Juan Roman Riquelme Biography – Introduction - The first time I saw Riquelme play, was at the 1997 World U-20 Youth Championship, where everyone talked about him as a future star in Argentinean and international soccer. I must admit, what I saw there didn't impress me one bit. Riquelme showed off some quality technique, but he also seemed lazy and heavy on his feet and with the fast pace of today's soccer, I didn't give him too many chances to becoming a great soccer player in the future.Fortunately for everyone, I was wrong and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Riquelme turned out to become one of today's most impressive players and although he kept his above-mentioned apparent "laziness" on the pitch, he's a brilliant player that can and will win a match. Let's take a look at how the Argentinean progressed as a soccer player in this Juan Roman Riquelme biography.
Juan Roman Riquelme Biography – Boca Juniors
Born near Buenos Aires, young Riquelme grew up as a fan of Boca Juniors, but ended up playing for the youth club of Argentinos Juniors instead. Having some good performances with the club's youth team, he attracted the interest of both Argentinean giants, River plate and Boca Juniors. Obviously, being a fan of Boca, he chose them over River plate and after just one year with the club's youth squad, he was taken on to the senior team.
Full name : Juan Roman Riquelme
Date of birth : June 24, 1978
Place of birth : San Fernando, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height : 6.0FT - 1.82M
Playing position : Attacking midfielder
Although he did not immediately become a first team regular at Boca, Riquelme gradually found his place in the team and his 4 seasons with the Argentinean club saw him earn a goal tally of 38 in 151 matches, but also numerous assists, which will prove to be his "specialty" later on.
In 2002, after some contractual issues with Boca, Barcelona moved in quickly and signed Riquelme, although it was not a transfer to the liking of Barca's coach Luis Van Gall, who treated him with indifference.
Juan Roman Riquelme Biography – FC Barcelona and Villarreal
Full name : Juan Roman Riquelme
Date of birth : June 24, 1978
Place of birth : San Fernando, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height : 6.0FT - 1.82M
Playing position : Attacking midfielder
Although he did not immediately become a first team regular at Boca, Riquelme gradually found his place in the team and his 4 seasons with the Argentinean club saw him earn a goal tally of 38 in 151 matches, but also numerous assists, which will prove to be his "specialty" later on.
In 2002, after some contractual issues with Boca, Barcelona moved in quickly and signed Riquelme, although it was not a transfer to the liking of Barca's coach Luis Van Gall, who treated him with indifference.
Juan Roman Riquelme Biography – FC Barcelona and Villarreal
His season with Barcelona was a complete disaster and Riquelme had to go through some painful moments. Shortly after he signed for the European club, back home someone kidnapped his brother, Cristian and threatened that if Riquelme would not pay a ransom, his brother would be killed. He did pay the ransom and got his brother safely back home, but this moment would affect his performances.
Season Club Games Goals
1996-2002 Boca Juniors 151 38
2002-2003 FC Barcelona 30 3
2003-Present Villarreal CF 105 35
2007 Boca Juniors 12 2
In addition to this problem and to coach Van Gall not giving him a lot of chances to play (or playing him on the wrong positions), he got a lot of pressure from the Barcelona board and fans, who were expecting him to turn the team back into a European power. Since his performances were unsatisfactory, he was sold to Villarreal FC, a mid-table team that had a lot of Argentineans and other South Americans in the squad.
In this new setting at Villarreal, Juan Roman Riquelme fit right in and as he started playing regularly on the position that he was always destined for, that of a playmaker, Villarreal began to turn into a power.
Years National Team Games Goals
1997-06/07 Argentina 41 13
He managed to take the small Spanish team into the Champions League semi-finals, but unfortunately it was Juan Roman Riquelme who missed a crucial penalty in the 90th minute of the second leg against Arsenal London, which gave the English team the opportunity to advance in the final of the tournament.
Although he was still revered as an idol at Villarreal, his tense relationship with the club's board made him force a loan back to his former club in Argentina, Boca Juniors. Despite the fact that he only played for 5 months since his return, he had a serious contribution to Boca winning the Copa Libertadores, being named the final's MVP.
Although he remains a rather unusual soccer player, Riquelme is one of the most sought-after transfers on the market. Giant clubs such as Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool, Celtic or Hamburg expressed their desire to hire Riquelme's skills for the future.
Despite the fact that no one but the player knows his future destination right now, the only certainty is that Juan Roman Riquelme still has a lot to offer on the stage of soccer and wherever he's going to play in the 2007-2008 season, he's bound to make an impact.
Season Club Games Goals
1996-2002 Boca Juniors 151 38
2002-2003 FC Barcelona 30 3
2003-Present Villarreal CF 105 35
2007 Boca Juniors 12 2
In addition to this problem and to coach Van Gall not giving him a lot of chances to play (or playing him on the wrong positions), he got a lot of pressure from the Barcelona board and fans, who were expecting him to turn the team back into a European power. Since his performances were unsatisfactory, he was sold to Villarreal FC, a mid-table team that had a lot of Argentineans and other South Americans in the squad.
In this new setting at Villarreal, Juan Roman Riquelme fit right in and as he started playing regularly on the position that he was always destined for, that of a playmaker, Villarreal began to turn into a power.
Years National Team Games Goals
1997-06/07 Argentina 41 13
He managed to take the small Spanish team into the Champions League semi-finals, but unfortunately it was Juan Roman Riquelme who missed a crucial penalty in the 90th minute of the second leg against Arsenal London, which gave the English team the opportunity to advance in the final of the tournament.
Although he was still revered as an idol at Villarreal, his tense relationship with the club's board made him force a loan back to his former club in Argentina, Boca Juniors. Despite the fact that he only played for 5 months since his return, he had a serious contribution to Boca winning the Copa Libertadores, being named the final's MVP.
Although he remains a rather unusual soccer player, Riquelme is one of the most sought-after transfers on the market. Giant clubs such as Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool, Celtic or Hamburg expressed their desire to hire Riquelme's skills for the future.
Despite the fact that no one but the player knows his future destination right now, the only certainty is that Juan Roman Riquelme still has a lot to offer on the stage of soccer and wherever he's going to play in the 2007-2008 season, he's bound to make an impact.
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