Juan Román Riquelme
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Juan Román Riquelme (; born 24 June 1978) is an Argentine former professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
and current president of
Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men's professional Association football, football team which, since its promotion in 1913 ...
, the club where he spent the majority of his playing career.Autoridades
on Boca Juniors website, 9 January 2020
He is considered by various journalists, players and coaches as one of the greatest playmakers of all time. Riquelme played as a
midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
in the classic "enganche" role from 1996 until 2015, beginning his career with Boca Juniors, where he won eleven titles, including, five Primera División titles, three
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
and one Intercontinental Cup. In 2002, he transferred to
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
of
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, but his time at the club was short-lived, due to his unsteady relationship with then-head coach,
Louis van Gaal Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal (; born 8 August 1951) is a Dutch former association football, football player and former manager who currently serves as an advisor for AFC Ajax, Ajax. At club level, he served as manager of AFC Ajax, Aj ...
. Riquelme was subsequently loaned to and later bought by fellow
La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
club
Villarreal Villarreal (officially, in ) is a city and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain. The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's capital ( ...
, where Riquelme would help the club achieve a third-place league finish in the
2004–05 La Liga The 2004–05 La Liga season was the 74th since its establishment. It began on 28 August 2004, and concluded on 29 May 2005. Teams Twenty teams competed in the league – the top seventeen teams from the previous season and the three teams ...
and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time in the club's history in the following campaign. Riquelme returned to Boca Juniors in 2007, initially on loan, where he would once again win the
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
, finishing as top scorer and MVP of the competition. His transfer was made permanent soon after, and he would go on to win two more league titles and a
Copa Argentina The Copa Argentina (English: ''Argentine Cup''), officially known as the "Copa Argentina AXION energy" due to sponsorship reasons, is an official football cup competition organized by the Argentine Football Association (AFA). The first editions ...
during his final spell with the club. Riquelme announced he would quit Boca in 2012 after losing the final of the
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
; after spending most of 2012 and 2013 away from football, he returned to playing under
Carlos Bianchi Carlos Bianchi (born 26 April 1949), nicknamed ''El Virrey'' (''The Viceroy''), is an Argentine former football player and manager. A prolific goalscorer, although he had a bright career as a forward in Argentina and France, Bianchi is best kno ...
in February 2013, before officially leaving in 2014 after the club president decided not to renew his contract. He would briefly sign with
Argentinos Juniors Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Paternal, Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its association football, football team, which currently plays in the Argentine Primera División, and was reco ...
in July 2014 to help achieve the promotion back to first division, before announcing his retirement from the professional game in January 2015. With the Argentina national team, Riquelme achieved success at youth level, winning the
1997 South American U-20 Championship The South American Youth Championship 1997 was held in Coquimbo, Iquique and La Serena, Chile. It also served as qualification for the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship. Teams The following teams entered the tournament: * * * * (host) * * ...
and the
1997 FIFA World Youth Championship The 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, known as the 1997 FIFA/Coca-Cola World Youth Championship for sponsorship purposes, was the 11th staging of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, FIFA World Youth Championship. It was held from 16 June to 5 July 1997 i ...
in
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
. He would earn his first call-up to the senior team in 1997, and went on to appear 57 times between 1997 and 2008, scoring 17 goals and representing Argentina at the
2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...
in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. Riquelme also represented his nation in the
Olympics The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...
, captaining the side to
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
at the
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...
alongside
Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (; born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Major League Soccer ...
. Riquelme was distinguished as Argentina's footballer of the year four times and named
South American Footballer of the Year The Rey de América ("King of America"), often referred to as the South American Footballer of the Year, is an annual association football award presented to the best footballer in South America over the previous calendar year. The award was con ...
in 2001, and was also included in the South American Team of the Year six times. He was among the nominees for the
FIFA World Player of the Year The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award presented annually by the sport's governing body, FIFA, between 1991 and 2015 at the FIFA World Player Gala. Coaches and captains of international teams and media representative ...
award in
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
and
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
, and the
Ballon d'Or The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual association football, football award presented by French magazine ''France Football'' since 1956 Ballon d'Or, 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season. Conceived ...
in
2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
and
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
.


Club career


Early years

Riquelme was born as the eldest of eleven children in a poor family, one day before Argentina won the
1978 World Cup The 1978 FIFA World Cup was the 11th edition of the FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football world championship tournament among the men's senior national teams. It was held in Argentina between 1 and 25 June. The Cup was won by t ...
. He began playing football in the localities of San Fernando, playing for different local clubs, before gaining the opportunity to trial with the junior teams of
Argentinos Juniors Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Paternal, Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its association football, football team, which currently plays in the Argentine Primera División, and was reco ...
. After trialling, he was signed by the club where he began playing as a
central midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
.
Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men's professional Association football, football team which, since its promotion in 1913 ...
and River Plate spotted him when he was a youth player for
Argentinos Juniors Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Paternal, Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its association football, football team, which currently plays in the Argentine Primera División, and was reco ...
. In 1996, however, Riquelme was transferred from Argentinos Juniors U-20 to Boca Juniors U-20 for a fee of
US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
800,000, during an operation insisted by trainer Carlos Salvador Bilardo which led to the then president of Boca Juniors, Mauricio Macri, establishing various purchases of Argentinos Juniors youth players.


Boca Juniors

On 10 November 1996, aged 18, Riquelme made his Primera División debut in a 2–0 win against
Unión de Santa Fe Club Atlético Unión (; mostly known as Unión de Santa Fe ) is a sports club from Santa Fe, Argentina, Santa Fe, the capital city of the Santa Fe Province, in Argentina. The club was founded on 15 April 1907. Unión is mostly known for its asso ...
. Two weeks later, he scored his first senior goal in a 6–0 triumph over
Huracán Huracán (; ; , "one legged"), often referred to as ''U Kʼux Kaj'', the "Heart of Sky", is a Kʼicheʼ Maya god of wind, storm, fire and one of the creator deities who participated in all three attempts at creating humanity. He also caused th ...
. After making his debut, Riquelme began a long journey to break a streak of no championships for the team since winning the Apertura 1992. In the 1996–97 season, Bilardo would be fired and replaced by Héctor "Bambino" Veira, but Boca continued with mediocre results, finishing mid table in both Apertura and Clausura tournaments, with Riquelme himself scoring 4 goals and making 22 appearances in the campaign. After almost obtaining the championship in the 1997–98 season, by July 1998 Veira would be replaced by coach
Carlos Bianchi Carlos Bianchi (born 26 April 1949), nicknamed ''El Virrey'' (''The Viceroy''), is an Argentine former football player and manager. A prolific goalscorer, although he had a bright career as a forward in Argentina and France, Bianchi is best kno ...
, who would fully trust Riquelme to command the team. Forming a successful trio in attack with winger
Guillermo Barros Schelotto Guillermo Barros Schelotto (; born 4 May 1973) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a forward. He is the current manager of Vélez Sarsfield. Barros Schelotto played 16 years of his professional career in the Argent ...
and center forward
Martín Palermo Martín Palermo (; born 7 November 1973) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a striker. He was recently the manager of Olimpia. Palermo played mainly as a forward for Boca Juniors. A prolific goalscorer, he is Bo ...
, Boca would once again win a title after six years, by becoming the 1998 Apertura champions undefeated. This would also earn the team a qualification for the 2000 edition of the Copa Libertadores, where Boca would make its return after six years. The season would be highly successful, with the team winning the 1999 Clausura and reaching a historic 40-game undefeated mark. Riquelme ended the 1998-99 campaign with 47 games played and 10 goals scored, also entering the South American Team of the Year for the first time. In the 1999–2000 season, Boca won the Copa Libertadores, Riquelme's first international title with the club. Riquelme had an excellent performance during the competition; in the round of 16 second leg against El Nacional, he scored and had three assists as Boca won 5-3. Another stellar performance he had was in the quarterfinals second leg against rivals River Plate, where he scored a goal, assisted in another, and made a historic play where he nutmegged River defender
Mario Yepes Mario Alberto Yepes Díaz (; born 13 January 1976) is a Colombian former professional association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Centre-back, centre-back. He is well known for his time in Paris Saint-Germai ...
as Boca won 3-0. Boca's successes would continue in the 2000–01 season, winning the Apertura 2000. However, the highest point would be the final of the Intercontinental Cup against Real Madrid, who at that time was in the process of forming ''Los Galácticos'', with the signing of the
Ballon d'Or The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual association football, football award presented by French magazine ''France Football'' since 1956 Ballon d'Or, 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season. Conceived ...
winner Luis Figo. Against all odds, Boca ended up winning the match, and Riquelme would be one of the stars assisting for Martín Palermo's second goal with a 30-meter ball. During 2001, Boca would not obtain any local title, but would win again in the Copa Libertadores, defeating Mexican
Cruz Azul Club de Futbol Cruz Azul S.A. de C.V., commonly referred to as Cruz Azul, is a professional association football, football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football league system, Mexican footba ...
in the
finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
again through penalties. This time Román would have an outstanding performance against Palmeiras in the semifinal series, where the Argentine midfielder managed to give an assist in the first leg and score a goal in the second leg. Riquelme would be chosen the MVP of the tournament, and would also win the South American Footballer of the Year award for the first time in his career. As the champions of Copa Libertadores his side faced 2001 UEFA Champions League winners
Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional football team, ...
in the Intercontinental Cup final which ended in a 0–1 defeat for his club. The closing of the 2001–02 season, Riquelme's last in Boca, would not be as successful as the previous ones, the main cause being the departure of Carlos Bianchi in the summer of 2001, due to his differences with the president of the club Mauricio Macri. Riquelme would also have his differences with him due to the poor pay of his contract, to which Riquelme would demonstrate in a match against River Plate for the 2001 Clausura where he celebrated in front of the president's box, putting his hands to his ear in protest.


