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Juan Romain Riquelme (born 24 June 1978) is a former Argentine male professional footballer known as the "last classic midfielder" in modern football.
The "child king" followed in Maradona's footsteps, and the Toyota Cup helped defeat Real Madrid
Riquelme's parents have 10 children. The year Riquelme was born coincided with Menotti's team winning the World Cup. Therefore, the parents named their newborn child Romy. In San Jorge, a small village on the outskirts of the Argentine capital, houses are mostly built with flimsy wood and rough paint. The ultimate dream of 99% of boys is to become famous football stars and escape poverty like Maradona.
As a child, Riquelme often played street soccer with friends, whose "worst enemies" were stones on the ground and broken wine bottles. At the age of 7, Romy joined a local children's football team, where he met the first football coach, Jorge Rodriguez. At the time, little Romy was thinner, so Rodriguez forced him to increase his strength training.
Riquelme was reticent from an early age, but that doesn't mean he's weak. If the team clashes with other team members, he will always charge ahead. Over time, Riquelme, who was skilled and capable in golf, became the "big brother" of the children. Riquelme's father got rich and set up a barbecue in his yard and invited the children to barbecue together. The children's logic is simple: follow Riquelme and you will have meat.
Riquelme participated in trials for Boca Juniors and FC Pratz. He was eventually accepted to the Argentine youth national team, which is also Maradona's parent team. To play football, Riquelme spends 4 hours a day on the road. When Riquelme first came to the team, his performance was unremarkable. He was playing in midfield.
It wasn't until Riquelme was selected for Pekman's Argentina Under-18 team and helped the team win the World Youth Cup that attention was raised, and Boca Juniors immediately signed him for $800,000. During his 6 years with Boca Juniors, Riquelme made 206 appearances for the team, scoring 54 goals. So, when Boca is mentioned, the first name that comes to mind is Riquelme.
On 10 November 1996, at the age of 18, Riquelme made his professional debut under then Boca manager Bilardo. In Boca's youth 2-0 win over Santa Fe FC Cologne, Riquelme played in the right midfield. Two weeks later, on 24 November, Boca Juniors beat Huracan 6-0. Riquelme scored the first goal of his career. In the 38th minute, he received Alphonse Chami on the right side of the penalty area. Pass the ball in from the baseline, get rid of the defenders, rely on footsteps and precise control to get the ball into the net guarded by Marcos Gutiérrez. Boca coach Bianchi then asked the 20-year-old Riquelme to take over Maradona's number 10 shirt. Since then, Boca Juniors has won two spring championships and one autumn title.
On 11 August 1999, in the Champions League in Alicante, Boca defeated Figo's Barcelona 3–2 thanks to goals from Barijo, Laparia and Palermo. Riquelme played 15 minutes in the second half and immediately allowed Boca to find a steady spot in the offensive and defensive transitions, and his performance caught Barca's attention.
On 24 May 2000, Boca beat River Plate 3–0. The goalkeepers were Delgado, Riquelme and Palermo. Boca regains the Copa Libertadores title that he lost 22 years ago. On 28 November 2000, in the Toyota Cup (later the Club World Cup), Riquelme helped Palermo beat Real Madrid with a precise possession from 50 meters away. Boca Juniors won 2-1, winning the Toyota Cup for the first time in club history. For that game, Real Madrid's squad included Casillas, Graeme, Hierro, Carranca, Roberto Carlos, El Grala, Makelele, Morientes, Guti, McManaman, Filipino. Goh and Raul and other superstars, but still lost to Riquelme's Boca Juniors. In 2001, Riquelme was named Argentina's Footballer of the Year and South America's Player of the Year.
At the end of 2001, Boca Juniors and Barcelona signed Riquelme for a transfer fee of $22 million. At the time, Boca was heavily in debt and signed the agreement amid turmoil at the top. Under the terms of his contract, Riquelme will remain with Boca Juniors from early to mid-2002.
Riquelme's dream began with Boca Juniors. He is also working the path of Maradona, hoping to repeat the legend of the football king. Since the turn of the century, almost every Argentine up-and-coming star has been called the "new Maradona", and Aymar, Ortega, D'Alessandro, Tevez and even Messi have had enough of the "curse" compared to the king. Ball.
