Riquelme - one of a dying breed
After last month's World Cup qualifiers left Argentina without a win in five games, I wrote a piece about their problems.
It focused on the team's deficiencies in both penalty areas - and for this reason I made a point of not even mentioning key midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme.
It was no surprise to me, however, when the comments section was full of references to him, many of them hostile.
Riquelme divides opinions, and with the qualification campaign resuming this weekend, the debate will rage once more. But it is much more than a discussion about a player; it deals with the very nature of the contemporary game.
So much of modern football is a desire for 'bigger, faster, stronger' and with the emphasis now on ever greater athleticism, is there still room for an old fashioned foot-on-the-ball playmaker who moves with the ungainly gait of someone wading through water?
Many, even in Argentina, would now say no. They would argue that Riquelme is a throwback to the 1940s, an expensive luxury always likely to be crowded, hustled and cancelled out in today's packed midfields.
I'm in the opposite camp, though I am fully aware that we have no monopoly on the truth.
One of the great strengths of football is that it can be interpreted in many different ways, but I love watching a player who does his part to keep alive two unfashionable concepts in modern football.
One is change of rhythm, the idea that the game can be slowed down before the application of the killer pass. The other is surprise - the ball that no one was expecting, that wrong foots the entire defence.
Riquelme seeks to pass his way through the opposition whereas so many these days are more concerned with forcing their way through. His type is an endangered species. Something special will be lost from football if they die out altogether.
This Saturday, Argentina are at home to Uruguay and I well remember this fixture four years ago, in the qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup.
It was Jose Pekerman's first game in charge of the senior side, and Riquelme's big chance. When Pekerman took over Riquelme had been an international for seven years, but had been given very few opportunities.
The Uruguay game was the first World Cup qualifier he started and the stadium rose to him, even the River Plate fans, and he took Uruguay apart with a magnificent display of passing football.
Those who saw it were therefiore not surprised - thrilled but not surprised - two years later by the famous Cambiasso goal against Serbia in the 2006 World Cup, where Riquelme was the hub of a hypnotic exchange of passes which left a defence which had conceded just one goal in Serbia's 10 qualifying matches in tatters.
This, perhaps, is the key to Riquelme. He may be an introvert, but he is no individualist. Many modern stars specialise in moments of individual genius and seek to win the World Player of the Year award.
Riquelme is a team player who helps bring out the best in those around him. For this reason it is vital that he is placed in the right context. He can pass the ball like no-one else - but he needs people to pass to.
The man without the ball makes the play, because he provides the options. Argentina look best when Riquelme and Messi are close enough to exchange passes. If the pair can truly click, then they can be like a single beast where Riquelme is the brain, and Messi is the legs and the bite.
Argentina also lack width, a problem since the demise of Sorin as a rampaging left-back. Angel Di Maria, the hero of the Olympic campaign, looks like an interesting addition and if Argentina's passing game sucks the opposition into the centre, Di Maria can then be sprung on the left.
It looked a very useful option last month against Paraguay, until Tevez was sent off and coach Basile had to rejig. Three days later, away to Peru, Basile, fearing a battle, went with Jonas Gutierrez.
The tackles were indeed flying, and when Gutierrez was injured early the coach brought on holding midfielder Battaglia, and once again left himself short of width.
Riquelme played badly in both games. He was sluggish, often caught in possession and unable to dictate the rhythm of the matches. Even so, he he set up Argentina's goal against Peru with the pass of the round, a diagonal slide through to Gago on the right that split the defence.
He was also involved in the goal against Paraguay, where his one-two with Messi paved the way for Aguero's strike and in the same game he also put in a high cross that Coloccini headed just wide, and a low one that Aguero struck over from close range - plus rattling the bar with a free kick.
There are very, very few players around who can play badly that well.
Same drill as usual - space below is for comments relating to this article. Questions on other topics to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com and I'll pick out a couple next week.
I wondered if you could recommend any literature on football, both relating particularly to South America and if you knew of any general works that you feel help put football in a global context. I am particularly interested in the history of football and its development in relation to major cultural and historical events.
Peter Cook
I think I can send you to the right place - David Goldbatt's 'The Ball is Round: a global history of football.' It's an absolutely magnificent achievement. I've recommended it to many people, and they usually write back to say how happy they are with it. Excellent on South America - excellent on everywhere.
I was wondering about your opinions on where Lucas Leiva is going? I had extremely high hopes for Lucas and still harbour a lot of hope for him. He seems like a good lad and has put in a good performance here and there but sometimes I wonder if he will really become the star that some people have tipped him to be. Do you see him ever making a lasting impression at Liverpool?
Joseph Izzard
I haven't seen much of him at Liverpool recently, though I did see him play (badly, unfortunately) for Brazil against Bolivia recently. I think the first time I wrote about him was in World Soccer magazine at the start of last year, when I picked him out as one of the most promising players in the South American Under-20 Championships.
I commented then that I loved his forward runs, but I thought he should take more responsibility from deep. I wanted to see him set the moves in motion, work the midfield triangles, impose himself from centrefield - as well as bursting through into the opposing penalty area.
His recent international performances (Olympics, etc) disappointed me in this sense as well as making me depressed about contemporary Brazilian central midfield play. I think he's capable of being a more rounded player, of being much better than the Lucas who's recently been appearing for Brazil. But Liverpool fans are seeing much more of him than I am - I'd love to get their opinions.
A glorious history, a rich culture, a production line of exciting players... South American football is endlessly fascinating. I cover the continent from my base in Rio.
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~23~RS~)
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Congrats once again Mr Vickary on another fine masterpiece of an article?!
Keep up the Good Work?!
still most definately one of the best reads on the web?!
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as an arsenaol fan i would love to have riquelme in our team. he would fit our pass and move game fantastically and although he would not be able to play every game, i think he would make a fantastic addition to our squad.
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as an arsenal fan i would love to have riquelme in our team. he would fit our pass and move game fantastically and although he would not be able to play every game, i think he would make a fantastic addition to our squad.
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Well said Tim, the game would be a poorer spectacle without the likes of Riquelme to delight and sometimes make us tear our hair out!
Re your last piece on Paraguay a fantastic book on the country (not really football related) is called 'At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig' - by John Gimlette. Ignore the dodgy title this is a great read on country that doesn't get a lot of media coverage.
http://www.realfootballargentina.blogspot.com.
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In Reply to Joshf33:
I cannot believe that as an At=rsenal fan, you want Riquelme. In fact this is the crux of why I don't believe that this article really makes an entirely valid point. The crux is called Cesc Fabregas.
Josh, can't you see that Fabregas does eactly what Riquelme does, only better? He almost never gives the ball away, and is fantastic at holding on to it until he sees a good pass, and he has the vision that leads to so many final balls.
Tim, your argument is that someone of the stature and lack of pace of Riquelme cannot make it in the game now, and I agree that there is more emphasis on pace and goal-scoring ability from midfielders. But surely with Fabregas, who is not especially quick and doesn't get all that many goals, other managers will see that there is a place for such a player, someone who dictates the play in the way that Fabregas and Riquelme do. In my opinion, Fabregas is the best player in the world because he has such an ability to see a pass that others don't. It's a trait that is hard to coach and as such, when good scouts see it, I don't think they would discount the player with it just because they were not strong and speedy.
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Manchester have two similar players, Scholes and Carrick and I would go further and say that Scholes is (still) a class better.
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Riquelme is simply too slow, both physically and mentally. It's one thing to have skill when you're moving slowly, it's another when you have to move at speed. That's what made players like Maradona and Pele so great.
I've seen Riquelme a number of times and he seems to lack "bite". He can do wonders when noone's near him, but, football is a contact sport and if you can't handle being tackled and hustled, then it's time to give up.
Sorry, but I don't rate him at all. He was OK in Argentina but he failed in Spain which is one of Europe's least physical leagues. God knows what would happen to him in the Premier.
"I can only play when I'm happy" is his most famous quote.
Pathetic, if you ask me.
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Cesc Fabregas is inferior to Ruquelme, typical Premier league fan with their blinkers on. I think Cesc is a fantastic player but is still developing
And the pace Riquelme lacks he makes up for in positional awareness.
For people who exist only inside the EPL bubble have a look at Paul Scholes for an excellent example of the art of positioning
And if he lacks "bite" please explain what his free kicks are?
I read somewhere that he takes them like penalties, i coulnd't agree with this more...unbelieveable player
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on the subject of Lucas Leiva,
Still unconvinced but he gets in the brazil side/squad ahead of Denilson at Arsenal and is only a year older. So there must be something there. Whether this is only suited to SA football remains to be seen.
I think he gets so much flak at Liverpool due to the stature of the 3 CM's ahead of him.
Anyone would suggest that he isn't to a level when the fans are used to alonso, gerrard and masch playing week in week out.
Personally i like him, keeps the ball well, likes a challenge (thou he may not win all of them), but does need to develop that cutting edge, be it a killer pass of long range strike to really threaten the starting 11.
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Not everything is about pace and a player being able to burst past a defender. Look at Zidane when he was at his best, most of the time he just walked around seemingly doing absolutely nothing for madrid. An english example, remember Le Tissier. He was undoubtedly one of the laziest footballers i have ever seen, and yet undoubtedly one of the most exciting when at his best.
The key thing to remember when a player like Riquelme plays well it's not down to him at all, it's all about the players around him. If he surrounded by players who will make the runs for him, who will 'be his legs' so to speak then he is a luxury that can be afforded. The problems for argentina come when they play too many defensive minded midfielders, there's no-one moving in front of the ball. In my opinion i would always make room for Riquelme, if you play him in the right team he rip apart any team.
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A great book on Brazilian football is 'Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life' by Alex Belios. It deals with all facets of football in the country, has some great personal stories and a good insight into the culture of the country and the game. Definitely worth a read.
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As usual an excellent article Tim, however I disagree that he is a dying breed. As an Arsenal fan I have always thought that Riquelme was a very similar sort of player to Fabregas, and while he plays a less advanced role for Arsenal than Riquelme does, when Fabregas plays for Spain he fulfils a very similar role.
In the Euro 2008 final, when he was playing behind Torres, I thought his role was to essentially "be Riquelme"!