Barcelona

In July 2002, after seven successful seasons with Boca Juniors which brought him and the club six major titles, including the Intercontinental Cup and the
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
in 2000, Riquelme transferred to
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
in
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
for a reported
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...
11 million transfer fee. Shortly before his departure, his brother, Cristian, was kidnapped; Riquelme negotiated for his brother's release and eventually paid the ransom, later stating this was one of the reasons why he chose to leave Boca. Barça manager
Louis van Gaal Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal (; born 8 August 1951) is a Dutch former association football, football player and former manager who currently serves as an advisor for AFC Ajax, Ajax. At club level, he served as manager of AFC Ajax, Aj ...
described Riquelme as a "political signing" and treated him with indifference. When the Dutchman did play him, he did so rarely, deploying him as a winger. Thus, the player was unable to find his form during a period of largely substitute appearances, losing his place in the first team. He played mainly – as a starter – in the
Copa del Rey The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
, and netted the game's only goal in a rare
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
starting opportunity, at
Club Brugge (), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,042. They pl ...
in the
group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
. Barcelona's season would be critical in every way, with Van Gaal being fired mid-season. This did not change the situation for the better, and Riquelme would continue to appear mainly as a substitute.


Villarreal (2003–06)

When Barcelona signed
Ronaldinho Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho () or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian former professional Association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or left winger. Widely reg ...
, the club exceeded the maximum foreign players that Spanish teams were allowed, prompting Riquelme's two-year loan move to Villarreal. There, he played alongside three compatriots:
Rodolfo Arruabarrena Rodolfo Martín Arruabarrena (born 20 July 1975) is an Argentine professional football manager and former player, who was recently the manager of the Saudi Pro League club Al-Taawoun. A left-back, he spent most of his career with Boca Juniors, ...
, Gonzalo Rodríguez and
Juan Pablo Sorín Juan Pablo Sorín (born 5 May 1976) is an Argentine former footballer and current sports broadcaster, who played as a left-back or left midfielder. He had a successful club career in his native Argentina with River Plate, in Brazil with Cruze ...
. At the end of the 2004–05 season, Spanish sports newspaper '' Marca'' awarded Riquelme with the title of Most Artistic Player, also earning himself a nomination for the 2005
FIFA World Player of the Year The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award presented annually by the sport's governing body, FIFA, between 1991 and 2015 at the FIFA World Player Gala. Coaches and captains of international teams and media representative ...
award after scoring a career-best 15 goals in 35 games. The
Valencian Valencian can refer to: * Something related to the Valencian Community ( Valencian Country) in Spain * Something related to the city of Valencia * Something related to the province of Valencia in Spain * Something related to the old Kingdom of ...
club finished the season in its best-ever position in third place, and in an effort to keep hold of him, bought up 75% of his rights from Barcelona for up to €8 million, depending on Villarreal performance in the next two seasons. Villarreal also gave Riquelme a four-year contract extension, with the caveat that 25% of any subsequent transfer fee would be provided to ''Barça'' should Villarreal sell him. A peculiar contract situation arose when, on 7 December 2005, Villarreal beat
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
club
Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...
1–0 to win its Champions League group, knocking out English giants
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
and advancing to the knockout stages in the club's debut season in the main continental competition. Because of a clause in the transfer contract with Barcelona, Villarreal had to pay €1 million to the Catalan club. Additionally, the contract included two other "€1 million clauses": One if Villarreal finished in one of the top four league positions in 2005–06, and an identical clause for the following season. On 25 April 2006, as Villarreal reached the last-four in the Champions League, in the second leg against
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
,
Jens Lehmann Jens Gerhard Lehmann (; born 10 November 1969) is a German former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He was a member of Arsenal's " Invincibles", playing every match of their unbeaten title-winning season. He holds the UEFA ...
saved a Riquelme
penalty Penalty, The Penalty, Penalization, Penalisation, Penalize or Penalise may refer to: Sports * Foul (sports) ** Penalty (golf) ** Penalty (gridiron football) ** Penalty (ice hockey) ** Penalty (rugby) ** Penalty (rugby union) ** Penalty kick (assoc ...
that would have taken the match to
extra time Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is required t ...
. The game ended 0–0 at El Madrigal. Riquelme scored his first goal of the 2006–07 season in a 3–2 home victory against
Real Zaragoza Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. (), commonly referred to as Zaragoza, is a football club based in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, that currently competes in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish football league system, Spanish league system. Zarag ...
on 24 September 2006. He scored a penalty in the 79th minute to give Villarreal their third goal of the match. Riquelme went on to make just 13 league appearances during the first half of the 2006–07 La Liga and played no part in the
2006–07 Copa del Rey The 2006–07 Copa del Rey was the 105th staging of the Copa del Rey. The competition started on 30 August 2006 and concluded on 23 June 2007 with the Final, held at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, in which Sevilla lifted the trophy for the fir ...
.


