Riquelme is certainly not perfect, but there are very few players like him who are extremely ornamental, and he defines what the no. 10 jersey means.
Alternation with Maradona
Argentina's no. 10 jersey is sometimes happy and sometimes painful, and this number has a deep culture and history, and the organizers on the pitch will always be held with unparalleled respect.
The players after Maradona, such as Galado, Ortega, D'Alessandro and Aimar, were cursed by the label "New Maradona" before Messi came out.
Somewhere in between, Riquelme is the purest of the no.10s, with a laid-back style and silky smooth ball feel that is sometimes fascinating and sometimes frustrating.
As a master of using the space on the pitch, his main job is to untie the tight defense and tease the opponent, but in many cases, Riquelme is a player who is incompatible with modern football. He should belong to the era of slow pace and low physical requirements.
Like Maradona, Riquelme traveled to Barcelona via Boca Youth. What is less known is that riquelme's beginning is symbolically intertwined with the end of the old horse.
On 25 October 1997, during a standing ovation, Maradona was substituted for him in a match against River Plate, replaced by the 19-year-old Riquelme, who spent seven seasons at the Candy Box Stadium, during which the club won six titles, including a copa Libertadores.
After leaving countless assists and sharp passes, Riquelme joined Barcelona in 2002. But even in La Liga, which is more technical and tactical, players need to have enough strength and endurance, and technology alone can no longer be eaten, which is why Riquelme has never been able to show magic at Barca.
Then-manager Louis van Gaal complained that Riquelme had imposed a signing on him, and at Camp Nou, the Argentine remained out of place, his performances were intermittent and even often pushed to the wing, where his talent became sluggish and his shortcomings in speed and confrontation were even worse.
Villarreal is home
Riquelme, who was unpopular at Barca, eventually found his worth in an obscure team, and Villarreal, who was only promoted to La Liga for the first time in 1998, became his "refuge".
The humble little city on the Mediterranean shores has rekindled Riquelme's football talent, and they are willing to build a team around the Argentine. For the next four years, Riquelme was an integral part of Villarreal's history.
Riquelme finished eighth in the league in his first season with the Yellow Submarines and then finished third in La Liga in 2004-2005.
The team arranged for Senna to escort Riquelme, which allowed the Argentine to unleash his creativity on the pitch. With his support, Fran, who was regarded as a parallel cargo at Manchester United, won the European Golden Boot.
Riquelme's career then reached its peak as he led the team to the semi-finals of the Champions League. But on the brink of making history, Riquelme was disappointing. In the final moments of the second leg of the semi-final with Arsenal, Riquelme's penalty had a chance to take the team to the final and even miraculously lift the Big Ear Cup, but everything was ended by Lehmann.
The national team has no choice
Meanwhile, on the international stage, Rickerme, once abandoned, was re-established at the heart of Peckermann's hands. At the 2006 World Cup, Riquelme directed the team to beat Côte d'Ivoire and Serbia and Herzegovina, but his form seemed to come too early.
Riquelme assisted Ayala's goal in the quarter-finals against Germany, and he still played at his own pace and firmly controlled the rhythm of the game, but Peckerman was worried about Riquelme's physical problems, unexpectedly replaced him, and gave up the initiative, so everything changed. The Germans then equalised and won through a penalty shootout.
After Maradona became Argentina's manager, Riquelme felt alienated. In March 2009, he announced his retirement from the national team, citing irreconcilable differences between the old horses. "We think differently, we don't have the same code of ethics, we can't work together."
Riquelme is more insistent than the stubborn old horse. Argentina, without Riquelme, once again met the Germans at the World Cup, this time no longer in control, but were humiliated by four goals without any ability to fight back.
The conflict with Maradona isn't riquelme's first time he's fallen out of line with authority, he's an introvert, but he knows his value to the team. In Villarreal's final year, he began to indulge his performances and no longer consider rationality, and eventually the Yellow Submarines manager Pellegrini and club president Roig no longer tolerated his capricious personality, Riquelme had to return to Boca Youth, and the short but eventful european journey was over.
Riquelme chose to retire in 2015, after leading Boca Juniors back to the top flight. Although his style is loved by fans, Riquelme is notoriously serious on the pitch. He rarely smiles and always shows more concentration.
Riquelme was full of contradictions and controversies in The Argentine debate about whether the No. 10 player remained important, which doomed his career to no complete success.
The idealization of the other reality is both his greatest strength and his ultimate weakness. (Supine Braces/zz)