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Intresting with the mention of Fabregas above, Phil might not have seen this so much as he mostly watches South American football, but surely players like Fabregas, Iniesta and Xavi are keeping this breed of player alive (and doing quite well too)
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Yeah, Riquelme reminds me very much of Juan Carlos Valeron, one of my favourite ever players.
The Deportivo side which he bossed along side Mauro Silva with Fran, Diego Tristan and Roy Makaay surrounding him was, at its best, one of the purest footballing sides i can remember seeing.
With Valeron at the heart of it, their 4-0 demolition of a peak AC Milan in the Champions League (having lost the first leg 4-1) was one of the finest displays I've ever seen.
Has the same lackadaisical body language - and extraordinairy ability - as Riquelme, and let's hope we haven't seen the last of either player.
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Tim,
A very nice piece as always.
I have read a lot of your articles about Riquelme and their ilks and its sad decline.
While I do indeed understand your point put across in a passionate way and do think you have a very valid point as well. Let me say on the outset that I really admire the way Riquelme plays and the aesthetics that he brings about with his game.
However, while Riquelme does make it pleasing for the eye there is a price to pay. In this case, i.e., with Argentina especially I feel the price is too high. You did rightfully mention about that magnificant 26-pass goal against Serbia,may I also add to it the superlative display by Roman in the Copa America as well. In both these tournaments he was at least in the top 3-5 players. However, the manner in which Argentina exited these tournaments suggests the obvious deficiences of playing with Riquelme. In the WC Q/F against Germany, they (the Germans) pressed Riquelme whenever he got in possession. Similarly, against Brazil the work-horse midfielders of Brazil did the same. The result was that either possession was given away with the possibility of the play on the break (or as you refer to as transitions in your earlier articles). This is particularly a major problem for Argentina who have probably a historical weakness with defending against pace. And from the looks of it, it seems it will continue. I think the game against Brazil in the copa america was the classic example. Dunga, for all the faults you may find, played it masterfully by restricting Argentina in the middle of the park and using the pace and athleticism of his wide players to get those 3 goals. That is the problem with Roman in the side, as the play has to pass through him while it does have obvious advantages but the disadvantages are very glaring. I honestly cant think of a solution to this other than you know what.
Having said that, playing the game without Riquelme doesnt mean that success is guaranteed or anything like that. But, what I do feel is that currently with the wealth of talent in Argentina's roster they can probably use an alternative who can inject pace in the game and thereby pressure the opponents in their half. Afterall, at the senior level winning is the KEY.
I guess the reference to WPOY and selfishness is an indirect reference to Lionel Messi. He is indeed selfish and if that selfishness can reward the team with a gold medal I am more than happy to take it.
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Whether or not Riquelme adds or subtracts from the current Argentinian squad and I agree that is a matter of some contention, the central tenet of Vickery's article is more valid today than ever.
Football cannot be only about 100m athletes with ball skills. In the modern game a manager like Redknapp feels forced to jam the Pompey midfield with big, strong players. The result over the last season or so has been consistancy but less entertainment than the side he took to survival the season before.
Pace and power should be a bonus to skill, not skill a bonus to pace and power.
LeTissier, as noted at number 10, was hardly a prime physical specimen; he couldn't run, he couldn't be bothered but he was the most entertaining player of his generation. If LeTiss would be frozen out of the modern game the game has problems.
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Players like Riquelme need two things:
- they require movement from their front-men - that's a given.
- ...and they need a ball-winner to sit alongside them and give them the ball - preferably as early as possible.
re the Gonner who feels that Cesc Fabregas is the worlds best player. Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of Fabregas, both as a player and a person, but Fabregas is neither the world's best player, nor is he the best at his role.
Just look at the Spanish set-up and you'll find Xavi is ahead of Fab in the pecking order, and rightfully so. Also, a peak Andrea Pirlo is a class above anyone in that role - yet you don't see him getting any awards.
Players like Xavi, Pirlo, Scholes, Fabregas, Riquelme and Valeron are constantly overlooked by 'pundits', and instead, countless column inches are reserved for the likes of Kaka, Ronaldo, Messi, Rooney etc...
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And thank you, edmatic, for evoking memories of that horrible night in the Riazor!
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#7
Surely you must reavaluate your comments. Riquelme was a major success at Villareal. Even Pelligrini agreed that he made the team play and without him they would not be able to play the same brand of football.
Re: Fabregas, OK he can pass it similarly enough, but not quite the dictation of rythm. i.e. when Arsenal need to slow the game down to manage the result, he is not quite as responsible as Riquelme.
Also, a Depor and Valeron fan, I agree with edmatic. This player was the most beautiful technician and his 'slow' game was so effective when he had players who could benefit from them.
Lastly, Pirlo, Xavi are the examples that this type of player can be successful and entertain when the supporting cast is there.
In my opinion, thanksfully Spain successfully played the game that Argentina are trying to perfect. With Torres and Villa, they had the goalscoring threat up top that Basile has yet to uncover. If Milito's form at Genoa is anything to go by, he could be the best option. Penalty box striking at its most skilful and deadliest.
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Another superb article. This is anaethema to many of the blogs, which are phoned in platitudes showing no insight or intelligence (ahem MB).
The problem with the premier league and the dominant European scene is that it want to pull everyone into the yoke of its own hegemony. They all want athletic, powerful players and it does not add up to a satisfying spectacle. The English league is fantastic so we are regularly told; in actual fact it is a dreary league full of cynicism, conservative tactics and predictable results.
I loved the description of how Riquelme changes the cadence of the game, how he can dominate it completely when on form. It is things like this that are the true memories of football. When I remember my own club remember the great characters, not the cups or the league position.
Also, in response to the idea he failed in Spain - total nonsense, given that he orchestrated a Champions league semi-final campaign. The truth is that so many people think someone must be mad to move back to South America. Some people are not totally motivated by money, and I for one would love to step out at La Bombonera.
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Tim
How can anyone bemone the ability or appearance in their team of Riquelme. For me, he the greatest player in the world (only a fit Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima competes), surely a man that can play the game at such a level on the hightest stage without the much coveted pace that the modern game seems obsessed with. Not only his passing, but his vision, touch, balance, temperament, and decision making is peerless in todays game.
Being a Celtic fan, watching Shunsuke Nakamura playing a similar style has made me appreciate Juan Roman even more. Surely if you can do it without pace, then you are intrinsically a greater football player. The type of player he is, Riquelme will alway suit and benefit from playing alongside pacey players with great movement. Sadly for Celtic, Tevez, Messi, and Aguero are a little out of our league to help poor Shunsuke.....
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Lucas - Another piece of the puzzle or blossoming talent?
I've seen Lucas up to about 20 times now. On the whole he's performed adequately and stuck to his task, that of second holding midfielder, replacement for Steven Gerrard with 10 or 15 minutes to go, something he did remarkably well against Everton last season, when his shot was saved by Phil Neville, resulting in the winning penalty. Benitez displayed that day, not only his faith in himself, but his obvious belief that Lucas has something special to offer. A potential match winner. When he is being more assertive, his passing is excellent, crisp and precise. He is unfussy for a Brazilian midfielder. A team player. The darker side of Lucas reared it's head in the Olympics when he saw red for his incredibly stupid tackle on Mascherano. I have witnessed the odd poor performance at Liverpool, but it's hard to get a feel for a player that only appears for 15 minutes and doesn't play the same role as Ryan Babel. Lucas therefore remains a bit of a mystery. One which will either unfold into something thrilling or simple become another story of unfulfilled potential.
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As a Rangers fan I have been lucky enough to see some great opposition players over the years whilst watching Rangers at home in European competition. A few years back Rangers played Villareal in the last 16 of the Champs League and Riquelme was immense. He was returning from injury and there was doubt whether he would start the game. As it happened he turned in one of the most complete attacking midfield performances I have ever seen, he always had so much time and space on the ball, granted he does not look quick but with the ability he has for creating space and time he doesn't need to be. If a player with Riquelme's ability is no longer able to fit into the ethics of top level modern day football then football will be the long term loser.
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A very good article indeed- i always look forward to yours.
As a Saints fan and a Matt Le Tissier devotee I'm obviously in agreement that there should always be a place in football for the ungainly maestro.
Le Tiss couldn't have forced his way through the turnstiles at the dell, let alone a modern premiership defence but he never needed to because he was a ruddy genius and could pick a killer pass or just knock in a simple 40 yard strike if he felt like it.
If South American football loses its effortless flair it'll be a very sad day indeed.
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Possebon is the future for the brazilian midfield a Riquelme like passer of the ball but gets around around the pitch to help in defence as well as attack, with the added bonus of having thunder in his boots when shooting. Having watched both him and Anderson in action I think he's a better prospect, especially since Anderson seems to have gone back words this season.
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A very fine article.
I know we are all different and no-one necessarily sees things the same but to read a comment from above that says " Sorry, but I don' t rate him at all " is one of the most depressing things I have read for a long time. I wonder who he does rate ? Presumably, some "athlete " who will be forgotten about five minutes after he finishes his career.
It is lovely to think that the likes of Riquelme, Fabregas - and Berbatov for that matter - are still out there.
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Panchopuskas
Dear lord - you clearly havent seen much of Riquelme so cant understand why you have chosen to comment on this. Riquelme (like all greatr players) creates a yard or so of space for himself when there appears to be no space at all, his touch, flicks and turns get him out of many crowded positions and gives him the space to play the passes that make him the effective player that he is...
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Anyone thinking Riquelme cannot play in a crowded midfield should tap in his name at YouTube and check out some of the clips of his skills.
As a sample- http://img116.exs.cx/img116/2985/790843122ih.gif
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#23 Spot on with your comments. I thoroughly enjoyed this article and the debate / commnets which follow. It is a refreshing read for those of us in Scotland who have to put up with a, ahem, so called blog.
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Panchopuskas, your name deserves a better comment for surely he was the ultimate slow master and legend for Hungary.
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For me Riquelme is the best player in the world. Those who say hes easily knocked off the ball or crowded out havent noticed that his team mates will still pass him the ball when hes got 2 or 3 players on him cos they know he'll still find the pass somehow. Its regretful that Argentina are moving more towards the pace and power approach when theyve got a player like Riquelme to call on. And its a shame that hes not shown any interest in coming to the Prem. I agree with one of the earlier comments he'd be splendid in the Arsenal side changing up the pace in their attacks or even United with the wealth of attack minded players they have.
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Congrats on a fine piece regarding the dying breed which not many individuals have taken account for.