Return to Boca Juniors


2007 loan

Following a tense situation between players, the Villarreal board of directors and manager
Manuel Pellegrini Manuel Luis Pellegrini Ripamonti (; ; born 16 September 1953) is a Chilean professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of Real Betis. As a coach, he has managed clubs in S ...
, Riquelme accepted a five-month loan back to Boca Juniors from February 2007 until 30 June 2007. He joined Boca for the 2007 Torneo Clausura of the 2007–08 Argentine Primera División season, debuting during the 2007 Torneo Clausura in a 1–1 home draw against
Rosario Central Club Atlético Rosario Central (), more commonly referred to as Rosario Central, or simply Central, is a sports club based in Rosario, Argentina, that plays in the Argentine Primera División. The club was officially founded on 24 December 1889, ...
on 17 February 2007. He scored his first goal for Boca – in his newest stint – in a 1–1 home draw against Independiente on 9 March 2007. He scored in the 54th minute to level the scores. His first goal of the
2007 Copa Libertadores The 2007 Copa Libertadores de América (officially the 2007 Copa Toyota Libertadores de América for sponsorship reasons) was the 48th edition of the Copa Libertadores. It started on January 24, 2007, and finished on June 20, 2007. It was won by ...
came in Boca's third group-stage match against
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
's
Toluca Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the States of Mexico, state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. Toluca has a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the Grea ...
on 22 March 2007. Riquelme scored in the 23rd minute, Boca's second goal of the match in an eventual 3–0 home victory. Boca finished in second position of their respective group with ten points, advancing to the knockout stages of the competition. During the
knockout stages A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...
of the competition, Boca faced Vélez Sarsfield in the round of 16 fixtures. During the first leg on 2 May 2007, Riquelme scored in the first minute as Boca claimed a 3–0 home victory. Having progressed to the quarter-finals, Boca Juniors faced Paraguayan side
Club Libertad Club Libertad is a Paraguayan professional football club based in Asunción that currently plays in the Paraguayan Primera División. The club plays its home games at Estadio Tigo La Huerta; which holds 10,100 people. Founded in 1905, Liber ...
. During the second-leg of the quarter-finals, played on 24 May 2007, Riquelme scored Boca's first goal in the 61st minute of the match as they claimed a 2–0 away victory and a 3–1 aggregate result, ensuring progression to the semi-finals. During Boca's second-leg semi-final fixture against Colombia's
Cúcuta Deportivo Cúcuta Deportivo Fútbol Club S. A. (Spanish ), commonly referred to as Cúcuta Deportivo, is a professional Colombian football club from the city of Cúcuta. Founded on 10 September 1924, it is one of the oldest active football clubs in the co ...
on 7 June 2007, Riquelme scored a 44th-minute free kick, scoring Boca's first goal of their 3–0 home victory. After winning 4–3 on aggregate, Boca advanced to the
2007 Copa Libertadores Final The 2007 Copa Libertadores finals was a Two-legged tie, two-legged football match-up to determine the 2007 Copa Libertadores champion. The series was contested between Argentine club Boca Juniors and Brazilian club Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense ...
, where they would face Brazilian side Grêmio in June 2007. During the first leg on 13 June, Riquelme, via a free-kick, played striker
Martín Palermo Martín Palermo (; born 7 November 1973) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a striker. He was recently the manager of Olimpia. Palermo played mainly as a forward for Boca Juniors. A prolific goalscorer, he is Bo ...
who passed the ball across the face of goal for
Rodrigo Palacio Rodrigo Sebastián Palacio Alcalde (; born 5 February 1982) is an Argentine professional basketball player and former association football, footballer who played as a second striker. He is the son of José Ramón Palacio, a historic player of C ...
to score in the 18th minute. During the second half, Riquelme scored the 2–0 goal in 73rd-minute through a free-kick, with Boca eventually winning 3–0 at home. In the second leg, played away on 20 June, Riquelme scored a second-half double to give Boca Juniors a 2–0 victory and their sixth Copa Libertadores title. Boca Juniors therefore qualified for the
2007 FIFA Club World Cup The 2007 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2007 presented by Toyota for sponsorship reasons) was a football tournament played in Japan from 7 to 16 December 2007. It was the fourth FIFA Club World Cup, a tourn ...
, and Riquelme was awarded as the competition's Most Valuable Player.


2007–08 season

In August 2007, it was reported that Boca had given up hope of re-signing Riquelme. A few days later, however, the situation changed, with Boca director Juan Carlos Crespi expressing confidence in the player's return "within 10 days". The negotiations stalled when Villarreal's counteroffered to sell Riquelme only in exchange for €4 million, Rodrigo Palacio and half the rights to either
Mauro Boselli Mauro Boselli (born 22 May 1985) is an Argentine former professional association football, footballer who played as striker. Boselli began his career at Argentine Primera División, Argentine First Division clubs Boca Juniors and Estudiantes d ...
or Jonathan Maidana, terms which were rejected by Boca. On 30 August 2007, however, it was announced Riquelme had been signed by
Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...
for a fee of €8 million, though the deal fell through at the last minute, leaving Riquelme a Villarreal player. He was given the number 16 shirt for the 2007–08 season. Then, on 26 November 2007, Riquelme reached an agreement with Villarreal to allow his re-joining Boca Juniors when the next transfer window re-opened, in January 2008. Boca opted to pay Villarreal US$15 million to purchase Riquelme, while Villarreal would pay Riquelme's salary on behalf of Boca Juniors for remainder of the 2007–08 playing season, which was approximately €3 million. The deal was the most expensive fee paid to an Argentine for its respective player in history. Riquelme subsequently signed a contract lasting from the end of 2007 to 2010. He was unable to participate in the
2007 FIFA Club World Cup The 2007 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2007 presented by Toyota for sponsorship reasons) was a football tournament played in Japan from 7 to 16 December 2007. It was the fourth FIFA Club World Cup, a tourn ...
as he was not registered by
FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
in time to be able to compete at the tournament. During the entire 2007–08 Argentine Primera División season, Riquelme would only go on to make ten league appearances and score one league goal. His first match of 2007–08 came in a 1–1 draw against Rosario Central during the 2008 Torneo Clausura. On 4 May 2008, he assisted
Sebastián Battaglia Sebastián Alejandro Battaglia (born 8 November 1980) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He was recently the manager of San Miguel. He spent most of his career with Primera División Argentina club B ...
in scoring Boca's only goal in their 1–0 home victory in the ''
Superclásico ''SuperClásico'' is a 2011 Danish romantic comedy film set in Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American coun ...
'' with River Plate. Riquelme had taken a corner which was played to Battaglia, who headed the ball into the net in the 14th minute. During Boca's last
2008 Copa Libertadores The 2008 Copa Libertadores de América was the 49th edition of the Copa Libertadores, CONMEBOL's premier annual international club tournament. This marked the first year the competition was sponsored by Spanish bank Grupo Santander, Santander. As ...
group-stage fixture against
Maracaibo Maracaibo ( , ; ) is a city and municipality in northwestern Venezuela, on the western shore of the strait that connects Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela. It is the largest city in Venezuela and is List of cities in Venezuela by population ...
on 22 April 2008, Riquelme assisted defender Gabriel Paletta in scoring Boca's first goal when his free-kick was played towards Paletta, who headed the ball into the net in the tenth minute. Riquelme then scored Boca's third goal in the 74th minute with a close-ranged chip as Boca claimed a 3–0 home victory and finished in second position of their respective group, qualifying for the knockout stages of the competition. During the first-leg of the round of 16 stage on 30 April 2008, Riquelme side footed the ball into the net in the sixth minute after receiving a pass from Álvaro González. Boca went on to win the match 2–1 and eventually claimed a 4–2 aggregate win. The club then faced
Fluminense Fluminense Football Club () is a Brazilian sports club based in the neighbourhood of Laranjeiras, in Rio de Janeiro, being the oldest football club in the state since its foundation in 1902. It competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, th ...
in the semi-final stages. In the first leg on 28 May 2008, Riquelme scored in the 12th minute of the match to give Boca a 1–0 lead after receiving a pass from Rodrigo Palacio, who played the ball across goal for Riquelme to convert. In the 65th minute, Riquelme scored from a free-kick which gave Boca a 2–1 lead before Fluminense again equalized. The second leg saw Fluminense defeat Boca Juniors 3–1, eliminating the Argentine side 5–3 on aggregate. Riquelme had scored four goals in the competition.


