What happened to Riquelme at Villarreal? Why doesn’t he get the respect of a Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, or Ronaldinho? Is the slow one too slow and methodical for some teams?

He did have some success with Villarreal, but then got in a row with the coaches and club. While at Barcelona, he didn’t see the pitch too often, and not enough to show what he was capable of and was put out wide when he did play.

Now, he’s back at Boca Juniors, where he continues to help them win games, and sprinting 50 yards to yell at a fan when he has to. Riquelme has had to endure the kidnapping of his brother in the past, and fans angry at him because they don’t think he gives it his all. Part of the reason he went to Barca was the money was too good and he needed to pay a ransom.

Riquelme plays at his own pace, leads the team at his own pace. Some teams and coaches don’t like his style of play, however, he has proven that he can win game and Diego Maradona wants to bring back Riquelme to the fold to help lead his youngish national team squad. Diego wants Riquelme to be the team leader. Riquelme just helped Argentina win the gold in China. He’s a wizard on the pitch, take a look at 10 of his moves in the video below. I’d build a team around him, would you?

"I was a substitute for 2 years at u13 & u14 as I was so small & skinny. They never played me"

"It’s weird because in the end when the years go by & everyone is grown, the technically good players always end up having the advantage" – Juan Román Riquelme