Juan Román Riquelme

This is a Spanish name; the family name is Riquelme.
Juan Román Riquelme
JR Riquelme.jpg
Personal information
Full name Juan Román Riquelme
Date of birth June 24, 1978 (1978-06-24) (age 31)
Place of birth    San Fernando, Argentina
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Playing position Attacking Midfielder
Club information
Current club Boca Juniors
Number 10
Youth clubs
Argentinos Juniors
Boca Juniors
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1996–2002
2002–2003
2003–2007
2007
2008–		 Boca Juniors
FC Barcelona
Villarreal CF
→ Boca Juniors (loan)
Boca Juniors		 148 (26)
029 0(3)
102 (36)
015 0(2)
023 0(3)   
National team2
1997-present
2008		 Argentina
Argentina Olympic		 050 (17)
006 0(1)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 01:54, 30 November 2008 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 14 September 2008.
* Appearances (Goals)

Juan Román Riquelme (born 24 June, 1978 in San Fernando, Buenos Aires) is an Argentine football midfielder who currently plays for Argentine Primera División club Boca Juniors and the Argentina national team. Although he is an attacking midfielder, he often functions as the national team's playmaker.

Contents

Club career

Early career

Riquelme was born in San Fernando, Buenos Aires Province, into a family of ten in poverty, and grew up in Don Torcuato. Argentine clubs Boca Juniors and River Plate spotted him when he was a youth player for Argentinos Juniors. He chose to move to Boca in 1995, as he had been a fan of the club since childhood. Boca paid US$800,000 to sign him. A year later, on November 10, 1996, Riquelme played his first professional match in a 2-0 win over Unión de Santa Fe. Two weeks later he scored his first senior goal in Boca's 6-0 win over Huracán.

Barcelona

In 2002, after seven successful seasons with Boca Juniors, the central midfielder was transferred to FC Barcelona for a reported €11 million.[1] Shortly before his departure from Boca, his brother, Cristian, was kidnapped. Riquelme negotiated for his brother's release and eventually paid the ransom. He has stated before this was one of the reasons why he chose to leave Boca although it has also been noted Riquelme was in dispute with Boca over his contract at the time. Barcelona coach Louis van Gaal described Riquelme as a "political signing"[2] and treated him with indifference. When Van Gaal did play him on rare occasions, Riquelme was deployed on the flanks. He was unable to find his form during a period of largely substitute appearances, losing his place in the first team. Van Gaal instead chose to use him as a backup player, standing in during Spanish Cup and Champions League Group stage matches. He was loaned to Villarreal a year later.

Villarreal

At Villarreal he was surrounded by fellow Latin and South American players, including fellow Argentine international and captain Juan Pablo Sorín. At the end of the 2004-05 campaign, Spanish sports newspaper Marca awarded him the title of Artistic Player. He earned a nomination for the 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year award. In an effort to keep hold of him, Villarreal bought up 75% of Riquelme's rights from Barcelona for up to 8 million euros, dependent on Villarreal performance next two seasons, and gave the player a 4-year contract.[3] A 25% transfer fee would also given to Barça if Villarreal resold him.

A peculiar contract situation arose when, on December 7, 2005, Villarreal beat French club Lille OSC 1-0 to win its UEFA Champions League group, knocking out English giants Manchester United F.C., and Lille and advancing to the lucrative knockout stages in the club's debut season in the Champions League. Because of a clause in the transfer contract with Barcelona, Villarreal had to pay one million euros to the Catalan club. The contract included another two one-million euro clauses; one if Villarreal finished in one of the top 4 positions of the Spanish La Liga in the 2005-06 season, and an identical clause for the 2006-07 season.

During the second leg of the Champions League semi-final match between Villareal and Arsenal, Jens Lehmann saved a Riquelme penalty that would have taken the match to extra time.

Boca Juniors

Riquelme accepted a five-month loan back to Boca Juniors on February 2007 following a tense situation between him and Villarreal's director general and with club manager Manuel Pellegrini.[4][5] Riquelme has played a significant part in Boca's success in the Copa Libertadores 2007, scoring against Vélez Sársfield in the round of 16, Club Libertad in the quarter finals and Cúcuta Deportivo in the semis, earning Boca a place in the finals. In the first leg of the final against Grêmio, Riquelme scored a goal and in the return leg, scored two more, crowning Boca as the 2007 Copa Libertadores Champions. He also won the award for the Copa Libertadores' Most Valuable Player.