2008–09 season

In October 2008, Boca Juniors centre-back Julio César Cáceres had a very public conflict with his teammate Riquelme, when during an interview on a Paraguayan radio station in
Asunción Asunción (, ) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of Asunción in the north ...
, during his training with his national team, Cáceres questioned Riquelme's motivation. He claimed: "In some matches, he is apparently running and in others he is passive. He seems to be mentally saturated. He seems to have more motivation when he plays for his country." Riquelme responded by saying, in a telephone interview on the Fox Sports cable channel: "He doesn't know what I feel for the club. I take part in pre-match concentration just like the other players and I didn't have a holiday because I chose to play in the
Olympics The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...
. When we won the gold, I ran to the airport so I could play in the ( Recopa Sudamericana 2008) final." He added: "These things should be kept in the dressing-room, he's broken all the codes of football." After Boca won the ''Superclásico''
derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
match over
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
rivals River Plate on 21 October 2008, Cáceres said that the conflict "has been left behind", adding that the relationship between the two players had improved. During the second leg of the
2008 Recopa Sudamericana The 2008 Recopa Sudamericana (officially the 2008 Recopa Visa Sudamericana for sponsorship reasons) was the 16th Recopa Sudamericana, an annual football match between the winners of the previous season's Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana comp ...
, Riquelme scored a 91st minute free-kick to equalize the scores for Boca Juniors at 2–2 against
Arsenal de Sarandí Arsenal Fútbol Club (), usually referred as Arsenal de Sarandí , or simply Arsenal, is an Argentine sports club from the Sarandí district of Avellaneda Partido, Greater Buenos Aires. The football team currently plays in Primera Nacional, t ...
on 27 August 2008. Boca Juniors won the tie 5–3 on aggregate.


2009–10 season

On 12 April 2010, Riquelme scored Boca's third goal in the 47th minute of their 4–0 home victory against Arsenal de Sarandí.


2011–12 season

Riquelme's first appearance in the
2011–12 Argentine Primera División season The 2011–12 Argentine Primera División, Primera División season is the 121st season of top-flight professional football in Argentina. A total of 20 teams will compete in the league. It started on August 5, 2011 and ended on July 1, 2012. Clu ...
came during the 2011 Torneo Apertura in a 1–1 home draw against Banfield on 12 June 2011. He scored his first goal of the 2011 Torneo Apertura in a 4–0 home victory against Unión de Santa Fé on 15 August; his was Boca's third goal, coming in the 83rd minute. Boca finished in first place of the 2011 Torneo Clausura with 43 points, going undefeated in 19 league games. They had claimed the title for the first time in four years, securing qualification to the
2012 Copa Libertadores The 2012 Copa Libertadores de América (officially the 2012 Copa Santander Libertadores for sponsorship reasons) was the 53rd edition of the Copa Libertadores de América, South America's premier international club football tournament organized ...
. Riquelme's first appearances in the
2011–12 Copa Argentina The 2011–12 Copa Argentina was the third edition of the Copa Argentina, and the first since 1970. The competition began on August 31, 2011 and ended on August 8, 2012. The tournament featured 186 clubs from the top five levels of the Argentine f ...
came in a 1–1 draw against
Deportivo Santamarina ''Deportivo'' (Spanish, 'sporting') may refer to: * Deportivo de La Coruña, commonly known as simply Deportivo, a Spanish football club * Déportivo, a French rock band * Deportivo (Mexicable), an aerial lift station in Ecatepec, Mexico * Deport ...
on 2 February 2012. He assisted
Facundo Roncaglia Facundo Sebastián Roncaglia (; ; born 10 February 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Sarmiento. Mainly a central defender, he can also play as a right-back. Club career Born in Chajarí, Entre Ríos Province of Italian ...
in scoring Boca's equalizing goal of the match when he lobbed a free kick to Roncaglia, who headed the ball into the net in the 63rd minute. The match was decided via penalty shoot-out which Boca won 4–3. Riquelme's first appearance of the 2012 Torneo Clausura came in a 2–0 home victory against
Olimpo de Bahía Blanca Club Olimpo, usually referred to as Olimpo de Bahía Blanca, is an Argentine sports club based in the city of Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires Province. The club was founded October 15th, 1910. Its primary activity is soccer. The club is recognized in ...
on 10 February 2012, when he was substituted off of the field in the 79th minute for Cristian Chávez. Four days later, he debuted in the 2012 Copa Libertadores in a 0–0 away draw against Venezuelan side Zamora on 14 February. Riquelme scored his first goal of the 2012 Torneo Clausura in a 2–0 home victory against
Newell's Old Boys Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys () is an Argentine sports club based in Rosario, Santa Fe. The club was founded on 3 November 1903, and is named after Isaac Newell of the English county of Kent, one of the pioneers of Argentine football. A ...
on 26 February; it was Boca's second goal, coming in the 80th minute. Two weeks later, Riquelme scored Boca's second goal in their 5–4 home defeat against Independiente on 11 March. Another two weeks later, Riquelme scored Boca's second goal in their 2–2 home draw against
Lanús Lanús () is the capital of Lanús Partido, Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. It lies just south of the capital city Buenos Aires, in the Greater Buenos Aires conurbation, metropolitan area. The List of cities in Argentina, city has a populati ...
on 25 March. He scored in the 41st minute of the match to give Boca a 2–0 lead before the latter scored two second half goals to equalize. In Boca's last Copa Libertadores group-stage match, against Zamora on 18 April, Riquelme scored Boca's second goal in the 75th minute of their 2–0 home victory. The win earned them a second-place finish in their respective group with 13 points, advancing the side to the knockout stages of the competition. Here, Boca were drawn against
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
an club
Unión Española Club Unión Española S.A.D.P. is a professional football club based in the Independencia neighborhood, commune of Santiago, Chile currently participating in the Primera División de Chile. History Foundation, Amateur Era and First seasons ...
at the round of 16 stage. During the first leg on 2 May, Riquelme scored Boca's first goal of the match in the 25th minute, which gave them a 1–0 lead. In the 90th minute of the match, Riquelme assisted Boca in scoring their second goal of the match when he passed the ball towards the left hand side of the goal into the path of
Pablo Mouche Pablo Nicolás Mouche (born 11 October 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Barracas Central. He made his debut for the Argentinian national team in 2011. Club career Early career Estudiantes de Buenos Aires ...
, who crossed the ball across the face of goal for Santiago Silva to head home the winner in the eventual 2–1 home victory. During the second leg, on 9 May, Riquelme assisted Boca in scoring their first goal of the match when he played a free-kick to Juan Insaurralde, who scored in the 26th minute. During the second half, Riquelme dribbled past the Unión Española defenders and played the ball to Pablo Mouchem who scored Boca's second goal in the 50th minute. Riquelme then scored Boca's third goal in the 68th minute as Boca won the away match, 3–2. During the quarter-final stages of the Copa Libertadores, Boca were drawn against Fluminense. During the first leg in Buenos Aires on 17 May, Riquelme assisted Boca in scoring the only goal of the match when he played a ball through to Darío Cvitanich, who set up Pablo Mouche to score in the 51st minute of the 1–0 victory. Boca drew 1–1 in the second leg on 23 May, earning a 2–1 aggregate score and a spot in the semi-finals. On 3 June 2012, Boca faced
Primera B Nacional Primera Nacional (usually called simply Nacional B, (English "National B Division"), and known as Primera B Nacional until the 2019–20 season) is the second division of the Argentine football league system. The competition is made up of 38 team ...
second division club
Deportivo Merlo Club Social y Deportivo Merlo (usually known simply as Deportivo Merlo) is an Argentinean football club located in Merlo, Buenos Aires. The team currently plays in Primera B Metropolitana, the third division of the Argentine football league system ...
in the semi-finals of the Copa Argentina. In the 57th minute of the match, Riquelme, initially taking a free-kick in front of goal, played a quick one-two with a teammate and curled the ball into the left side of the net, giving them a 1–0. Boca held on to the 1–0 lead until the 89th minute when Deportivo Merlo equalized. The match was eventually decided via penalty shoot-out which Boca won 5–4. After Boca Juniors had eliminated
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
an
club Universidad de Chile Club Universidad de Chile () is a professional Association football, football club based in Santiago, Chile, that plays in the Chilean Primera División, Primera División. Founded on 24 May 1927, Universidad de Chile is one of the most success ...
in the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores, Boca faced
Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians () is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author, Sosthenes, and is addressed to the Christian church in C ...
in the two-legged
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
. Riquelme participated in both matches of the 3–1 aggregate defeat, immediately announcing his retirement from the club after the 2–0 second-leg away defeat in
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
on 4 July. Riquelme, who at the time was 34 years old, stated that he would be leaving the club as a result of not have enough energy left to continue. Riquelme admitted he would quit Boca as he had nothing more left to give because he was exhausted, and also signalled that he needed a break from football. Without the presence of Riquelme, Boca went on to win the 2011–12 Copa Argentina when they defeated Racing Club in a 2–1 victory on 8 August.