We lost Zidane and now sooner or later it will be Riquelme the art of football is following the same path of the global economy.
Today's football is all about strength and speed which is an added bonus to the overall ability of the game. If you caste your memories back to Zidane's younger years one would remember his exclusion from the Algerian football team due to his lack of speed! You could have criticised him then but rest assured he would have made you eaten your words after he won World Player of the Year, Golden Boots, etc...
If that doesn't ring anybells then maybe the fact that Lionel Messi the "successor" to Maradona was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency but that didnt stop the sporting director of Barcelona to sign him on!
I hope that the likes of Cesc, Nasri, Kaka, etc... are the successors of the Midfield Maestros because they have earned it.
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I thought that writing about Riquelme would set up a good debate, and so it's proving - some terrific comments.
It's interesting that so many Spanish midfielders are getting a mention - Fabregas, Valeron, Xavi, and so on. I tend to think that Spain winning Euro 2008 is the best thing that's happened to football in ages - winners are usually copied, so it's great to see a team that moves the ball so well being successful.
With regard to the post about the book on Paraguay - in the tomb of the inflatable pig - yes, I've got it, and it's a fascinating read, especially the historical stuff. But the modern day parts are fatally flawed by the fact that the author only seems to hobnob with the elite - there's no real feel for the people - no football, for example.
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Great article again Tim.
As for Lucas, he certainly hasn't taken the world by storm after his impressive prem debut at newcastle. I don't think he'll be a first choice starter at Liverpool ever.
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You have to wonder why argentina have so many problems winning games because with messi, tevez and aguero u have 3 of the most exciting footballers in world football but ehy seem to be missing something and that seems like experience thiose 3 forwards are young as is gago, di maria, mascherano, lopez and in defence they havent been able to replace ayala since he retired. They seem to go with more players playing in the south american leagues and that measn they have left out players like lucho gonzalez and maxi rodriguez, nicols burdisso, julio cruz, rodrigo palacio and fernando cavenaghi. if i was the manager i would go with:
----------abbondanzieri----------------
-zanetti--colocini--demichelis--heinze-
---lucho gonzalez--cambiasso--riquelme--
----messi---aguero---tevez
That gives a good mix of youth and experience as well as attacking and defnesive midifleders and you would still have playrs like lopez,maschernao,crespo,veron, rodriguez on the bench
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Thanks Tim for another intelligent post! Can you take over from McNulty and direct the BBC football midfield with that spark of creative midfield genius it badly needs?
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Some great comments streaming in!!
Addendum to my earlier comments.
I see a mention of Zinedine Zidane, if I may use the loose word ,the predecessor of Roman, in the art of Enganche.
Zidane is a terrific player and the obivous example of someone who has proved to be a success playing the Riquelme style. I suppose the success can be attributed to 2 reasons (over Roman that is):
1. Zidane had probably one of the best defense to cover. The likes of Dersailly, Laurent Blanc, Thuram (that time i guess he played in the full back role), and one of Viera/Makalele/Deschamps. Now that roster is something different altogether.
This actually meant that Zizou had the freedom to do what he does best.
Can the same be said with Argentina and Riquelme ?. I for one would disagree. I can only think of Masche who can cover Roman adequately the rest to be honest are not that good or at-least as good as the compatriots of Zizou.
2. Zizou was more athletic than Roman. He was, for example, exceptional in air. And could also once in a while burst into the box with his runs (the maradonesque run against Portugal in the s/f of Euro-2000 ). Again may I ask is it the case with Roman ?. I dont think so
In defense of Roman, may I add that his vision and the way he controls the tempo and reads the game is probably better than Zidane.
Disclaimer: Again, all these are subjective views and may really be due to some personal bias as well.
I really like Riquelme and to be honest the reason I started to support ARgentina (I am NOT an Argentine) is in part due to Roman. But then I get the feeling that the time has come to look beyond Roman.
My two cents.
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Anyone intrested in football tactics in general and Riquelme in particular can do a lot worse than read Jonathan Wilson's dazzling book. Here's a review - http://pseudscorner.blogspot.com/2008/08/inverting-pyramid-by-jonathan-wilson.html.
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Surely you must reavaluate your comments. Riquelme was a major success at Villareal. Even Pelligrini agreed that he made the team play and without him they would not be able to play the same brand of football.
_________________________
Did you see him against Arsenal? Did you see him play for Argentina against Brazil in the Copa de America? Riquelme has a nasty habit of disappearing in the big games. He just doesn't have it. Barcelona caught on to this very quickly and offloaded.
And as for being the mastermind of Vilareal's success, just look at them now he's gone.
There's a lot of sentimental twaddle being talked on this thread especially those who compare him with Zidane. Absolutely nothing in common. The measure of a great player is when he can do the business in big games and when the going gets tough. Riquelme can't. Forget the nice touches and the "magisterial" passes.
If Riquelme were that good there'd be a long list of top clubs waiting to sign him.
BTW
If you want to see a good midfielder take a look at Xavi or Iniesta or even Sneijder at Madrid.
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Tim
An excellent article featuring an excellent player!
I have always regarded Riquelme as the best footballer in the world, but that does not mean he always gets it right. Who does?
Similarly, I regard Arsenal as playing the most attractive football in the premiership/world. That does not mean they always win.
Fabregas may reach the quality of Riquelme with more experience. He certainly has the talent and the right manager.
Having said all that, I do also regard Trevor Brooking as the best player of his time. England could well do with his class now!
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Wow, somebody out there who really, really appreciates the beautiful game.
Cast your minds back to Nov 12 2005 Eng 3-Arg 2.
Dick turpin was in evidence this night, as Roman for 84 mins gave a masterclass in how to play against the 100mph english game.
I concede that It does not win tournaments but oh joy to watch a team and a player with such sublime skill, toy with the opposition, like a cat with a frog.
The day Paul scholes retired from International football will go down in history as a nail in the coffin of the so called Golden generation of english football.
I echo the eulogy of U13299637 blog 28 watch those u-tube clips.
Players like Roman,Zidane,Scholes, Fabregas,Valeron, Stoichkov, Sheringham, and many more who are probably seen as expansive luxuries are few and far between and should be celebrated and revered.
Remember even though someone famous said 1st is 1st second is nowhere , beauty should always be cherished and loved
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Great article!
I saw Riquelme play a few times in the Copa Libertadores a year ago. He is the sole reason Boca went on to win the competition. He lit up the games with moments of magic and he never lost the ball.
The pitches out there were terrible, he seemed to use this to his advantage as his ball control is superior. Defenders are rash and dive in early, this suits him and he seems to use this to create time.
My thought is that he never made it in Europe because of his lazy attitude which is a shame for such a naturally gifted playmaker.
Internationally teams are recognising him as the initiator in dangerous moves and seem to shut him down as a priority, he is not becoming any quicker.
As far as books go, a players insight into the rivalry, atmosphere and nature of Argentinian football is put accross well in El Diego - it is Maradonnas football autobiography and I found it fascinating.
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On JRR he made Villareal the team they were at that time and for anyone to say he didn't cut it in Spain is beyond my comprehension.
It's good to know you too have read the Paraguay book Tim. I must admit it's been a good few years since I did so have probably forgotten the flawed parts.
http://www.realfootballargentina.blogspot.com/
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I don't think it matters whether Argentina go for more pace and power, if they're a decent team, which they are, they will be able to mix having a player like Riqelme and playing at pace. Arsenal probably play some of the fastest, pass and moving football in the world with some of the quickest players in the fastest league. However, within that team there is still space for a player like Fabregas, who seems to find time where there is none. The pace and power should compliment the midfield maestro because the players will have the pace and power to get on the end of the passes. A true midfield maestro is so effective because unlike his peers he plays the game at his own pace, whether its a high tempo game or not. Good teams always have a variant. They'll have fast wingers who can either hit the line and cross for a target man, or who can cut inside and drift passed players with skill, or there will be the playmaker who will unlock defences with fantastic passes. To decide to play one certain way, with 'pace and power' will only make a team one dimensional and eventually easy to defend against.
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Riquelme - very gifted player, but I do agree now that he's starting to slow down Argentina too much, surrounded by younger and faster players. Part of the problem is that Riquelme's game is built around his passing, and there is another player whose vision and weight of pass are even better: Leo Messi.
There are now many very talented players all after a place in the first XI - Messi, Aguero, Tevez, Lavezzi, Zarate, Mascherano, Gago, Di Maria etc - and Riquelme is going to have to put in some major performances to stick around until 2010.
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lassana diarra, van der vaart, fabregas and defour, afellay and carrick are similar players to riquelme but have other qualities like defending, dribbling and plain old graft.
another players who has a similar issue is tom huddlestone he can pick out a killer pass, but he is worth having coz of the odd killer pass.
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Davidleigh re: your comments about Riquelme not always getting it right and Arsenal not always winning
I agree. I think I'd rather see good football than winning football. When the two combine obviously you know you're seeing something really special.
I dont think i would compare Zidane with Riquelme or anyone else really. I think both of these players are in a class of their own.
I would say Carrick could fulfil a similar role with his vision and passing range. He has a similar languid style. If left to play his natural game England could have a world beater on their hands and could possibly reignite the international career of Rooney.
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Agree wholeheartedly about your assessment of Riquelme's abilities. But I don not necessarily agree that he is one of a dying breed. Many of the top midfielders in the world in recent years have played in similar positions with a similar style to Riquelme. Scholes, Pirlo, Deco and Xavi all are sensational passers who are not blessed with devastating pace or power and seek to pass through teams. It should be noted that these players have had considerably more success in their careers than Riquelme, not because the latter is a dying breed, but because, unfortunately, and as you alluded to in the article, Riquelme is extremely inconsistent.
That said, I think the role of the playmaker is certainly not dead. As a Chelsea fan, I have been electrified by Decos start. I thought he would be eaten alive in the PL but his passing ability has brought a new dimension to the team
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I've not seen enough of Riquelme to comment sensibly. But Tim, you say that opinion is divided on Riquelme... is it not true that your position - as a passionate but also dispassionate commentator - differs from many others in a critical respect?
I, like you, am pleased that Riquelme exists, and the world of football is a more interesting place thanks to him.
But not in my team. In a World Cup, or other competitive environment where a range of approaches and skills is on display great. But for all the reasons you've highlighted, I'm much happier that he exists somewhere else.