In August 2007, it was reported that Boca had given up hope of re-signing Riquelme. However, a few days later the situation changed, as Boca Juniors director Juan Carlos Crespi expressed confidence in Riquelme's return "within 10 days". The negotiations stalled when Villarreal's offer to give up Riquelme in exchange for €4 million, Rodrigo Palacio, and half the rights to either Mauro Boselli or Jonathan Maidana was rejected by Boca. It was announced on August 30 that Riquelme has been signed by Atletico Madrid for a fee of €8 million. This transfer however, fell through at the last minute, and Riquelme remained a Villareal player and was awarded the #16 shirt.

On November 26, 2007 Riquelme reached an agreement with Villarreal CF to allow him to join Boca Juniors after the transfer window re-opened in January 2008.[6]

International career

World Cup 2006

Riquelme won the South American Youth Championship and the FIFA U-20 World Cup, both in 1997 with coach José Pekerman. And would recive a call-up, but did not play in the 1998 or 2002 FIFA World Cups.

2006 World Cup

During the 2006 World Cup Argentina were defeated in the quarter-final by Germany on penalties, after a 1-1 draw after extra-time. Germany equalised moments after Riquelme was substituted off the pitch. Riquelme had delivered the corner from which Roberto Ayala scored Argentina's goal.

Following the loss of Argentina and Pekerman's resignation as head coach, Riquelme was tipped by many to take over the reins of skipper for the Albicelestes in place of the outgoing Sorín. However, after captaining the team for the first friendly match under new coach Alfio Basile, he announced on September 13, 2006 his decision to retire from the "Selección", claiming that the frequent critics from sectors of the press and public had negatively affected his mother's health, who was hospitalized twice in two months after the 2006 World Cup.[7] [8] At that point, Riquelme had played 37 matches for Argentina, scoring 8 goals.

2007 Copa América

On June 26, 2007, Riquelme was recalled to the national team by coach Alfio Basile as part of the 23-man squad to represent Argentina in the 2007 Copa América.[9] Riquelme illustrated his array of skills by scoring two goals – a header and a free kick – against Colombia in the second match of the Copa's group stage. In the quarter-finals against Peru, Riquelme scored two of Argentina's four goals and assisted Lionel Messi for another goal to lead Argentina into the semifinals with a 4-0 win. He scored his fifth goal of the competition in a penalty during the semifinal clash against Mexico, completing Argentina's 3-0 win.

2010 World Cup qualification

On October 14, 2007 Riquelme emerged from three months of inactivity at Villarreal to score two free kicks in a 2-0 win against Chile to get his team off to a winning start in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. On November 17 Riquelme scored twice again in Argentina's 3-0 victory against Bolivia. He is currently the leading goal scorer in the 2010 CONMEBOL qualifications.

2008 Beijing Olympics

Argentina included Riquelme as one of the three permited overage players in the squad for the Olympic Games Football tournament in Beijing. [10]. Riquelme captained the side to win the Olympic Gold medal. He scored one goal against Brazil in the semi-final. [11]

Statistics

Club Season League Libertadores Copa Mercosur Super/Inter. UEFA Champ. UEFA Cup Argentina Total
GP Goals GP Goals GP Goals GP Goals GP Goals GP Goals GP Goals GP Goals
Flag of Argentina.svg Boca Juniors Apertura 1996 8 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - 8 2
Clausura 1997 13 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - 13 2
Apertura 1997 13 0 - - - - 2 0 - - - - - - 15 0
Clausura 1998 6 0 - - - - - - - - - - - - 6 0
Apertura 1998 19 3 - - 6 0 - - - - - - - - 25 3
Clausura 1999 18 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - 18 7
Apertura 1999 17 2 - - 5 0 - - - - - - - - 22 2
Clausura 2000 7 2 11 3 - - - - - - - - - - 18 5
Apertura 2000 16 5 - - 1 0 1 0 - - - - - - 18 5
Clausura 2001 11 5 12 3 - - - - - - - - - - 23 8
Apertura 2001 13 7 - - 1 0 1 0 - - - - - - 14 7
Clausura 2002 9 3 4 0 - - - - - - - - 1 0 13 3
Subtotal 148 36 27 6 13 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 193 44
Flag of Spain.svg FC Barcelona 2002–03 29 3 - - - - - - 11 2 - - 2 0 41 5
Flag of Spain.svg Villarreal CF 2003–04 33 8 - - - - - - - - 12 4 1 0 47 12
2004–05 31 15 - - - - - - - - 9 3 9 5 41 19
2005–06 25 12 - - - - - - 12 2 - - 8? 1? 45 15
2006–07 13 1 - - - - - - - - - - 8? 0? 21 1
Subtotal 131 39 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 4 21 7 18 2 195 52
Flag of Argentina.svg Boca Juniors Clausura 2007 15 2 11 8 - - - - - - - - 9? 9? 35 19
Clausura 2008 10 1 10 4 - - - - - - - - 2? 0? 22 5
Apertura 2008 0 0 - - - - - - - - - - 6 1 6 1
Subtotal 25 3 21 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17? 10? 57 24
Total 304 78 48 18 13 0 4 0 23 4 21 7  ?  ? - -