2012–13 transfer speculation

On 18 October 2012, it was reported that Riquelme's agent, Daniel Bolotnicoff, had denied reports that any
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
n
A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...
club had contacted him to show an interest in signing Riquelme, as he had been linked with
Melbourne Heart Melbourne City Football Club is an Australian professional Association football, soccer club based in the South-Eastern Metropolitan Region, South-Eastern region of Melbourne, Victoria. They compete in the A-League Men, the Australian soccer ...
and
Western Sydney Wanderers Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (colloquially known as Western Sydney, Wanderers, or simply as WSW) is an Australian professional association football club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in t ...
. On 5 January 2013, it was reported that Riquelme nearly joined
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
(MLS) side
Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competed in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conf ...
when he was to follow former coach
Carlos Bianchi Carlos Bianchi (born 26 April 1949), nicknamed ''El Virrey'' (''The Viceroy''), is an Argentine former football player and manager. A prolific goalscorer, although he had a bright career as a forward in Argentina and France, Bianchi is best kno ...
in a trip to the United States, as the latter was going to be head coach of the MLS club. Bianchi was then announced as Boca's first-team coach ten days later, which led to Riquelme's reiteration that he would not re-join Boca Juniors as a player. In January 2013, after much speculation that Riquelme was headed to join
Palmeiras The Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras (), commonly known as Palmeiras, is a Brazilian professional association football, football club based in the city of São Paulo, in the district of Perdizes (district of São Paulo), Perdizes. Palmeiras is ...
, it was announced by newly appointed club president Paulo Nobre that Palmeiras had to refrain from signing Riquelme due to financial terms and Riquelme's asking salary. On 26 January 2013, Riquelme confessed that he did not miss playing football and that his last options would be to play for
Argentinos Juniors Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Paternal, Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its association football, football team, which currently plays in the Argentine Primera División, and was reco ...
or Tigre. On 30 January 2013, it was officially reported that Argentinos Juniors president Luis Seguira had announced that the club would make an offer for Riquelme. On 31 January 2013, it was then reported that Riquelme had visited Tigre's intendent, Sergio Massa, in order to discuss the possibility of his arrival at the club. On 3 February 2013, it was reported that, after various negotiations, Riquelme had accepted the offer to play for Tigre, and that the discussion and confirmation of his contract was the only thing which remained to be done until his official signing with the club. On 4 February 2013, it was reported that Riquelme had stated that he was prepared to return to Boca Juniors, and that he had contacted Boca coach Carlos Bianchi that he would be available to return.


2013–14 season

It was confirmed on 8 February 2013 that Riquelme would return to Boca Juniors. He was extremely decisive at the second match against Corinthians at the Copa Libertadores, scoring a goal from the midfield and knocking off the reigning
FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...
champions. On 30 March 2014, Riquelme scored a free kick in the ''Superclásico'', but could not stop his team from losing 2–1 against River Plate.


Argentinos Juniors

On 17 July 2014, it was confirmed that Riquelme would sign with Argentinos Juniors. He scored his first goal with his new club in his first game against Boca Unidos.


Retirement

On 23 January 2015, it was reported that Riquelme would travel to Asunción on Saturday 24 January to close the contract offer from Primera División Paraguaya club
Cerro Porteño Club Cerro Porteño is a professional Paraguayan Association football, football club, based in the neighbourhood of Obrero (Asunción), Obrero in Asunción. Founded in 1912, Cerro has won 34 Paraguayan Primera División, Primera División titles ...
, which would be worth US$110,000 per month, a salary which Riquelme had asked to receive. It was later confirmed that Riquelme's salary would make his contract the most expensive in the country. On 25 January 2015, however, Riquelme officially announced his retirement from football via
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
and ultimately gave thanks to Cerro Porteño. Riquelme's farewell took place eight years later, on June 25 in Buenos Aires, as Boca Juniors faced the Argentina national team at the Bombonera stadium. Lionel Messi captained the Argentina XI, joined by Angel Di Maria, Leandro Paredes and Lionel Scaloni in this memorable event. While Messi managed to score, the outcome favored Boca with a score of 5–3.


International career

In 1997, after a successful stint with Argentina's under-20 team, Riquelme was called up to the Argentina national team by coach
Daniel Passarella Daniel Alberto Passarella (born 25 May 1953) is an Argentine former Association football, footballer and Manager (association football), manager, who is considered one of the greatest Defender (association football), defenders of all time. As a ...
for their last qualifying match for the
1998 World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for the ...
on 16 November 1997. The match was played at the stadium of Boca Juniors,
La Bombonera La Bombonera (; , named after its resemblance to a chocolate box, per Viktor Sulčič), officially known as Alberto José Armando Stadium (, ; named after Alberto Armando), is an association football stadium located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. ...
, where a 19-year-old Riquelme debuted for Argentina when he entered the field in the last minutes of the 1–1 draw against
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
. His first major tournament for Argentina was at the
1999 Copa América The 1999 Copa América was a football tournament held in Paraguay, from 29 June to 18 July. It was organized by CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body. In order to bring the number of competing teams to twelve, CONMEBOL invited CONCAC ...
. In 2000, Riquelme participated at the 2000 CONMEBOL Men Pre-Olympic Tournament, which saw Argentina fail to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics. He appeared three times and scored one goal during the competition. Riquelme scored his first international goal in a 3–1 away victory during a friendly against
Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
in
Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...
on 30 April 2003. On 17 November 2004, Riquelme scored his second international goal for Argentina during a 3–2 home victory in a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification match against
Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
. Before departing for the
2005 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup association football, football tournament was the seventh FIFA Confederations Cup. It was held in Germany between 15 June and 29 June 2005, as a prelude to the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The tournament was won by 2002 FI ...
, Riquelme scored in Argentina's 3–1 home victory against
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
on 8 June, during their 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
. On 9 October 2005, Riquelme scored his seventh international goal in a 2–0 home victory against
Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
during a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification match. Riquelme scored a penalty in the 81st minute. Riquelme's eighth international goal came in a 1–0 victory over
Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
in a friendly match in
Doha Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...
on 16 November 2005. In 2006, Riquelme was named captain of the Argentina national football team by new coach
Alfio Basile Alfio "Coco" Basile (born 1 November 1943) is an Argentine football manager and former player. He played for Racing Club de Avellaneda and Huracán before becoming a manager. He coached many teams during his career, being most notable Racing Cl ...
. After a 3–0 defeat again in Brazil, Riquelme had received a lot of criticism and responsibility for the defeat. Riquelme's mother had been hospitalized twice in two months after the 2006 World Cup, and this led to Riquelme publicly announcing his international retirement from the Argentina national team on 13 September 2006. At that point, Riquelme had made 37 international appearances and had scored eight goals. On 13 October 2007, Riquelme emerged from three months of inactivity at Villarreal to score two free-kicks in a 2–0 win against
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
to get Argentina off to a winning start in the
2010 World Cup qualifiers Qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation – the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oc ...
. On 17 November, Riquelme again netted twice in Argentina's 3–0 home victory against
Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
, again during a 2010 World Cup qualifier match. This brought him to a total of 17 international goals. In March 2009, Riquelme decided to retire from the national team after a disagreement with coach
Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...
. Former manager
Sergio Batista Sergio Daniel "Checho" Batista (; born 9 November 1962) is an Argentine football manager and former international player for Argentina. As a footballer he played as a midfielder for Argentinos Juniors, River Plate, Nueva Chicago, Tosu Future ...
stated he would have liked for Riquelme to return to international play, hinting at the possibility of the player appearing in a friendly with
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
in August 2010, which eventually did not happen. In 2011, Riquelme was called up to the Argentina national team by coach Alejandro Sabella for the
Superclásico de las Américas The Superclassic of the Americas (, ), was an annual Exhibition game, friendly association football, football match between the national teams of Argentina national football team, Argentina and Brazil national football team, Brazil. Established ...
, however he eventually withdrew his position from the squad due to injuries from club matches which would leave him unable to complete two games in a matter of days.


