explained.

“That’s when he can make mistakes. I say this because I don’t see many flaws in Marc, but when a rider gives him a taste of his own medicine, he gets angry.

“It’s when they make extreme overtakes, block passes, and things like that. As they say, getting under his skin.

“When you get under Marc’s skin, he gets angry, and that’s when he can lose his temper. And his biggest strength right now is his experience and the nine titles he already has. And I’m absolutely certain that winning his tenth is burned into his very being.”