Barca met Van Gaal with a cold face, and the former Huaxia happy manager of the Chinese Super League sent "happiness"
On July 14, 2002, Riquelme was welcomed by 500 fans at Barcelona Airport, as if the new Maradona had arrived. But Riquelme was hit the next day. Barca's then-boss Louis van Gaal made it clear to him that bringing him in was not his decision. From the beginning, the Dutch were not kind to Riquelme. Earlier, Van Gaal drove out Brazilian star Rivaldo. He seemed eager to meet South American players.
Van Gaal even claimed that Riquelme's "free play" was an indulgence that "the best teams can't afford". In a limited number of appearances, Riquelme was placed on the left wing, and the frustrated Argentine found himself competing for a position he was not interested in, and his career confidence took the first hit. Stoichkov believes Riquelme did not live up to expectations at Barcelona because he met Van Gaal, an idiot. Just one season later, Riquelme left the team on loan. He made just 42 appearances in all competitions, most of them as a substitute. Those who came on, who scored 6 goals and provided 11 assists, were average. In June 2003, young coach Rijkaard brought in the young Brazilian talent Ronaldinho, and Barca did not have a place for Riquelme.
When Barcelona went to the game, Riquelme shared a room with Mendieta and had a good relationship with Saviola, Kluivert and Giovanni. On 14 August 2002 , in Barcelona 's 3–0 victory over Legion Warsaw in the UEFA Champions League , Riquelme scored his first goal for Barcelona with a long-range shot.
In the summer of 2003 , Riquelme joined La Liga side Villarreal on loan , and a year later officially moved to Yellow Dive , but Barca retained partial ownership. Villarreal is a club with a long history and an entrepreneurial owner. Riquelme's father also loved the club very much. At that time, Huang Qian was a team that could not be underestimated.
On 14 September 2003, Riquelme assisted in the 90th minute in Villarreal's 2–1 away win over Espanyol. The "Yellow Submarine" team includes Juan Solin, Diego Fran, Arubarena, Luciano Figueroa, Marcos Senna, Gonzalo Rodríguez and others. A group of South American players put Riquelme's excellent passing skills to good use. In 2004, Chilean "engineer" Pellegrini (later the head coach of Chinese Super League Huaxia Happiness) was coached by "Huang Qian". He made 44 appearances this season, scoring 18 goals and assisting 2 times. He is Villarreal's second goalscorer and won La Liga's Best Foreign Aid award of the season.
It has to be said that Pellegrini gave Riquelme more freedom on the pitch. Pei Gong considered Riquelme a court genius. He always asks for the ball because he wants to take on more responsibility. He always wanted the ball to pass through him. This is very different from the difference in Van Gaal's "spoiled" rating. Subsequently, Pellegrini did the same when he was in charge of Huaxia Happiness in the Chinese Super League. Unfortunately, the fringe international of Huaxia Happiness does not have the talent of Riquelme. They kicked "freedom" into "loose" and smeared Pei Gong.
On 10 January 2005, in the 18th round of La Liga, leaders Barcelona lost 3–0 away to Villarreal. Kerme provided two assists in the game, Fran scored twice and Gonzalo also scored. In this match against his old club, Riquelme won a direct conversation with Barca midfield commander Xavi. Argentine media have said that Riquelme's so-called "slow" is actually a rhythm adjustment. Slow actually becomes "fast". Like a predator ready to go, Riquelme patiently waited for his prey until the time was right. When he is in control, he often keeps the ball out of sight of his opponents, and his every movement is fluid and purposeful, always designed to draw the opponent's attention to him rather than the ball. In complex situations on the field, he can always quickly find clues and then draw deadly attack lines.
