Juan Román Riquelme
Juan Román Riquelme (* June 24, 1978 in San Fernando, Buenos Aires ) is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for the fourth time in the Argentine capital club CA Boca Juniors.
Career
Club career
By 1996, Riquelme played in the youth of Argentinos Juniors. On 10 November 1996, called by his fans Romy central midfielder played his first game as a professional at Boca Juniors. Only a week later, he scored the game against Huracán ( 6-0 ) his first goal. With Boca Juniors he won in the following years, among other things, three times the Argentine championship ( Apertura 1998, Clausura 1999, Apertura 2000), twice the Copa Libertadores (2000 and 2001), as well as the 2000 World Cup. He was also elected to South America's Footballer of the Year 2001.
Due to his performances at the Boca Juniors European football clubs soon became aware of Riquelme, and he was committed for nine million euros in 2002 from FC Barcelona. There, but not succeeded because of injury and numerous diseases to enter the core team and so he moved to FC Villarreal 2003. In the season 2004/ 05 he was playing a very convincing role, scored 15 goals, prepared 9 goals against and thus helped his team to 3rd place in the Primera División. The following season, 2005/ 06 it was only enough for seventh place in the Primera Division, with 12 goals (4 penalty) and 6 assists in 25 games Riquelme, but he led Villarreal to the greatest international success so far: by reaching the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League.
In the following season, however, there have been tensions between the player and the club's management, and he was loaned out in February 2007 for the rest of the season at his old club Boca Juniors. As a result, Riquelme Boca led to victory in the Copa Libertadores 2007, where he scored eight goals in the competition, including three goals in the final two games.
Its strengths lie in dribbling, passing and crossing the accuracy, creativity, intelligence game, shooting technique and eye for goal. He is considered safer penalty taker and dangerous free kick taker. As weaknesses Riquelmes its low Lauffreudigkeit that to static play, the low speed and the inconstancy of its performance apply. Riquelme is considered a sensitive and mood- dependent players.
National
With the U-20 national team Riquelme 1997 South American champions in the same year and took the Junior World Championships and in 1998 the title of the so-called tournament of hope in Toulon.
He debuted on November 16, 1997 against Colombia in the Argentine A-National Team and was used until two years later. At the Confederations Cup in Germany in 2005, he scored in the first two matches against Germany and Australia two goals for his country and was the second best player of the tournament selected ( behind Adriano ). However, he lost his team the final against South American rivals Brazil 1:4. The playmaker of the Argentine national team took part in the Football World Cup 2006 in part in Germany, where he was used in all games of Argentina.
On 14 September 2006, he was surprisingly announced his retirement from the national team known. The reason he gave to the health of his mother, who had been repeatedly hospitalized, but also the continuing criticism of his person. The rescission of the resignation was a good year later. Riquelme was, four days before the competition, again on the national team for the Copa America in Venezuela, where he took second place with Argentina.
For the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing Riquelme was appointed as one of three senior players for the selection of his country of choice coach Sergio Batista. Argentina won this tournament and Riquelme became the Olympic champion.
In March 2009, Riquelme was again announced his retirement from the national team is known, after he was not considered by the new national team coach Diego Maradona for several games. At least as long as Maradona is coach of the team, he would not play for Argentina. Reason is that he and the coach " not the same principles " and would therefore " not cooperate " could.
Others
Riquelme grew up in poor circumstances in Buenos Aires and has ten siblings. When Diego Maradona after his last match on October 25, 1997 took off his jersey of Boca Juniors, he gave it to Riquelme.
Achievements
- Copa Libertadores: 2000, 2001, 2007
- World Cup: 2000
- Primera División (Argentina ): 1998, 1999, 2000
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2004
- Junior World Champion: 1997
- Olympic champion: 2008
- South America's Footballer of the Year: 2001
- Argentine Footballer of the Year: 2000, 2001, 2008
- Best foreign player in La Liga: 2005