(This assertion would make more sense if I didn't support a struggling second division - or "Championship" side - with the midfield guile of a pile of bricks. But you get the general point...
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Riquelme reminds me a lot of Geovanni at Hull.
Play them just behind the front 2 and they'll create moments of magic, but won't give much else to the team.
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I still maintain that if Requilme had not been taken off against Germany then Argentina would have won the Wold Cup in 2006 (and I say that as an Italian).
The way the game is going there will soon be no players like Requilme, Zidane or Pirlo. But then I suppose it's much easier to spot a 12 year old who will turn out big and powerful than a kid who might turn out to be as talented as those three with the ball at their feet, so coaches are taking less and less chances on them. Football is the loser.
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Post 51: absolutely right. couldn't have put it better.
it's turning into a game of athletes
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Great article about one of my favourite all round players. Don't understand any negativity about Riquelme at all, he is one of the best players in the world to watch when at the top of his game and has proven his class time and time again. A shame that his career hasn't been as successful as it could have, that penalty miss against Arsenal may have cost him a Champions League trophy, he found it tough at Barca to break into the side and for Argentina his big chance was in 2006 and he was magnificent and would have been the big star of that tournament had the team got further (the decision to substitute him cost Argentina the Germany game in my opinion.)
The question of whether he would have made it in the Premiership is interesting, he was good against Arsenal in the Champions League and great again when England played Argentina and he is so good at finding time that I feel he would have managed to make his own style work, even in a league as quick as the Premiership. A shame he didn't want to sign for United when there might have been a chance for him.
There is virtually no-one else like him at the top level of football today, people can mention Fabragas and Carrick but neither have his class or vision, even Scholes at his best, while probably a better player can't be seen as the same type as Riquelme. I love his lazy, old fashioned but still brilliant and productive approach to the game and I hope more players like him come through from South America. Looks doubtful though.
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I agree with #20, Its constantly rammed down our throats here in England how good the quality of the premiership is now but from my vantage point I think the English top flight has never been so turgid. Virtually every team plays the same way, one up and pack the midfield with players who all have the primary responsibility to defend. No team in the premiership shows any imagination away from home, in a lot of games the teams look like they are going through the motions because results have become so predictable.
Its all well and good having this business orientated win at all costs attitude, but people who really love the game go to watch it because they want to see real skill, pieces of magic, things they couldn't see or do in the park on a sunday morning, the things that should elevate players to being professionals. Players like Riquelme provide that and they are definitely disappearing.
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Pelé's autobiography is inspiring to anyone who reads it! He talks about the History of Football as well as his career and his thoughts on the FUTURE of world football - i'd recommend it to anyone
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I don't think it's all about being big, fast and strong.
Just look at Deco. A great addition to the Chelsea side and while he was fit he was allowing Chelsea to play better than ever.
That said, they were without him yesterday and still tore Villa apart.
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I didnt think it would take the Arsenal contingency long to bring up Fabregas' name as a player that is taking on that mantle.
If Mr Vickery wrote an article saying that the art of goalkeeping was dieing there would be Arsenal fans saying that the one player saving it on his own was Cesc Fabregas. Hes a good midfielder......not a cure for aids.
Whilst he is a good midfielder and prospect for seasons to come to compare him to Riquelme and several other of the names on this page is laughable.
He has neither the talent (yet) or authority on the pitch to dictate a game of football, like some fo the celestial level of footballers mentioned on here. Results this season and last prove this. A player that cannot dictate a game (and no disrespect here to the other teams) against the likes of Hull, Sunderland, Fulham and West Brom is no where near worthy of a mention alongside the likes of Riquelme, Zidane, et al
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I reckon Zidane the best footballer I have had pleasure of watching and I consider Riquelme and Fabregas(still learning, will only get better) the same species. Zidane was much prominant because of lack of quality around him in the french squad.
The elegance to control the ball the dictate the speed of play cannot be taught, you are born with it. I agree with the writer that footballer will be the loser if this art were to die out.
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I love riquelme. He gave me one of my happiest football memories when Mad Jens (he saves pens) talked him into missing that penalty in the CL semi final to send us to Paris.
thank you riquelme.
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Excellent article, glad to see so many readers using Le Tissier as the english example. Just shows that England have been dismissing these skilful players for 15 years.
Bar the last game, I have watched 20 years of the England team (since hoddle left as midfielder) fail to prize open international defences. We never pick the most skilful, the enigma's, just the ones that run around like headless chickens using only one foot (sorry Gerrard). You need world class no.10 type players to get you thru quarter finals, when the rest of the team struggles to pass to team-mates 5 yards away (sorry again Gerrard)
The Euro 2008 tournament was good to watch, thanks to the poor defending and fast counter-attacking, but I saw too little individual excellence.
People talk about good tournaments, but when was the last time a Riquelme, Zidane or Maradona took the world by storm? will it ever happen again? not if these players are left at home
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Hey tim im from south africa.there is a player here his name is jose torrealba.he is very good.his runs off the ball and his finishing is class.we dont have that great a league but it is improving tremendously.he is from venezuela.i was just wandering if you do know about him and if youve seen him play do you rate him aswell
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I suppose with Prem teams concentrating on power and pace its going to be the canny managers who pick out those players who've got something extra that will eventually go ahead in whichever battle they are in be it title chasing, relegation or qualifying for Europe.
Equally though with a lot of English supporters they arent going to be very forgiving with those players unless they provide magic moments every game. I remember going to see Sheff United v Everton a couple of seasons back and Colin Kazim-Richards played really well that day, taking defenders on and producing some excellent passes from the right side. But the thing that sticks in my head about that game was some Blade moaning that "who does he think he is? Ronaldo?" Just a complete lack of appreciation of his talent. That guy has shown his talent at Euro 2008 and in spells for Fenerbahce in the Champions League. Yet fans of a club who must be crying out for quality just wouldnt accept him.
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Beautiful article. Hope Riquelme passes on his skills to some younger people.
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The only english player that is similar to Riquelme is Scholes. Regarding Fab, he has said that he models his game on Scholes. Riquelme, Scholes and Fab can only play like they do if the guy next to them is a defensive midfielder who's prepared to do the running.
Thats why Utd have Carrick, Hargo, Fletch and suprisingly Ando who play next to Scholes. The Argies have Battaglia and Gago whereas Arsenal dont really have a midfield enforcer and that has long been their problem since the likes of Gilberto and Viera left.
Regarding Lucas, i've seen him play a few times and he hasnt really done anything spectacular. I think a South American going to Liverpool under Rafa is a bad move, seen as Rafa likes to rotate his squad for nearly every game. To adjust to the climate and game you need a sustained period in the 1st team, and i just dont see that happening for Lucas whilst Mascherano is there.
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Many years (10-15) there was a Brazilian Under 21 or 19 player called Adilton, does anyone know anything about how is career went. I remember him in Under 19 World Cup.
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great piece on riquelme.
as for all the haters, u need to watch the guy to believe what he is capable of.
no doubt he has had a few bad matches recently - but the saying form is temporary and class is permanent is no more true in this case.
i remember sir alex was after him not so long ago, and as a united fan i always wondered how he would have fitted into the system.. in a way i am gutted that we may never know. fabregas is a differnet type of player, dont get me wrong cesc is a good player, he has a long way to go to becomes great, however i dont think that can be acheieved at arsenal. i hope i am wrong, but i just dont see where arsenal can go from where they are.
anyways, back to juan roman riquelme - tim is right, there arent enough players like him around anymore. zidane gone, riquelme going, scholes going (in my opinion), iniesta going, deco going. its a shame
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Excellent blog on one of the best midfielders in the world. Every team needs brain and brawn. Riquelme is an intelligent player of the highest order. He showed that again in the Beijing Olympics.
I am a West Ham fan and I remember watching Brooking in the 70s and 80s. He wasn't the fastest of players, but you couldn't get the ball off him and somehow he would make his way through defences.
I am not blinkered enough to say that Sir Trev was as good a player as Riquelme is now, but their style of play was similar. To me, true football fans appreciate players like Riquelme. Hopefully we will see him in the next South American Championships and World Cup.
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fallsheroes
Arsenal's enforcer was Flamini last season. If they hadnt lost Eduardo who knows where that team could have gone in the Prem and Europe.
For the record I believe that Fabregas is the most complete player in the Prem. He would be first pick for most managers who are wanting to put together a top midfield.
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I think that Tim's Collums are the best on this site, But i also think that we couls have a blogger for Europe, as the BBC are all for the EPL, but loke to forget other leauges.
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This precise area of the problems of "modern football" and 'bigger, faster, stronger', with specific mention of Juan Roman Riquelme was written about two years ago by worldwide Football / Training guru John Davies in his book "The Beautiful Game" and then released in a comprehensive article online "Joga Bonito Renegade Style." I presume from parts of your post you must have read it.
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It is the same 'one minute of brilliance v eighty-nine of rubbish' debate. But I think it's actually about how the players fit into the style of the team. If Riquleme played in the Liverpool or Chelsea team as they have cover in the midfield and width i'm sure he'd be brilliant at dictating play but for the traditional 4-4-2 teams like Everton and Man Utd, he'd leave the team exposed (remember Veron at United). Likewise with Argentina where everything goes through the middle, it leaves him with a lack of passing options.
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Re post 5, Bwilliams - "Fabregas is the best player in the world because he has such an ability to see a pass that others don't".
I suggest you take a look at Xavi at Barca. He hardly ever puts a foot wrong and sees passes that Fabregas can (at the moment) only dream of playing.
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68
Flamini was hugely overrated. I watched him alot and the amount of times he gave the ball away on the edge of the area was pretty bad. I think he was a work in progress but he thought he was too good and left. Arsenal had their future enforcer in Diarra, but Arsene let him go to. Arsenal have alot of good youngsters coming through, not least Havard Nordtveit and itd be interesting to see if Arsene will play him as the DM or in central defence when the time is right.
As for complete player, that is Ferdinand, as complete midfielder, yes Fab is up there but theres alot of good midfielders in the Prem such as gerrard and essien.
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gingertom82
Everton have played 451 or 4141 for quite some time now. I'm not saying Everton could accomodate Riquelme successfully, just thought i should set the record straight. I think he might fit into Liverpool's side with the 2 defensive midfielders employed in front of the back 4 but Im not so sure he'd have the quality around him in terms of movement and good first touch to exploit his talent. Whereas United, Arsenal and maybe Chelsea would do.