Youth


1997 South American Youth Championship

Under coach José Pekerman, Riquelme was called up to the
Argentina national under-20 football team The Argentina national under-20 Association football, football team is the representative of Argentina in FIFA-sponsored tournaments that pertain to that age level. Argentina is the most successful nation in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, winning the c ...
for the 1997 South American Youth Championship held in
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
. He played in all 9 matches of the tournament and scored three goals. Argentina went on to win the tournament, gaining their second South American Youth Championship in thirty years. Riquelme, alongside
Walter Samuel Walter Adrián Samuel (; born Walter Adrián Luján; 23 March 1978) is an Argentine former professional footballer. Samuel has been regarded as one of the best centre-backs of his generation, and as one of football's toughest defenders, with f ...
and
Pablo Aimar Pablo César Aimar (born 3 November 1979) is an Argentine former professional Association football, footballer and current assistant coach of the Argentina national football team, Argentina national team. During his career, he played as an attack ...
, were selected in the team of the tournament, by a group of journalists who were registered at the tournament. Argentina's win secured their qualification for the
1997 FIFA World Youth Championship The 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, known as the 1997 FIFA/Coca-Cola World Youth Championship for sponsorship purposes, was the 11th staging of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, FIFA World Youth Championship. It was held from 16 June to 5 July 1997 i ...
in
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
.


1997 FIFA World Youth Championship

Riquleme was selected as captain of Argentina for the
1997 FIFA World Youth Championship The 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, known as the 1997 FIFA/Coca-Cola World Youth Championship for sponsorship purposes, was the 11th staging of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, FIFA World Youth Championship. It was held from 16 June to 5 July 1997 i ...
and played in all three group stage matches. He scored Argentina's third goal in the 50th minute of their 3–0 victory against
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
on 18 June 1997. He then scored a 55th-minute winner in Argentina's 2–1 win against
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
on 20 June 1997. In Argentina's final group stage match, against
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, Riquelme scored an 88th-minute penalty to level the scores at 3–3 before Australia scored a 90th-minute penalty to win the game. Argentina had gained six points and finished in second in their group, advancing to the stage of the tournament. On 26 June 1997, Argentina faced
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
in the round of 16, where Riquelme scored a tenth-minute penalty as Argentina claimed a 2–1 victory. Argentina went on to defeat
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
2–0 in the quarter-final, the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
1–0 in the semi-final, and came from behind to beat
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
2–1 in the final, claiming their third FIFA World Youth Championship. Riquelme had scored four goals for the tournament and Argentina were awarded with the FIFA Fair Play Award.


1998 Toulon Tournament

In May 1998, José Pékerman again included Riquelme in Argentina's under-20 squad for the 1998 Toulon Tournament, held in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. Argentina triumphed 2–0 against
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
in the final as Riquelme played all five matches of the tournament and was named as Player of the Tournament.


Senior


1999 Copa América

Riquelme was included in Argentina's 22-man squad for the
1999 Copa América The 1999 Copa América was a football tournament held in Paraguay, from 29 June to 18 July. It was organized by CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body. In order to bring the number of competing teams to twelve, CONMEBOL invited CONCAC ...
in
Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
, wearing the number 22 shirt. He was one of six Boca Juniors players selected in the squad. He played in Argentina's opening group stage match, a 3–1 victory against
Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
on 1 July 1999. He was replaced in the 90th minute for
Diego Cagna Diego Sebastián Cagna (born 19 April 1970) is an Argentine football coach and former player who played as midfielder. Club career Cagna was born in Buenos Aires. His first professional first-division match was in December 1988, with Argentinos ...
. in Argentina's second group stage fixture, on 4 July 1999, Riquelme played the full 90 minutes in a 3–0 loss against
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
. On 7 July 1999, he again played the full 90 minutes in Argentina's third group stage match, a 2–0 victory over
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
. Argentina finished in second place of their respective group with six points, facing Brazil in the quarter-finals on 11 July 1999. Riquelme played in the entire match of Argentina's 2–1 defeat, having been in front 1–0 until the 32nd minute of the match.


2005 FIFA Confederations Cup

Under former national youth team coach José Pékerman, Riquelme was selected for the
2005 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup association football, football tournament was the seventh FIFA Confederations Cup. It was held in Germany between 15 June and 29 June 2005, as a prelude to the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The tournament was won by 2002 FI ...
in June, where he wore the number 8 shirt. He played in Argentina's opening group stage match against
Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
on 15 June, opening the scoring for Argentina by converting a penalty in the 33rd minute as Argentina eventually claimed a 2–1 victory. On 18 June, Argentina faced
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
in the second group stage match. Already winning 1–0, Riquelme scored a 31st-minute penalty to give Argentina a 2–0 lead as they went on to win 4–2. In Argentina's third group stage match, against hosts
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
on 21 June, Riquelme scored a 33rd-minute equaliser for Argentina just four minutes after Germany had taken the lead. The match finished at 2–2 as Argentina had claimed seven points, along with Germany, and progressed to the next round of the tournament. On 26 June, Argentina faced
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
in the semi-final. After
extra time Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is required t ...
, the match was tied at 1–1 and led to a penalty shoot-out. Riquelme converted Argentina's first spot kick as they won 6–5 on penalties, with Argentina successfully converting each penalty. On 29 June, Argentina faced Brazil in the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
. Riquelme played the full 90 minutes as Argentina were defeated 4–1 at the
Commerzbank-Arena The Waldstadion (, ''Forest Stadium''), currently known as Deutsche Bank Park for sponsorship purposes, is a retractable roof sports stadium in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. The home stadium of the football club Eintracht Frankfurt, it was opened ...
in
Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
. Riquelme was awarded as the Silver Ball Winner, being the second best player at the tournament.