Argentina Goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. April 30, 2003 Tripoli, Libya Flag of Libya.svg Libya 3-1 Win Friendly
2. November 17, 2004 Buenos Aires, Argentina Flag of Venezuela.svg Venezuela 3-2 Win 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
3. June 8, 2005 Buenos Aires, Argentina Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil 3-1 Win 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
4. June 15, 2005 Cologne, Germany Flag of Tunisia.svg Tunisia 2-1 Win 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
5. June 18, 2005 Nuremberg, Germany Flag of Australia.svg Australia 4-2 Win 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
6. June 21, 2005 Nuremberg, Germany Flag of Germany.svg Germany 2-2 Draw 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
7. October 9, 2005 Buenos Aires, Argentina Flag of Peru.svg Peru 2-0 Win 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
8. November 16, 2005 Doha, Qatar Flag of Qatar.svg Qatar 3-0 Win Friendly
9. July 2, 2007 Maracaibo, Venezuela Flag of Colombia.svg Colombia 4-2 Win Copa América 2007
10. July 2, 2007 Maracaibo, Venezuela Flag of Colombia.svg Colombia 4-2 Win Copa América 2007
11. July 8, 2007 Barquisimeto, Venezuela Flag of Peru.svg Peru 4-0 Win Copa América 2007
12. July 8, 2007 Barquisimeto, Venezuela Flag of Peru.svg Peru 4-0 Win Copa América 2007
13. July 11, 2007 Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico 3-0 Win Copa América 2007
14. October 13, 2007 Buenos Aires, Argentina Flag of Chile.svg Chile 2-0 Win 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
15. October 13, 2007 Buenos Aires, Argentina Flag of Chile.svg Chile 2-0 Win 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
16. November 17, 2007 Buenos Aires, Argentina Flag of Bolivia.svg Bolivia 3-0 Win 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
17. November 17, 2007 Buenos Aires, Argentina Flag of Bolivia.svg Bolivia 3-0 Win 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)

Honours

Olympic medal record
Competitor for Flag of Argentina.svg Argentina
Men's Football
Gold 2008 Beijing Team Competition

Villarreal

Boca Juniors

International

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Barça take up Riquelme option". UEFA.com (2002-11-26).
  2. ↑ Cowley, Jason (2006-06-18). "Lonesome Riquelme is the go-to man", Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved on 2006-08-12. 
  3. ↑ "Riquelme leaves Barça for good". UEFA.com (2005-06-21).
  4. ↑ "The end is nigh for a player unable to cross great divide" - The Guardian
  5. ↑ "Román dio el sí" - Diario Olé
  6. ↑ "Riquelme set to return home". UEFA.com (2007-11-26).
  7. ↑ Homewood, Brian (2006-09-13). "Riquelme says he is quitting Argentina", yahoo.sports. Retrieved on 2006-09-14. 
  8. ↑ "Riquelme renunció a la Selección: "Antes que nada está mi familia"" (in Spanish), Clarín (newspaper) (2006-09-13). Retrieved on 2006-09-13. 
  9. ↑ Riquelme quiere sumarse a selección argentina (Spanish)
  10. ↑ "Messi, Agüero, Riquelme named to Argentine Olympic team", sl.com (2008-07-03). Retrieved on 2008-10-10. 
  11. ↑ "Angel delivers Argentina gold", FIFA.com (2008-08-23). Retrieved on 2008-10-10. 

External links

Boca Juniors – current squad

1 Caranta • 2 Cáceres • 3 Rodríguez • 4 Ibarra • 5 Battaglia • 6 Forlín • 7 Mouche • 8 Díaz • 9 Palermo • 10 Riquelme • 11 Gracián • 12 García • 13 Roncaglia • 14 Palacio • 15 González • 16 Calvo • 17 Noir • 18 Figueroa • 19 Cardozo • 20 Krupoviesa • 21 Chávez • 22 Vargas • 23 Dátolo • 24 Benavídez • 26 Castromán • 27 Viatri • 28 Gaitán • 29 Paletta • 30 Phillippe • 31 Ayala • 32 Fondacaro •  Muñoz •  Barroso • Coach: Ischia