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Re post 5, Bwilliams - "Fabregas is the best player in the world because he has such an ability to see a pass that others don't".
----------------------------------------------------
Not only is Xavi better, but Messi is a better passer than Fabregas, plus he can dribble through a team, is a deadly penalty taker, scores plenty of goals and bosses big teams. With respect, I think some posters on here could do with following European football a bit more.
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"Sorry, but I don't rate him at all. He was OK in Argentina but he failed in Spain which is one of Europe's least physical leagues. God knows what would happen to him in the Premier"
I dont have a problem with you not rating Riquelme, but you should not write total lies. To say he failed in Spain is just not true, he was outstanding for Villareal and among other things had the most assists in the league one year.
True, he had a fall out with the president there and the relationship ended poorly, but what he delivered when he played no-one can take away from him, not matter how much some dont rate him.
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geobon wrote :
Just shows that England have been dismissing these skilful players for 15 years ?
15 years ? Make that about 40 years !
I suspect the collective number of caps won by, say, Peter Storey, Calvin Palmer and Geoff Thomas is probably about five times the number won by Alan Hudson, Rodney Marsh, Matt Le Tissier, Peter Osgood and Stan Bowles combined.
The England international team never trusts skill. And, as a result, never wins anything.
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73
I thought Flamini probably won a lot of midfield battles for Arsenal last season and the good thing about him was that he could also join in with attacks as his passing was pretty decent. I agree though a work in progress. After all last season was the first where he wasnt considered a utility player above all else so got the chance to play in one position more.
Gerrard's name shouldnt be in this discussion though. theres more negatives than positives with him.
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The best quote regarding Riquelme was from Pekerman when he said, "It's the ball that should do the running, not the player." This embodies what the game should be about
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73 LOL
i said midfielders in the prem...than couldnt think of any good midfielders! There are alot of midfielders in the "work in progress" category than there are world class players. I think a team that would have Mascherano and Fab in the middle would be pretty formidable, and im a Utd fan. I would still have Scholes over Fab though. Simply because he is nigh on untouchable on a football pitch, and his pass vs AC Milan in the CL at OT to set up Rooney is one of the best passes ive ever seen. Granted, hes getting on abit and it will only be a matter of time before Fab overtakes him (unless somehow Xavi or Messi come to the Prem), but Fab still has a long way to go.
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yeah this season looks like Scholes career has finally plateaued. up till now hes got better with each passing season.
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The one qualification I would make about Riquelme is look at what he's actually won. He's proved himself to be a very accomplished big fish in a small pond but as you look over his career in years to come you iwll always ask yourself the question - what did he actually achieve?
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I personally think Riquelme is still a class act and is obviously not a stereotypical footballer, as he ruled his heart over head by doing whatever he could to go back to Boca.
Someone has written before how they'd love to see him ply his trade in the prem, something i completely agree on. I believe the prospect of a Riquelme behind Torres, in front of Gerrard and Argentine team mate Mascherano with Keane and Riera to his right and left respectively, is a absoloutely mouth watering propsect, yet, as many of you will also say, a total dream.
I also believe Fabregas and Riquelme in the middle of midfield, depending on whether they had a ball winner in there, could be possibly one of the most deadly midfield partnerships English football will have seen, especiall with the pace of Adebayor in front of them, although he could do with sticking a few more of his chances in the back of the net. Thanks to anyone who bothered to read all of this eheh
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I agree Riquelme is one of a dying breed...a class player in an age of automotons.
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i think riquelme is the best midfielder you will find in the world and its just due to lack of luck that he is in boca juniors but he is happy there and talking about his pace as slow but also remember he is slow but decisive and come to think of it berbatove is one of the most feared attackers in the world but his pace is slow and sir alex paid 30 million for him.what not bring up a debate on samuel etoo in barcelona and his performances alongside splendid goals he score
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You make a key point about "receiving". It's all very well being a great passer, but you have to have a team mate to pass to. This is especially true whan the man with the ball isn't a "great" passer. The best midfielders are people who are both great passers and great receivers.
Take this one step further, and add to it the ability to shield the ball, so you can pass to them when they're marked and it doesn't matter. Of course to do this you need to be able to control the ball instantly. I'm pretty much excluding all England midfielders, bar Paul Scholes. Gerrard and Lampard have got many fabulous attributes, but the above is not on their CVs.
Deco does it for Chelsea and Fabregas does it for Arsenal. I certainly agree with #74 on this point
If England ever "go long", it's generally because the midfielders haven't made themselves available for a simple pass. That's why Rio rarely goes long at Old Trafford but does most of the time for England.
79# Hits the nail on the head. The ball has got to do all the running, especially in a hot summer competition. ie Euros and World Cup. England will never win these competitions playing harum scarum Premiership football. It's the most entertaining in the world but it won't win an 80 degree + summer competition.
I'd have Requelme tomorrow.
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Carlos Valderama, anyone remember his sublime skills playing for Columbia. Again slow, not physically imposing but such deft touches and passing ability. Like basketball where there is an established go to star, the entire team knew who the attacks were built around, which meant Valderama would get the ball even with 3/4 players surrounding him. These players are very special and certainly add to the magic of the beautiful sport!! Also it means football is not only for very athletic players, which is why it is the most popular sport in the world.
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A lot of interesting comments about a good article.
I'd like to take up the issue of how Riquleme might fare in the premiership, and why we neither trust nor create (except rarely) players with that vision.
In the premier league it is completely possible to be a success on the basis of physical skills allied to small amounts of technique. The pace of the game, and the opposition's inability to keep the ball means that you get the ball back a lot, and you have to rush around applying pressure to achieve that.
When you come up against a team with real control and passing ability, that works for a while - but eventually the runners tire whereas the technicians remain as skillful as ever - thats why England often go up and then concede.
So the majority of teams prefer to encourage plaers with athleticism over control; strength and stamina over passing ability. In the top teams its different. First because they ensure a balance between the runners and the more skilful players, and secondly because even the runners have skill.
Even so I don't really think there are many players with the Riquelme like skill to pick that unique match-winning pass. How often do England and English teams struggle against massed defences? Its because those players are rare these days.
Scholes and Fabregas? maybe, but they are both at their best in more open games. A true comparison is the player who can do it against an 11 man defence!
Berbatov perhaps; Joe Cole? Modric?
But the key is that in the Premier league you don't really need these players to succeed - and more's the pity
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vianeey is a cow
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Very good article.
Me and my friends had been discussing lately how the the modern game is all about how many tricks can be done on the ball, along with power and pace... not about the killer through ball with outside of the foot... also about the comparison of a natural dribbler such as a messi, robben or a SWP compared to a ronaldo, robinho type who relies on tricks rather than simple drops of the shoulder..
always an intruiging article..cheers
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If he is such a team player why is he intensely disliked almost everywhere he goes?
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TIM:
As a liverpool fan who sees all the games, let me fill you in on lucas's progress (my opinion of course!)
In the main it's very positive. He's put in a number of very good performances, everton away when he replaced gerrard is an obvious one, but there's a been a couple of very mature performances away from home in europe as well.
He has had disappointing games, but as you eluded to in your article sometimes a bad personal performance can be down to a bad team display. I don't think you can look to the younger players in a situation like that.
overall, i'm very happy with his progress and think he will become an excellent player for us. I'm not worried when he's selected to play for us in a big game now, and i think he can only get better.
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Excellent piece Tim, very much enjoyed it.
As for the arguement about Riquelme now being too slow, is that his Physical Speed or his Mental Speed?
Admittedly, I have not seen as much of the guy play as I would like, however, in the flashes I have seen, he already knows where the ball is going before he recevies it, which surely negates the need to be "Bigger, Stronger, Faster"? He could be compared to the likes of Scholes, Xabi Alonso and Gareth Barry as they do not strike me as speedy, strong players, but have the intelligence to retain the ball in a number of different circumstances and also have to ability to pin-point a pass to carve open a defence.
Players of this style are so important to the game, I really hope they do not die out, as it maintains a certain intelligence level of players rather than just Brawn (Like the Serbian Team in the World Cup game that was referred to).
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You can see a Riquelme type of player, albeit not a mid-fielder, in Man Utd's Berbatov. The touch is very easy and passes cut the defence. Yet, people call him LAZY - a Gross Mis Analyses of Berbatov's game.
Now with the "Fantastic Four" - Tevez, Rooney, Ronaldo and Berbatov - Man Utd. could cut up any defence (although the Fantastic Four have to play together in one game - played 10 mins. at Blackburn and showed what an awesome movement and attack they have).
So, hopefully, there will be more Requelmes and people will see the Berbatovs
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in response to bwiliams15:
you will notice that i said he would make a great squad player. he would make fantastic cover for fabregas because, however good he is, he is unlikely to be able to play every game for arsenal.
i would prefer riquelme/denielsen central midfield as opposed to denielson/eboue (look what happened against fulham!)
riquelme has class but would struggle over a full season in the premier league. i wouldnt say no to getting him for the £4-6m mark
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talking about flamini all i can say is that he is over valued just because of some few perfomances.i heard one liverpool analyst on liverpool tv say robinho is over rated which i think is not correct because he is a good player and the bbc commentator who relayed the match man city against wigan i think does not like robinho cuz he spent of the time talking untrue things about the young lad.let the young play his game.every body in the game wants money so dont blame him.he will prove to you guys he is a great player just give him time
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To the man talking about Cesc Fabregas, please remember that Anderson is better!
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73, to call Flamini over rated in laughable. He did a lot of the dog work that always goes unoticed because he isn't producing defence splitting passes. It wasn't until he bossed the whole AC Milan midfield that people actually started to notice his talent and shear determination to win the ball. Its a shame he left arsenal and a massive loss, as Cesc no longer has the freedom to play as freely.
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98
Spot on. His passing last season was immense at times. I hung back from rating him properly as i think youve got to do it over the course of a few seasons before you can really judge a players worth. But you really noticed the difference when Gilberto came back into the side. The midfield lost its fluidity to a certain extent.
I dont know the reason he left Arsenal but if I was Wenger I wouldnt let an emerging player dictate to me thats for sure.
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Excellent article as always Tim.