2006 FIFA World Cup

Again under coach José Pékerman, Riquelme was included in the Argentina 23-man squad for the
2006 World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams represe ...
, where he was given the number 10 shirt for the first time in history. Argentina were drawn against
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
,
Serbia and Montenegro The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...
and the
Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...
in what was regarded as the tournament's "
group of death A group of death in a multi-stage tournament is a group which is unusually competitive, because the number of strong competitors in the group is greater than the number of qualifying places available for the next phase of the tournament. Thus, in ...
". On 10 June, he started in Argentina's opening group stage match against the Ivory Coast. Argentina had been leading 1–0 before Riquelme assisted
Javier Saviola Javier Pedro Saviola Fernández (; born 11 December 1981) is an Argentine former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He represented both FC Barcelona, Barcelona and Real Madrid ...
in scoring Argentina's second goal in their 2–1 victory. Riquelme was then substituted off of the field for
Pablo Aimar Pablo César Aimar (born 3 November 1979) is an Argentine former professional Association football, footballer and current assistant coach of the Argentina national football team, Argentina national team. During his career, he played as an attack ...
in the 93rd minute. On 16 June, Argentina faced Serbia and Montenegro in
Gelsenkirchen Gelsenkirchen (, , ; ) is the List of cities in Germany by population, 25th-most populous city of Germany and the 11th-most populous in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with 262,528 (2016) inhabitants. On the Emscher, Emscher River (a tribu ...
, where Riquelme played the full 90 minutes of an eventual 6–0 victory for Argentina. Riquelme was the key in a sequence of 24 passes made by the Argentine team, setting up their second goal scored by
Esteban Cambiasso Esteban Matías Cambiasso Deleau (; born 18 August 1980), nicknamed ''"Cuchu"'', is an Argentine former professional association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. During his career, Cambiasso won 21 official titles, the majority ...
when he fed Saviola, who slipped a pass inside for Cambiasso; Cambiasso then knocked the ball to
Hernán Crespo Hernán Jorge Crespo (; born 5 July 1975) is an Argentine professional football coach and former player. He was most recently the head coach of UAE Pro League club Al Ain. A prolific striker, Crespo scored over 300 goals in a career spanning ...
, who back-heeled a return pass back to Cambiasso, who then netted from 12 yards. Crespo described the movement as "the most beautiful goal". Riquelme also assisted Argentina in scoring their fourth goal, quickly taking a free-kick which was played to
Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (; born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Major League Soccer ...
, who crossed the ball in for Crespo to score at the far post. Riquelme was awarded as the Man of the Match. On 21 June, Argentina drew 0–0 with the Netherlands in Frankfurt in the last group-stage fixture. Riquelme was substituted off in the 80th minute for Pablo Aimar as Argentina finished in first place of their group, along with the Netherlands, with seven points. On 24 June, Riquelme celebrated his 28th birthday as Argentina faced Mexico in the round of 16. After Mexico had taken a sixth-minute lead through
Rafael Márquez Rafael Márquez Álvarez (; born 13 February 1979) is a Mexican football coach and former player who played as a defender. He is currently the assistant coach of the Mexico national team. Nicknamed '' El Káiser'', he is regarded as the bes ...
, Riquelme had taken a corner-kick in the tenth minute which saw Hernán Crespo flick the ball into the net. The match stayed level until extra time when
Maxi Rodríguez Maximiliano Rubén Rodríguez (; born 2 January 1981), is an Argentine former professional footballer. Nicknamed ''La Fiera'' (''The Beast'' in English), he was commonly used as a winger on both flanks but could also operate as an attacking mid ...
scored in the 98th minute to send Argentina through to the quarter-finals. Argentina faced hosts Germany in the quarter-finals on 30 June. In the 49th minute, Riquelme delivered in a corner pin-pointing Roberto Ayala, who headered the ball into the net, giving Argentina a 1–0 lead. Riquelme was then replaced in the 72nd minute by substitute Esteban Cambiasso. Moments later, Germany had equalized in the 80th minute through
Miroslav Klose Miroslav Josef Klose (, ; born Mirosław Marian Klose; 9 June 1978) is a German professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who currently serves as head coach of 1. FC Nürnberg. A Forward (as ...
. The match was decided via a
penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
, which Germany won 4–2.


2007 Copa América

On 26 June 2007, Riquelme was recalled to the national team by coach
Alfio Basile Alfio "Coco" Basile (born 1 November 1943) is an Argentine football manager and former player. He played for Racing Club de Avellaneda and Huracán before becoming a manager. He coached many teams during his career, being most notable Racing Cl ...
as part of Argentina's 23-man squad for
2007 Copa América The 2007 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, known simply as the 2007 Copa América or 2007 Copa América Venezuela, was the 42nd edition of the Copa América, the South-American championship for international association football teams. The c ...
. During the early morning after Boca Juniors had claimed the
2007 Copa Libertadores The 2007 Copa Libertadores de América (officially the 2007 Copa Toyota Libertadores de América for sponsorship reasons) was the 48th edition of the Copa Libertadores. It started on January 24, 2007, and finished on June 20, 2007. It was won by ...
, Riquelme hurriedly returned to Buenos Aires and departed with the Argentina national team to Venezuela for the tournament. On 28 June, Riquelme featured in Argentina's opening group stage match, a 4–1 victory against the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. On 2 July, Argentina faced
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
in their second group stage match. Riquelme netted twice, with a header in the 34th minute and then with a free-kick in the 45th minute, as Argentina won the match, 4–2. Argentina went on to win their final group stage match against
Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
on 5 July, finishing in first place in their group with nine points. On 8 July, Argentina faced Peru in the quarter-finals, where Riquelme scored another two goals, one with each foot in the 47th and 85th minute, and also assisted Messi in scoring in the 61st minute of the match. In the semi-final on 11 July, Argentina defeated Mexico, 3–0, as Riquelme assisted
Gabriel Heinze Gabriel Iván Heinze (; born 19 April 1978) is an Argentine football coach and former player. As a player, he operated as a defender, either as a left-back or a centre-back. Nicknamed '' Gringo'', he made a name for himself at Paris Saint-Germai ...
in scoring Argentina's first goal of the match in the 45th minute, and also scored his fifth goal of the tournament – Argentina's third of the match – when he converted a penalty in the 65th minute. On 15 July, Argentina faced Brazil in the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
. Riquelme played the full 90 minutes of the match as Argentina were defeated, 3–0. Riquelme had scored five goals and was awarded as the tournament's second-leading goalscorer.


2008 Summer Olympics

In August 2008, Riquelme was included as an overage player, and also named captain, by
Sergio Batista Sergio Daniel "Checho" Batista (; born 9 November 1962) is an Argentine football manager and former international player for Argentina. As a footballer he played as a midfielder for Argentinos Juniors, River Plate, Nueva Chicago, Tosu Future ...
for
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
's 19-man squad for the
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...
football tournament in
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
. He had joined
Javier Mascherano Javier Alejandro Mascherano (; born 8 June 1984) is an Argentine Association football, football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Major League Soccer club Inter Miami. As a player, he played as a centre-back or defensive ...
and
Nicolás Pareja Nicolás Martín Pareja (born 19 January 1984) is an Argentine former professional Association footballer, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Centre-back, central defender. After starting out at Argentinos Juniors he went ...
as the three over-aged players in the squad. Argentina were drawn in Group A against the
Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
and
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
. On 7 August, Riquelme played the full 90 minutes of Argentina's opening group stage fixture as they defeated Ivory Coast 2–1. Three days later, Riquelme also played another 90 minutes in Argentina's 1–0 victory against Australia on 10 August. Riquelme then rested on the bench in Argentina's third group-stage fixture, giving the captain's armband to Javier Mascherano, where they defeated Serbia 2–0 on 13 August to claim maximum points in the group and to finish in first place. On 16 August, Riquelme featured in Argentina's 2–1 quarter-final victory against the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, advancing to the semi-finals. On 19 August, Argentina faced
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
in the semi-finals, when after two
Sergio Agüero Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo (born 2 June 1988), also known as Kun Agüero, is an Argentine former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker. He is regarded as one of th ...
goals, Riquelme scored a 76th-minute penalty to give Argentina a 3–0 victory. On 23 August, Argentina faced
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
in the final in front of 89,102 spectators at the
Beijing National Stadium The National Stadium (), the Bird's Nest (), is a stadium at Olympic Green in Chaoyang, Beijing, Chaoyang, Beijing, China. The National Stadium, covering an area of 204,000 square meters with an 80,000 person capacity (91,000 with temporary ...
, where Argentina defeated Nigeria 1–0 to claim its second consecutive gold medal at the Summer Olympics.