In the 2006 Champions League, Villarreal made great strides throughout. They met Arsenal in the Champions League semi-finals. At that time, Villarreal president Roiger invited the players to a seafood dinner and promised to give the players all of UEFA's €4 million prize money as a reward for Arsenal's relegation. In the first round, Toure scored at Highbury and the Gunners took a one-goal lead. Returning home on April 25, the Villarreal players were in high spirits and Wenger told the Arsenal players that the pitch at Las Vegas Stadium was relatively dry and it did not advocate fast and fluid attacks, so it was based on defense and only bullied with Henry's speed. The Gunners defended Riquelme in the first half, but the situation changed abruptly in the second half. Riquelme launched several threatening attacks in succession. Franco missed two great chances in the 48th and 55th minutes, with Franco scoring his 66th goal. Within minutes, the ball flew out and whizzed through the mostly empty gate. In the 89th minute, Jose Mari was brought down in the box to receive a penalty, but Riquelme's penalty was saved by Lehmann in the bottom left corner! Many fans who were about to cheer covered their mouths in disappointment and sat back in their seats. Arsenal, who played extremely conservatively, managed to escape the Love Song Stadium.
Messi's best assistant to the national team broke up with Maradona
In 1997, Riquelme was selected for the Argentina U-20 national team. In May 1997, the Chinese Jianlibao youth team played a warm-up match against the Argentina U20 youth team at Changchun Nanling Stadium. Two months later, the team won the World Junior Championship in Malaysia, with Riquelme lifting the trophy as captain. On November 16 of the same year, Riquelme made his national team debut as a substitute in Argentina's 1–1 draw with Colombia.
At the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, Marcelo Bielsa, then the head coach of the Argentine national team, emphasized quick transfers and attacking on the wing, believing that Riquelme's style did not fit his tactical system, so he did not bring him. However, the Argentine national team, which had high hopes for the title before the match, was unexpectedly eliminated in the group stage.
In 2004, Riquelme's mentor José Pequellmann became the head coach of the Argentina national team, and Riquelme once again became the core of the national team. From June 15 to June 29, Riquelme participated in the German Confederations Cup and helped the Argentine national team to the Confederations Cup runner-up. He also won the Confederations Cup Silver Globe. On June 9, 2005, Argentina defeated Brazil 3–1 in the South American qualifiers for the World Cup. In the 18th minute of the first half, Riquelme fired a 25-meter volley to help the Pampas Eagles become the first U.S. team to qualify for the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany. It is worth mentioning that the World Cup in Germany is also the only World Cup in which Riquelme participates, and the blue and white team in this World Cup is also considered by fans to be the strongest Argentine team in the 21st century. On June 30, 2006, the semi-final between Berlin, Argentina and Germany attracted 72,000 spectators to the Olympic Stadium. In the first half, Mascherano and Gonzalez stayed in the middle. It was difficult for Germany to get the ball back. Argentina broke the deadlock 1-0 in the 49th minute of the second half as Germany lost for the first time in this World Cup. After the pass, Germany picked up the game, using their physical advantage to bombard Argentina's defense from a height. In the 72nd minute, Peckman wanted to strengthen the defense and replaced Riquelme with Cambiaso. It was this conservative shift in tactics that cost Argentina. In the 80th minute, Kroos overtook Solin. Scoring from the bottom left corner seven meters in front of goal, Germany equalised 1-1. The match then went to a penalty shoot-out and Germany had the last laugh to repeat the outcome of the 1990 World Cup final in Italy. On September 14, Riquelme announced his withdrawal from the Argentine national team due to his mother's poor health.
In June 2007, at the invitation of coach Riquelme Basel, he returned to the national team and helped Argentina finish runners-up in the Copa America. In this year's Copa America, Riquelme finished second in the goal list and was named the best team in the Copa America.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Argentine Football Federation retained Riquelme's place as an over-age player in the national Olympic team. With experience and skill, the 30-year-old Riquelme became a "comforter" for the Argentine Olympic team. In the semifinals, Argentina beat Brazil 3-0, clearing the biggest stumbling block on the way to promotion. In this game, Riquelme scored and Aguero scored twice. In the final, Argentina beat Nigeria 1-0. Messi and others attracted most of the opposing defenders. No. 6 Heinze grabbed space on the penalty spot and scored with a header. Argentina successfully won the Olympic Games. Riquelme was his best helper growing up with Messi's national team. Riquelme's role is irreplaceable by players like Di Maria. With Riquelme, Messi can safely destroy the city, but without Riquelme, Messi seems to be on his own.