Another angle we could look at players in Riquelme's ilk are players like him being banished onto the wings. Joe Cole, Sneijder and Van Der Vaart at Real Madrid, and as an Arsenal fan, regrettably Rosicky and Hleb who are master technicians but their natural abilities are not totally fulfilled on the wings. A classic example of this is Yoan Gourcuff who they tried to make a winger at AC Milan and it never quite worked, yet for Bordeaux as the chief architect he is amazing and turned in a Zidane-esque performance vs Serbia last month.
Very few teams want to play with the 'enganche' anymore, probably only Bremen's Diego is the highest profile player to do it like Riquelme in Europe which is a sad thing to see.
Argentina are still the side i want to watch precisely because of Riquelme, he always sees the pass others don't and is the maestro. For this reason seeing the likes of Pirlo and Xavi do the same is special.
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Thank you for the nostalgia.
I was born in Montevideo, back in 1942 and I've been a passionate fan of the beautiful game for more than half a century.
You're right on Riquelme, this days people are centered on too much brawn and speed and forget about the most beautiful part of the game: thinking ahead, outsmarting your opponent with a clever, unexpected pass, exploiting the guy without the ball but in the right place.
I grew up and played the game under the mantra "cortita y al pie" which means pass the ball short and onto the foot, what some call the "one-two".
The Brazilians took it at heart and developed the most engaging passing game, one touch, on the run, give it back and open yourself to a new position...the rest is history, 5 World Cups (having El Rey for 3 of them did not hurt their chances).
But I'm afraid that Riquelme has been judged by the kangoroo court of public opinion and found wanting, that the people of this court belong to the same class that gound Galileo 'guilty' and then took 300 years to say sorry does not help.
Thanks for the memories, you have the pulse of the game kn a continent where football is a way of life, larger than life...
Gracias
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In response to bwilliams15's comment; Certainly you can not have any reservations about Riquelme's talents, he's brilliant. Maybe he is a little slow but he has always played like that even when he was with Boca.
As for Cesc being the best in the world, I guess you are an Arsenal fan making a judgement like that but the reason why your supposed best player in the world can't make the starting 11 for Spain, is because of Xavi and Iniesta, go figure! I have the opportunity to see virtually all of Barca games and the tempo that each of these two players play at is incredible. They are now surprisingly deployed on opposite flanks, strange I think but they are absolutely first class players. Brandishing the 'best in the world' tag is used quite often, but I feel over the last two seasons the best player to watch is Lionel Messi, hands down, the most entertaining. Any thoughts?
Aston Villa 'football' fan...
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To have a discussion about player with vision and not mention one of the best of them all is crazy, so I would like to throw Dennis Bergkamp into the mix. I know his not a midfielder but his vision is second to non.
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I was lucky enough to go to La Bonbonera last season and see Riquelme play for Boca against Independiente. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life for both the atmostphere and the football I saw that day. For 20 minutes in each half Riquelme did absolutely nothing, just hung around in the opposition's half waiting to get the ball. He seemed like he couldn't be bothered - no chasing back to tackle, doing no defensive work what so ever. But for the other 25 minutes in each half he completely ran the show. Everything went through him, and he tore the oppo defence to shreds with clever one and two touch passing, little flicks and patiently building up the play. They just simply couldn't get the ball off him.
I had a seat quite high up in the stands and so could see everything that was going on very clearly. But I spent most of the time watching just one man. From my vantage point I could see the runs his team mates were making for him, and each time they went he knew where they were and would make the pass with perfect timing. To have that vision and cunning simply stunned me. It's all very well being sat in the stands and watching for the pass, but to do it at pitch level takes a special level of awareness.
Sure he might not be the fastest sprinter, and biggest bloke on the pitch, but what he brings to the game is something very different to what most modern players do. The trouble is that he does need his team to back him up, i.e. do the donkey work and then get it to him, which in England is not what we seem to understand well. We want players who are more workman like, who defend and attack in equal measure, even if they are not the most skillful or talented players. That is why someone like Letiss didn't get to play for England much, as people don't like skill as much as seeing someone chase around like Gerrard does.
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great comment 'sirrodneymarsh' fully agree. But honestly, does england have that type of player in the game right now. Gareth Barry doesn't give the ball away easily, but really who else is there??? Now I'm talking about holding up the ball, slowing the pace of the game. Not Gerrard, nor Lampard, Hardgreaves, maybe Carrick but he never gets picked when he's fit, so who does that leave you with, with those qualities in mind?
Aston Villa 'football' fan.
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Big fan of the Riquelme.
We need to do away with those individual awards or make sure they don't just reward the goalscorers or the individualistic talent of running past someone with a step-over or two.
Football is more than that, it is greater than that.
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But Bergkamp doesn't play anymore. We are talking of a dying breed of midfielders, not dead ones.
Scholes will die soon (football wise - not literally). That kleaves us with a new breed and Berbatov shows this.
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Diving Argentinians aren't dying breed, they're ten a penny!
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Riquelme was the best player in WC 2006 for Argentina. A class apart.
Football needs MORE players like him - to make the game less predictable - not less.
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Put Riquelme in the Premiership and see him wilt. He hasn't the speed of thought to keep up with the tempo of the game. As you can see in that clip of the Argentina vs Serbia game the Argentinians were not closed down at all and played it at their own slow pace.
And that is why Scholes should surely go down as the best player of this breed in modern times and why Fabregas is next in line. They have worked wonders, created space and destroyed teams with their magnificent passing without the need of pace, height or strength. Scholes is the perfect example of this type of player. He has played at such a high tempo for so many years and still managed to create space for himself to pull off magnificent passes. His awareness than Riquelme, his technique is better, his passing is better and most of all his speed of thought is better, I'm afraid that until Riquelme proves himself at a high tempo when everybody is closing him down he won't really near Scholes. Or Fabregas for that matter.
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Very good article.
In my opinion, Riquelme is one of the greatest and most underrated midfielders of all time.
he has incredible skill, i once saw him do a bit of skill against River Plate, and i was shocked at just how good it was.
He has it all, except work rate and speed, everything else, he has and more so, Fantastic player.
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Why is so many people saying, " put riquelme in the EPL and he wouldn't make it ".
Neither would Lionel Messi, does that mean he isn't a fantastic footballer, who is arguably better than everyone in England ?
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Yep, Riquelme is not an athlete but a player. It´s only the really great teams who can vary their tempo and every great team has one Riquelme.
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I think the Riquelme type of player will never die out, Xavi is still one of the best players in the world, Michael Carrick is also there, but maybe for younger players, there will be a greater emphasis on athleticism, I think that's what we see in Fabregas, he has the attributes of Riquelme, and Xavi, but the difference is that he has the stamina, to track back and do a lot a lot of running.
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Some_Random_Guy:
I've seen both Scholes and Riquelme play live (i.e. from the stands), and whilst Scholes was good he wasn't a patch on Riquelme in terms of speed of thought and composure. But to compare them at all is wrong, they are actually very different in my opinion. Scholes plays a lot more defensively, and his game relies on athleticism more than Riquelme. Riquelme doesn't do defending full stop, instead he leaves that to his team mates and tries to influence the game with his passing and keeping posession.
Riquelme doesn't really have anyone to compare him to, and saying that he wouldn't survive in the premier league is also a bit of a waste of time. I don't think there would be a team that could change the way they play to accomodate him (which they would have to do). Can you imagine any of the prem teams changing their system to allow one player to dictate everything that goes on? Because that is what Riquelme does for every side he has played for. There are no sides in England where one individual has so much influence over the team.
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I have been a fan of Riquelme since the U-20 team won the WC many many years back. I have been a supporter of his for a long time. When he shows up his team are normally unbeatable but when he does not the team falls all over the place. He demands te ball far too much. 2006 I understand he was the engine but now it is Messi's team, lets just face the facts. I am a diehard Boca Jr fan and it does hurt me saying it is time to move on without Riquelme. Or this is what they can do and I do hope they do. He loves to hold the ball and is great at it. I say put him on the bench, when Argentina go up in a game and about 15-20min left in the game sub him in for a Aguero or so. Recall 2006 WC? When Argentina were beating Germany and soon as Riquelme came off the pitch the team lost the ball over and over gain. I am not sure who will be the heri to Riquelme but I do not think the squad needs a CMD. Maybe start using Jose Sosa. Argentina have a flock of talented players and many many more are coming up in the ranks but I think it maybe time to say ciao to Riquelme or start bringing him off the bench. If they can fix this and if they find a true#9 this team can be all but untouchable for the WC. Start calling up Cavenaghi or Pipita, but they call up Milito, this guy is NOT the answer. Or man I will take up Crespo over half the players that have already been called up. Also Carlos Tevez is another player that is on thin ice, 42 Games 7 goals as a striker and a Maxi Rodriguez who plays more as a Defending Winger has 24 games with 7 goals, can somebody tell me what is wrong with this picture? I say call up Mauro Zarate instead of him.
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When Riquelme has space he can be really effective, but any opposing coach can nullify his abilities by crowding him out. I was at the Paragauay game last month and even though he was invloved in the major incidents, I still feel that it is not enough to justify his place in the starting eleven. He is too easily pushed off the ball and too slow.
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Why is so many people saying, " put riquelme in the EPL and he wouldn't make it ".
Neither would Lionel Messi, does that mean he isn't a fantastic footballer, who is arguably better than everyone in England ?
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If Messi played in the Premier League he would be the best player in that league. And I think Riquelme would be fine in England, provided the team was set up right.
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The original article is very well written but hardly accurate. To describe Riquelme as one of the last of a dying breed is somewhat overstating the case.
Most top international sides have a player that can fairly be described as a "playmaker." A player that relies on intelligent movement, a great first touch and a thoughtful range of passes.
Spain deservedly won Euro 2008 with Senna dictating their game. Italy have Pirlo, Croatia have Modric, France have Ribery, Portugal have Deco, Russia have Arshavin etc.
The issue with Riquelme is his inconsistency. Pirlo generally plays pretty well and sometimes brilliantly. Deco generally contributes a decent amount and is sometimes unstoppable. Riquelme is sometimes fantastic but far too often a passenger and his clear dislike of the physical side of the game gets exposed too often, unfortunately.
I LOVE watching him. Just as I loved watching Valderamma, who was similar (though an even more talented player) and just as I loved watching slow, skilled players like Hoddle, Valeron, Giannini, Platini etc.