Style of play

Considered one of the best playmakers in the world in his prime, as well as one of the most talented Argentine players of his generation, Riquelme was a " classic number ten", who was best known for his grace, flair, and elegance on the pitch, as well as his creative and intelligent passing. A tall and slender offensive midfield
playmaker In association football, a playmaker is a footballer who controls the flow of the team's play, and is often involved in offensively and defensively playing Passing (association football), passing moves which lead to Goal (sport), goals, through ...
, he combined outstanding passing range, vision, anticipation, technique, close control, and
dribbling In sports, dribbling is maneuvering a ball by one player while moving in a given direction, avoiding defenders' attempts to intercept the ball. A successful dribble will bring the ball past defenders legally and create opportunities to score. As ...
skills with prolific goalscoring ability from midfield. A selfless team player, he usually played in a free central role, operating as an attacking midfielder behind the strikers (known as the "enganche" in Argentina), but was also capable of playing in a more withdrawn position as a
deep-lying playmaker In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
, due to his ability to dictate the tempo of his team's play in midfield, orchestrate attacking moves, and create space and chances for teammates. He has been recognised as one of the "last true number 10s" due to his playmaking abilities and unique playing style. During his time under Van Gaal at Barcelona, Riquelme was also occasionally deployed out of position as a right winger. His skill and creative style of play drew
comparisons Comparison or comparing is the act of evaluating two or more things by determining the relevant, comparable characteristics of each thing, and then determining which characteristics of each are Similarity (psychology), similar to the other, whi ...
with
Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...
, in his youth, even though, unlike Maradona, Riquelme was neither quick nor a particularly energetic dribbler. A tactically astute player, he also possessed good decision-making, and a good understanding of the game. Moreover, he was an excellent
free kick A free kick is an action used in several codes of football to restart play with the kicking of a ball into the field of play. Association football In association football, the free kick is a method of restarting the game following an offe ...
taker. Despite his talent, however, Riquelme was notorious for his lack of pace, for being inconsistent, and for having an introverted yet difficult character, as well as for his poor work-rate, both on the pitch and in training, which led him to have disagreements with several of his managers.


Second Vice-President

On 8 December 2019, the formula headed by Jorge Amor Ameal, Mario Pergolini and Juan Román Riquelme was chosen with 52.84% of the votes, achieving the historical record in Argentine football of 20,045 votes in total. They took office on 13 December 2019. On Saturday, 7 March 2020 (85 days after taking office), he obtained his first title as Second Vice-. Boca Juniors wins the 2019–20 Superliga beating the River Plate led by
Marcelo Gallardo Marcelo Daniel Gallardo (; born 18 January 1976) is an Argentine football manager and former professional player who is the current head coach of River Plate. During his playing career, Gallardo was an attacking midfielder and playmaker. He wa ...
in the final stretch. In 2023, Riquelme and Ameal ran on a ticket against incumbent Andrés Ibarra for the overall club presidency. Riquelme's slate won with just under 65% of the vote, in an election which saw more than 43,000 members — roughly 46% of Boca's enrolled membership — cast a ballot.


Personal life

Riquelme's brother,
Sebastián Sebastian (; ) was an early Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians. He was initially tied to a post or tree and shot with arrows, though this did not kill h ...
, was also a professional footballer. Sebastian retired in 2022.


Career statistics


Club


International

:''Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Riquelme goal.''


Honours

Boca Juniors *
Argentine Primera División The Primera División (; ), known officially as Liga Profesional de Fútbol, or Torneo Betano for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Argentina and the highest level of the Argentine football league system. Organ ...
: 1998 Apertura, 1999 Clausura, 2000 Apertura, 2008 Apertura, 2011 Apertura *
Copa Argentina The Copa Argentina (English: ''Argentine Cup''), officially known as the "Copa Argentina AXION energy" due to sponsorship reasons, is an official football cup competition organized by the Argentine Football Association (AFA). The first editions ...
:
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
*
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
:
2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
,
2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
,
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
*
Recopa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Recopa Sudamericana (), also known as Recopa Sudamericana or CONMEBOL Recopa, and simply as Recopa (, ; "Winners' Cup"), is an annual international club Association football, football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1988. It ...
:
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
* Intercontinental Cup:
2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
Villarreal *
UEFA Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was dis ...
:
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
Argentina U20 *
FIFA World Youth Championship The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members' men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 when i ...
:
1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...
*
South American U-20 Championship The South American Youth Football Championship, also known as South American U-20 Championship (; ), branded as CONMEBOL Sub 20, is a South American football tournament organized by the CONMEBOL for South American national teams of men under age o ...
:
1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...
Argentina U21 *
Toulon Tournament The Maurice Revello Tournament (officially French: the ''Festival International "Espoirs" – Tournoi Maurice Revello''), previously known as the Toulon Tournament, is a Association football, football tournament, which traditionally features invit ...
:
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
Argentina U23 *
Olympic Gold Medal Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...
:
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
Argentina *
Copa América The CONMEBOL Copa América (; known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship), often simply called the Copa America, is the top men's quadrennial association football, football tournament contested among list of men's national ass ...
runner-up:
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
*
FIFA Confederations Cup The FIFA Confederations Cup was an international association football tournament for men's national teams, held every four years by FIFA. It was contested by the holders of each of the six continental championships ( AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBO ...
runner-up:
2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
Individual *Toulon Tournament Best Player:
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
*South American Team of the Year: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2011 * Argentine Footballer of the Year: 2000, 2001, 2008, 2011 *Copa Libertadores Most Valuable Player: 2001, 2007 *
South American Footballer of the Year The Rey de América ("King of America"), often referred to as the South American Footballer of the Year, is an annual association football award presented to the best footballer in South America over the previous calendar year. The award was con ...
: 2001 *
La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
Don Balón Award From 1976 until 2010, the Spanish sports magazine '' Don Balón'' conferred the Don Balón Award (''Premio Don Balón'') to the best Spanish player, the best foreign player, the best referee and the breakthrough player in La Liga. These awards ceas ...
(Foreign Player of the Year): 2004–05 *Most Artistic Player by Marca: 2005 *FIFA Confederations Cup Silver Ball:
2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
*FIFA World Cup top assist provider: 2006 *Copa Libertadores Player of the Week: May 8–10/2012 *The Best Argentine midfielder by ''Olé'': 2012 *The Best local Argentine player by ''Olé'': 2012 *The Historical Team for Copa Libertadores of all time *
FIFPro World XI The FIFPRO World 11 are the best association football men's and women's teams of the year. FIFPRO invites all professional men's and women's footballers to compose the teams. Initially known as the FIFPRO World 11, the award began in 2005 and c ...
Nominee: 2006, 2007 *
Ballon d'Or The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual association football, football award presented by French magazine ''France Football'' since 1956 Ballon d'Or, 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season. Conceived ...
Nominee:
2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
,
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
(14th)


References


External links


Riquelme, Juan Román
; Historia de Boca * * *
Tribute site

Futbol360 profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Riquelme, Juan Roman 1978 births Living people Footballers from Buenos Aires Province Argentine men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Argentinos Juniors footballers Boca Juniors footballers FC Barcelona players Villarreal CF players Argentine Primera División players La Liga players South American Footballer of the Year winners Argentina men's youth international footballers Argentina men's under-20 international footballers Olympic footballers for Argentina Argentina men's international footballers 1999 Copa América players 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2006 FIFA World Cup players 2007 Copa América players Copa Libertadores–winning players Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Argentina Olympic medalists in football Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Argentine expatriate men's footballers Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Chairmen of Boca Juniors 21st-century Argentine sportsmen