A couple of weeks ago, one of the last “old fashion number 10’s” of Argentinean football, Juan Roman Riquelme, celebrated 15 years playing as a professional.
Having done his apprenticeship in Argentinos Juniors (same club where Maradona came from) he was spotted there by the 2 biggest clubs in the country. Boca Juniors and River Plate.
He decided to go with his heart and signed for Boca, the club he has always supported. They parted with a large sum of money for a 17 years old boy, which alerted the press as to the future of this raw gem.
A year later, the 10th of November of 1996, he made his debut on the first team.
Two weeks later, he scored his first goal as a professional, against Huracan.
Fifteen years have passed since, and he is still playing for his beloved club.
Ok he had a semi successful spell in Spain (Barcelona, where he only played 30 games and then Villarreal where he enjoyed 5 seasons), but he returned to where he felt he belonged in 2007.
He is a guy that has attracted controversies and admiration in equal proportions.
But on the field of play he is simply a great artist.
His ball control, vision, precision, and accuracy have made him very important for his team over the last few years.
In the earlier part of his career, I would have said that he was indispensable for his team, but today I just chose to say very important.
That is not a reflection on his quality or influence, but it is a merit to Boca’s Manager, Julio Cesar Falcioni.
Seeing that the team, could become very dependant on Roman, Falcioni, based his tactics on team efforts and allocation of responsibilities for everyone.
The team became more solid in defence and midfield, and the reward was that the results started to arrive as well.
Injuries to Riquelme have prevented him to feature in some games, but the team have done well without him, and built a strong lead at the top of the league.
With 3 games to go, Boca is 9 points ahead of their closest challengers, which means that only a catastrophe will prevent them from being crowned champions.
Boca’s issues prior to their current coach arrival were always the internal divisions within the players. There were the Riquelme side, and the Palermo side.
They never saw eye to eye, and despite giving their all on the pitch, off it and during training, things were always awkward.
The good team building exercise by Falcioni, coupled with Palermo’s retirement (i am not placing guilt on him for the team’s divisions), resulted in getting the players behind their manager, playing for each other, and not thinking so much on the teams in front of them.
He used Riquelme’s aura to unite the players and to make sure that his contribution is still important off the field, encouraging the players to look up to him and seek his advice and approval.
Even when he is not playing so much, Riquelme looks happier now than he did in the last few seasons.
There is a good possibility than when he recovers from his injury, and if he can stay healthy, that he will be recalled to the National team, as the Manager has hinted that more than once already.
It is really fitting for a player of his stature to celebrate 15 years in professional football, by helping Boca to win another title and dreaming of a comeback for his country.
Juan Roman Riquelme, congratulations on your career and achievements so far, and thank you for the moments we will not forget.
Having done his apprenticeship in Argentinos Juniors (same club where Maradona came from) he was spotted there by the 2 biggest clubs in the country. Boca Juniors and River Plate.
He decided to go with his heart and signed for Boca, the club he has always supported. They parted with a large sum of money for a 17 years old boy, which alerted the press as to the future of this raw gem.
A year later, the 10th of November of 1996, he made his debut on the first team.
Two weeks later, he scored his first goal as a professional, against Huracan.
Fifteen years have passed since, and he is still playing for his beloved club.
Ok he had a semi successful spell in Spain (Barcelona, where he only played 30 games and then Villarreal where he enjoyed 5 seasons), but he returned to where he felt he belonged in 2007.
He is a guy that has attracted controversies and admiration in equal proportions.
But on the field of play he is simply a great artist.
His ball control, vision, precision, and accuracy have made him very important for his team over the last few years.
In the earlier part of his career, I would have said that he was indispensable for his team, but today I just chose to say very important.
That is not a reflection on his quality or influence, but it is a merit to Boca’s Manager, Julio Cesar Falcioni.
Seeing that the team, could become very dependant on Roman, Falcioni, based his tactics on team efforts and allocation of responsibilities for everyone.
The team became more solid in defence and midfield, and the reward was that the results started to arrive as well.
Injuries to Riquelme have prevented him to feature in some games, but the team have done well without him, and built a strong lead at the top of the league.
With 3 games to go, Boca is 9 points ahead of their closest challengers, which means that only a catastrophe will prevent them from being crowned champions.
Boca’s issues prior to their current coach arrival were always the internal divisions within the players. There were the Riquelme side, and the Palermo side.
They never saw eye to eye, and despite giving their all on the pitch, off it and during training, things were always awkward.
The good team building exercise by Falcioni, coupled with Palermo’s retirement (i am not placing guilt on him for the team’s divisions), resulted in getting the players behind their manager, playing for each other, and not thinking so much on the teams in front of them.
He used Riquelme’s aura to unite the players and to make sure that his contribution is still important off the field, encouraging the players to look up to him and seek his advice and approval.
Even when he is not playing so much, Riquelme looks happier now than he did in the last few seasons.
There is a good possibility than when he recovers from his injury, and if he can stay healthy, that he will be recalled to the National team, as the Manager has hinted that more than once already.
It is really fitting for a player of his stature to celebrate 15 years in professional football, by helping Boca to win another title and dreaming of a comeback for his country.
Juan Roman Riquelme, congratulations on your career and achievements so far, and thank you for the moments we will not forget.