However, I can see why Argentina might want to start looking elsewhere.....
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Riquelme is mine, and I suspect many others, favourite Argentinean player. He plays the game that the football purist loves to watch and I think given time and patience he will take Argentina to at least the advanced stages of the World Cup in 2010.
But I agree with some other posters on here, players such as Joe Cole and Paul Scholes do a similar job for England and English teams. If Scholes was South American and playing for Manchester United we would be lauding his skill and vision and asking why we cannot produce players of this ilk.
So many footballers - Roy Keane, Paul Merson spring to mind - claim that Scholes is the best footballer they have played with in their career. England should have built a team around him - as we should now with Gerrard.
Riquelme is great and I hope Argentina treat him better than England have treated similar players in recent years.
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Love the column at the best of times Mr Vickery, but this weeks is absolutely superb.
The same thing happens in Scotland on a weekly basis with Shunsuke Nakamura, a player very similar to Riquelme, although not quite that class (but who is?). every week fans and press are critical of him for drifting in and out of games and not being physically strong or quick, but seem to ignore or not notice the number of times he is the difference between a win and a draw or a defeat and a draw for the team. It irritates me greatly, and I make the same points you have with regards to Riquelme many times, but nobody listens.
Glad there are other people who still appreciate good ball playing footballers out there!
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Some top comments here and obviously a great article by Tim.
Riquelme and Le Tissier - the unwanted geniuses of football. Unwanted because both were/are endangered species. Unwanted because surrounded by running/tackling/huffing and puffing machines built on fitness, stamina and energy. Unfortunately in modern football there seems to be no space for the one midfield maestro who is not obliged to close down, run and track back all the time. Guile, creativity and vision are a good add-on instead of being the biggest strenght of a player.
WHereas Riquelme is still regarded high by people in Argentina , in ENgland there is no place for a player of this species and hasn't been for the last decade at least.
It still beggars belief that a player of Matt Le Tissiers talent only made a handful of appearances for the national team. It's probably one of the most wasted talents of world football. Had he been Spanish, French or Italian he would be considered in the same league as Zidane, Baggio or Hagi.
This article also gave me the impression that talents like Le Tissier's are nowhere to be seen in English football at the moment. In the 90s we had players like Gascoigne, Redknapp, McManaman, Beckham, Merson, Scholes, earlier we had Hoddle, Barnes or Waddle and now we have Joe Cole. Yes, Joe Cole is the only player from the current 'golden generation' who can be compared to those I mentioned earlier in terms of natural skill and ability. The rest is all about pace, power, strength and hype. THis is not what football was all about...
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Post number 105 :
You are right, there is virtually no-one out there today who England should be picking, but aren' t. To be fair they do tend to pick the best of what they have these days. But the more fundamental problem remains that so few people in the UK - apart from most of the enlightened people who have posted positively about Riquelme on this debate - even value the skilful player in the first place. If I got a pound for every time I' ve been to a game and heard shouts along the lines of " Stop fannying about, lump it up the pitch " I'd be a rich man.
In that environment - and it permeates through every level of our football from kids onwards - it's not surprising that the more thoughtful player doesn' t flourish.
Post number 121 makes the same excellent point !
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I've seen both Scholes and Riquelme play live (i.e. from the stands), and whilst Scholes was good he wasn't a patch on Riquelme in terms of speed of thought and composure. But to compare them at all is wrong, they are actually very different in my opinion. Scholes plays a lot more defensively, and his game relies on athleticism more than Riquelme. Riquelme doesn't do defending full stop, instead he leaves that to his team mates and tries to influence the game with his passing and keeping posession.
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Um, have you ever really seen Scholes play apart from one game? Because to say Scholes plays defensively and relies on athleticism is just silly. Scholes now plays deep because he is getting older. That doesn't mean he's playing defensively. He does not know how to defend. His tackling is the worst I have ever seen. Also Scholes has never been the player who runs around like a headless chicken, or the one who relies on strength or any sort of athletic ability. He simply relies on his intelligence and technique.
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It's interesting - to be honest a bit infuriating - that many people seem to have 'would he cut it in the Premiership?' as their sole method of measuring a player's worth. There's a big world out there.
But on the domestic front it's nice to such praise for Scholes - surely the biggest condemnation of the over-hyped Eriksson era was that England's best player didn't want to be a part of it.
Going back further, nice to see praise for Trevor Brooking - a class act. But what about Ray Wilkins - a terrific passing midfielder, unjustly hammered for the fact that he preferred to give the ball to someone wearing the same coloured shirt. A few years back at a conference I heard Brazilian coach Oswaldo do Oliveira saying that when he worked in the Middle East he used to visit England just to watch Wilkins pass the ball.
And further afield, I'm delighted that people have remembered Carlos Valderrama - who, like Riquelme, had to be the hub of the team. Watching Colombia these days really brings it home that this type of player is an endangered species.
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Excellent article, as always. I saw Riquelme in the qualifier against Bolivia in Buenos Aires last year. He did nothing for most of the game then made the crucial difference by scoring and setting up the second half goals.
A few seconds that were a privilege to witness and a fair amount of time where he looked like he might as well have been reading the Sunday paper. It's an odd mix and seems largely to depend on whether he's having a good day, which is why it creates so much debate.
I don't think its the sort of thing that would go down well in the UK. Obviously the sublime skill is awsome, but people expect a work-rate that he just wouldn't be interested in producing - or at least that's the impression. Tevez on the other hand....
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Tim. Its a good headline and drew me in, but do you honestly think that a player like JR is a dying bread. I only say that because of the arguments people have put up here. Not forgetting the fact that South America tends to produce match winners and elegant players all the time. Spain also seems to produce them. Germany and some of their great players?
I do see your point though, but if every team was filled with a JR type player, it wouldn't be much good for the spectator.
Im guessing that the introduction of football aides like Pro Zone have a lot to do with the change in football in Europe, but you simply cant teach some of the stuff the modern footballers do. United's Ronaldo has the passes that JR does and my guess is when he moves to spain or Italy, You will see less pace and more skill.
I haven't seen Ronaldinho's name mentioned much on the list. This is an Attacking Midfielder who has been to the very top, Barcelona was built around him and to my memory, Brazil when they won the world cup.
At University, the FA qualified coach/ groundsman always used to say Stamina and fitness allows you to use your skill in a game. Perhaps this is why England get it so wrong and the lack of Fusball. Of which there have been some cracking games taking place in the world cup with some outrageous skills.
I guess my point is, there will always be a player who has genius in his head and feet. Its just a managers decision whether to build a team around such a player or go with a work ethic as Dunga is doing now. and with the introduction of pro zone etc, players now know what it is to perform at the top level.
Thats just my ramble!
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As the article says, Riquelme "divides opinions," yet i'm pleasntly surprised to find the majority of posts here rather complimentary to my favourite player.
For me, Riquelme is ebodies all that is glorious about the game. His patience, class, vision and technique make him, for me, the purest and most elegant playmaker i've seen and has orchestrated some of the most beautiful football i've seen. His geometry and pereption are a complete joy.
Aside from his playing skills, i was also touched by his decision to return to Boca whilst theoretically still at his peak. Admittedly, it could be argued that he'd procured an atmosphere in Spain which may have untenable and some cast him as a surly, prickly figure. Personally though i'm more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and subscribe wholeheartedly to the more romantic account of the returning son to his rightful home.
However, i've really got to take exception to some of the earlier posts. I could have sworn i'd read a comparison to Lassana Diarra. Behave. Roman is a) infinitely more skilled and b) a TOTALLY different type of player (though this point applies to virtually everyone). Another mentioned Geovanni. Yes, flash-in-the-pan, erratic journeyman Geovanni. Of Hull City. Are people really so crude? Crikey. The mind really does boggle, clearly some people just have no subtely, attention to detail or appreciation of beauty whatsoever.
Sorry, i'm aware this is getting a little snotty, maybe even pretentious. Nonetheless, such grave offences cannot be ignored. Right, lastly please stop mentioning Carrick and Scholes as reference points to Riquelme. Neither can hold a candle to the man, neither is that type of player anyway. I'll concede both are talented footballers, though i don't think they have the short-passing game that Roman does and certainly don't control the tempo with his clarity. Just lazy, parochial English tubthumping, that sort of 'we've got one of those' mentality. No, lamentably we haven't. Ok, just had to get that off my chest.
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What I enjoy most about watching Riquelme play, when he is in form, is the guile he brings to the Albiceleste attack. I have seen matches where he can create new dimensions to an attack with only his passing ability. He is a truly spectacular talent and in Brazil you will find it hard to bring too many people together who do not view him as one of the continent's superlative talent.
I think his problem, similar to Spain's Raul, is bottle. In fact, at the most critical junctures as a senior mens national team footballer he has failed to make the lasting impression that has been constantly expected of him. Undoubtedly, both footballers are gifted and have real moments of undeniable genius - still there seems to be a kind of temperamental weakness.
Also like the situation with Raul prior to Euro 2008, many are beginning to speak the unthinkable about Roman. The results of Euro 2008 have probably forever revoked Raul's permanent member status on the national squad after a win in which Spain were widely recognized as the most pleasurable team to watch. Is the same in store for Roman and the Albicelestes?
As a football fan, it would be sad not to see Roman as an Albiceleste. But at the same time - understandable.
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I simply used the Premiership to show how Scholes is the better player. And Riquelme while admittedly a brilliant player would struggle to match his brilliance at a higher tempo whilst I believe Scholes could play in any league with ease.
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Riquelme needs the whole team to be built around him and have everyone committed to playing his style of football, very much in the way Veron was at Lazio. otherwise he can end up looking like the player he was at Barcelona, or Veron was at Manchester United
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You should watch Man U! Scholes of course has been doing this for years and Carrick is carrying on the art, but the person who, to much suprise is developing into a sublime passer of the ball is Rooney, who couldn't pass for toffees when he came to United.
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Excellent article again, and some nice comments also...
On the subject of exciting midfielders who lack pace, power but have that little something extra in the passing locker everyone seems to have forgotten Arshavin!
He was the shining light of Euro 2008 and I watched him put in some exceptional performances during the UEFA Cup run, including a quite magnificent display of passing guile at Goodison Park - a game which Zenit were hugely unlucky to lose!