The chaos caused by the management of the Argentine Football Federation destroyed not only a generation of Argentine players, but also the Nerazzurri football club. Inside the Boca Club Museum there is a fresco of Maradona and Riquelme standing side by side in the light of the Roman emperor. But the reality is weak. On November 5, 2008, Maradona became the new head coach of Argentina. In less than half a year, the master and apprentice completely broke off. Fans discovered that the personalities of the two were so different. Maradona always showed courage, rebellion and shamelessness, unscrupulously encouraging his teammates and breaking the will of his players. Riquelme seems to live in his own world. Both Pekman and Basil will tolerate his demands, but Maradona will not. Mancuso, Maradona's assistant coach at the national team, later revealed that Maradona and Riquelme had a heated altercation in a "life-and-death battle". Afterwards, Riquelme, whose self-esteem was hurt, claimed: "We didn't agree on many aspects, we didn't have the same principles and we couldn't work together as long as he was the coach of the team. Riquelme immediately announced his retirement from the national team and Maradona also announced that Riquelme would not appear in the World Cup in South Africa.
On October 11, 2008, Argentina defeated Uruguay 2–1 in the World Cup Americas qualifiers in South Africa. Riquelme started and scored for Messi in the fifth minute of the first half. It was Riquelme's last appearance for Argentina. The national team participates in official competitions.
Because we are bad friends with Carlos Tevez, helping young Argentineans to the top was successful
In December 2006, a clash broke out between Riquelme and Villarreal manager Pellegrini. In the 2006–07 season, Riquelme played only 13 La Liga games for Villarreal, scoring one goal. In February 2007 , Riquelme returned to Boca Juniors on loan for $2 million.
Riquelme, who returned to Boca, immediately showed his courage. On 21 June 2007 , Riquelme scored two goals in the second round final of the Copa Libertadores , helping Boca Juniors beat Gremio 2–0 away. At that time, Riquelme scored 8 goals in the Copa Libertadores, second in the goals list, and won the Copa Libertadores Player of the Year award.
His performance during this comeback is also very similar to that of his friend and former Shenhua player "The Beast" Tevez, walking when depressed and active when happy. In fact, the two are also bad friends. They often bicker in the media and sympathize with each other off the field. Carlos Tevez says Riquelme is an icon on the field, but Riquelme is also amazing off the field.
At the end of his loan spell, Riquelme was included in the transfer list by Villarreal, but no one cared. Fortunately, Boca Juniors finally made a move, and Riquelme officially returned to the parent team. On 28 February 2008 , Boca Juniors drew 2–2 with Arsenal Sarandi in the second leg of the South American Cup Winners' Cup. Riquelme scored from a free-kick in injury time to give Boca a 5-3 aggregate win over two legs. In the 2008 South American Footballer of the Year election, Riquelme came in second with 3 votes. In the 2008–09 season, Riquelme helped Boca Juniors win the Argentine Spring Championship and won the 2008 Argentine Footballer of the Year award. Since then, Riquelme has been injured and his condition fluctuated. In 2010, Riquelme tried to seduce the wife of Boca youth teammate Pablo Moche, but the player's wife rejected him. The leadership of the Card Youth Football Club punished Riquelme. On 11 May 2014, Boca Juniors defeated Atlético Lanús 3–1 in the 18th round of the Argentine Autumn Championship. Riquelme completed the last official match of Boca Juniors.
In July 2014, Riquelme returned to Argentine youth football club in the Argentine Second Division as a free agent. This is also the team where he debuted and where his dream began. This season, Riquelme made 15 appearances for the Argentine Second Division, scoring three goals and providing three assists, helping the Argentine youth team advance to the Argentine Serie A in third place. There is a saying in China that all goes well.
In January 2015, Riquelme officially announced his retirement. After his retirement, Riquelme became vice-president of Boca Junior Club. Although he was already rich at the time, he decided not to live in a wealthy neighborhood.
The golden age of Kerme's players in the first decade of the century caught up with innovations in football tactics: the double back and diamond-shaped positioning system made it difficult to fit into a traditional 10-man squad, or the midfielders played more often. Shadow forwards or even finishers, rather than slow ball control and finding a passing route.
Riquelme is arguably the last classic midfielder in modern football. He is like an elegant and solitary player, moving along with his own drum beat, controlling his own rhythm.
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