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Aug 16, 2019 · Villarreal CF became Riquelme’s saving grace during that period. After a season of feeling underappreciated and underutilised, Riquelme was loaned to the Yellow Submarine, where he became a...
Jan 26, 2015 · As Juan Román Riquelme announces his retirement, Spanish correspondent Richard Martin reflects on the four-year spell at Villarreal CF that shone light on an unknown corner of Spanish football.
Riquelme was subsequently loaned to and later bought by fellow La Liga club Villarreal, where Riquelme would help the club achieve a third-place league finish in the 2004–05 La Liga and reach the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time in the club's history in the following campaign.
- Becoming Famous
- A Spanish Odyssey
- Return to Boca
As a youth player, Riquelme played for various junior teams before he was spotted by both River Plate and Boca Juniors. As a diehard Boca fan, he opted for his favorite team. He made his Primera División debut against Unión de Santa Fe in 1996, and scored his first senior goal in a 6-0 drubbing of Hurracan two weeks later. He stayed in Boca until 2...
By 2002, El Torero could no longer resist the calls of European football. That year, he was transferred to Barcelonafor €11 million. However, Barcelona’s manager Louis Van Gal was far from Riquelme’s biggest fan. On the rare occasions he was given a chance, Riquelme played as a winger and was unable to find his rhythm. Once Barcelona signed Ronaldi...
After the World Cup, Riquelme’s bad habits saw him slowly lose his place in the team. In 2007, he was loaned back to Boca for five months, just in time to participate in the Copa Libertadores. He went on to score eight goals in the competition, including three in the finals against Gremio. Boca won its sixth competition title, and Riquelme was vote...
Jun 24, 2023 · Riquelme was loaned out to Villarreal, who had reached the top flight for the first time in 1998. Situated in a small, unassuming city, looking out over the Mediterranean Sea, Riquelme’s love for football was reignited by a club willing to build around him.
Sep 10, 2023 · A noticeably rattled Riquelme stepped up to take the high-pressure kick, but saw his tame effort saved with ease by Jens Lehmann. Villarreal won the hearts and minds of neutrals that season, while Riquelme – his miss aside – sent an emphatic message to van Gaal. Indulge him and reap the rewards.
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Oct 29, 2018 · “We clicked immediately on the pitch. We’d both had some tricky times at our previous clubs, but at Villarreal we came alive under Manuel Pellegrini, who knew us both from Argentina, where he’d managed San Lorenzo and River Plate. Riquelme would anticipate my runs and give me balls every striker would dream of. I scored from them, often.