He may not have had the chance to prove himself REGULARLY at the highest level, but for me the little Russian genius is definitely one of the finest players in the world game at present.
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Intresting indeed....certainly the likes of RIQUELME are a rare species nowadays.Since football is not only about strenght and speed, the slow-but-sure RIQUELMIC quality cannot be separated from the beautiful game.
Thus, i regard Riquelme as the last member of the world's few greatest ball controllers and passers like in the footsteps of only the retired Colombian Valderama (aka the walking 10) and Zinedine Zidane the magician.It is indeed in Riquelme and these two superstars that the world saw a different style of skillful,athletic and fast football previously introduced by the two football geniuses in the name of PELE and MARADONA.That notwithstanding,the style of play seen in PELE and MARA is still alive in C Ronaldo,Messi,Kaka,Ronaldinho,Robinho etc.
Like Valderama and Zizou,Riquelme made the world realised that at a slow but sure space and a perfect touch on the ball with high rate of intelligence, the game could be shifted to another positive dimension. The Riquelmic role is a link between the defence and the forward with the ball tasked with the major running in stead of the individual.To make this effective,you need an energetic and combative ball winner to do the hard job with intelligent and quick finishers while the ''ballmaster'' to complete the mission.
The demise of this ''Last One'' would leave the world with no other choice than to bank on the presence of Pul Scholes,Deco,Pirlo,Fabregas and the maturing Anderson.
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And I suppose the little georgian? Kinkladze at City? Surely his talent in a team just illuminated the prem for a while. I still dont think these types of players are a dying breed.
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Oh ALLAH an other member of the Riquelmic family of African decent is indeed none other than the charismatic Jayjay Okocha whose skills has been ignored only because of his colour.Obviously he is one of the best players to ever kick the leather ball
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Another excellent article Tim.
I find it quite sad that there is no place in Europe for a player of Riquelme's ability. I know that part of it is his personality but it is a shame that there aren't any teams willing to take a chance with him. In a way Riquelme's struggle in Europe is a little similar to Maradona's. Things didn't work out for him at Barca or Seville and even in Napoli where he was a hero it went a bit sour at the end.
Still, on the other hand it is nice to see a South American player playing in his homeland in his peak.
On another subject, what do you think of Maradona jnr wanting to play for River Plate, Tim? Is he even good enough? Another case of a player who certainly doesn't inherit his father's footballing genes.
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Mind you a Gambian youngster who was among the U-17 team that trashed Mighty Brazil 3-1 in the 2005 world cup in Peru and later participated in thel ast U-20 World cup in Canada is another upcoming Riquelmic breed.Only that he is a bit stroger, but a perfect ball controller and passer.
He is currently playing with FC Brann in Norway and won the young player award last season.Watch him this weekend against Senegal in Dakar
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In a way Riquelme's struggle in Europe is a little similar to Maradona's. Things didn't work out for him at Barca or Seville and even in Napoli where he was a hero it went a bit sour at the end.
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Maradona was great at Barsa. Riquelme was a total flop. The bad point for Maradona was when Goicochea crippled him, but he had some fantastic games for the club. Riquelme didn't.
At Napoles, Maradona was nothing short of miraculous. At Sevilla he was fat, unfit, old and probably drugged up to the eyeballs.
Riquelme came to Europe at the height of his career and just couldn't cut it, especially in the big games and against the big teams.
To succeed in football (and many other professions) every player needs to have a bit of the Roy Keane inside him. Maradona does. Riquelme doesn't. It's a question of character.
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The name of this Gambian prodigy is Tijan Jaiteh..watch out for him coz he is a whizkid.
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Riquelme is on a par with Zidane and in some ways for me more of a match winner.
I only became aware of him after Rangers played Villareal in the last 16 of the champions league and he amazed me with his range of passing and close control. They unsurprisingly knocked Rangers out of the competition and went on to beat Inter Milan in the next round by a Riquelme inspired performance.
For any doubters go to youtube and search for Riquelme V Inter Milan. Unbelievable stuff.
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The biggiest concern with Riquelme is showing up for big games. I have said this before he turns in to El Fantasma (The Ghost) in big games. Only major games I recall him being a stud was 2005 vs Brasil in a WCQ and Copa Libertadores from 2007. Besides that I can not really recall great showings from from him in important games. He is treat to watch when he is playing his best, he can do FK's, set pieces better then anybody in the world really. When he is marked by two players the team has many problems. I do not think anybody doubts his ability and creativity, it just that he does not fit well with the national side consistently.
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I agree 100% with Tim Vickey, riquelme is a dying breed. Modern football desire is to be bigger,stronger,faster.people are forgetting the key player who brings other players into the game and controls the tempo of the game. not rushing just keeping the ball moving and waiting for the killer pass. you need a player who can control the pase of the game and other players who can work around him. there are hardly any unique players who can do what riquelme does. not only play making yet can use both feet and take a superb free kcik.
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excuse the ignorance, but sounds a little like, Cantona no? Okay then Zidane? Am I closer? A dying breed? No I don't think so, Ronaldo, whichever one you like doesn't hustle people off the ball with strenght, His Type, Rique....(*and I cannot even begin to spell it, and start to understand the need for nicknames from south america) won't ever die out because they have something un buy able, Skill pure and simple, You can put 11 men made of supple marble in defence it takes one man of skill to score....better yet if he is a team player. It's just trying to find the guy is the problem.
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man u - carrick
arsenal - fabregas (denilson, ramsey)
liverpool - alonso (lucas)
chelsea - deco
barcelona - xavi and ineista
totenham - modric
etc..............
the passing midfielder who is not strong and powerful is present throughout all the great teams. the next generation of youngsters are also in the mold of riquelme.
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everyone hasfailed to mention Andrea Pirlo who is also amazing as a lazy creative pass master.
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Riquelme hardly flopped in Europe. He was amazing at times for Villarreal so I don't understand how everybody is slating him for it. He had at least 2 years of brilliance there before he fell out with the manager. That's how they did so well in their first season after promotion.
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I have always been a big fan of Riquelme but believe that he needs a certain type of forward to thread balls through to. Argentina recently produce forwards such as Messi, Tevez, Aguero that enjoy dropping deep, a forward who gets beyond the defence for Riquelme to link to i.e. a Batistuta would be a luxury that no nation would cope with. Hopefully we will see Argentina produce this player again because at the moment its not working between Messi, Aguero and Tevez. Also would like to get the perspective on Javier Saviola, remeber years ago he being touted as 'the next maradona' but he has fallen spectacularly from grace was he another one of the Argentinians that was overhyped and failed to match the standards expected oor did he truly believe he was like maradona and not put the effort into his game anymore to improve.
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Riquelme plays his best games when NOTHING is expected of him. It's when he's put with his back against the wall that he truly shines.
Nothing was expected of the Bianchi Boca side that went on to win back to back Libertadores titles with Riquelme in charge the same happened with him in the 2007 Libertadores cup (man of the tournament!), nothing was expected of him when he had to play Real Madrid in an intercontinental cup (he ended up being the man of the match schooling a young Makelele in the process). Nothing was expected from him at Villarreal.
Nothing was expected from him against Inter Milan and he ANNIHILATED that team.
However give him pressure to perform and he (usually) can't take it. It's SO frustrating yet so predictable. Still one of my favourite players to watch though.
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I think Riquelme is playing in the wrong position.
He should play like Berbatov does, as provider-striker with another strike partner, as the holding-striker up front, instead of the holding-midfielder role that he plays now.
But then again, with such prolific attackers in Aguero, Tevez and Messi, it's hard to just plonk Riquelme up front.
In a way, may be it's the formation that needs to change around him, as pivot - and perhaps Argentina needs to play 4-3-3 and nothing else, and put Riquelme in the middle up front to pull the strings from there, to draw attention to himself so he can thread the passed to Messi and Aguero coming from either side. Then, Tevez, who is a little bit more zippy, could sit right behind Riquelme and move the ball around excitedly. That should free up the back to come up the sides, as well, since Tevez is also good at hustling back.
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As a massive fan of Riquelme I was interested to read this article.
I have fond memories of him from Villareal's games with Rangers in the last 16 of the champions league in 2005/6 and some of his performances in that competition were fantastic. Some of his performances in the 2006 world cup including his involvement in the Cambiasso goal were also superb.
While I accepted that the chances of him joining my team Rangers were remote I did hold out some hope he might get a move to the premiership which would allow me to see more of him but this has so far never happened.
Good article. I hope he plays for years to come and that while a player who plays the "Riquelme" role as well as him may not be seen again, that he is not a dying breed.
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One thing I love about football is that it has these endless varieties, different styles, different cultural contexts. Much like one of my other passions, food, which has many different styles across the globe. Some flavours or ingredients don't work well in all places, but, like Riquelme, they are delicious when used properly. Gosh I'm hungry.
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I have seen Riquelme only on tv, however quite a number of times. He dose not influence enough games. He has great skill when he gets a chance to play but a player who cannot influence at least 80% of his matches will not win trophies for his team.
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finnharpsman:
Does the Copa Libertadores count as a trophy?
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It is quite surprising to see 150 odd comments already and what more majority of them supporting Riquelme. So kudos for Tim in that he has indeed made this space interesting with the discussion going over to players of similar style. It has been a nice read.
A Final comment before I sign out.
I can see that readers are largely in support of Roman playing with Argentina in the current set-up. I can also see the reason for it and I have to disagree on it. Look at my earlier post and I do really like Riquelme, but to me the time has indeed come for Argentina to look beyond and I have given my reasons as well (posts 15, 37).
Let me just also point out that while readers are indeed talking about the need not to just worry about about the end product and not the trophy cabinet. I think for the team to grow success is crucial, at this level that is. And, I am not really implying that Roman chokes or anything but Argentina is getting found out at the big stage. And that is in large part due to the way the team is built. Which brings me back to Riquelme and the defects. Maybe there is an intermediate solution.
With regard to aesthetics being more crucial and all that matters. I really do respect Arsenal and Arsene Wenger and their style of play, but in that game against Villareal (which many have pointed out as an example of Riquelme-choke) Arsenal precisely did, through iirc with Gilberto Silva, stifle Roman in that return leg at El Madrigal. And sat back and played on the break.
This is not a dig at Arsenal but just pointing out that when at the latter stages all teams work out tactically and there is nothing wrong with it.
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Indeed Riquelme is a fantastic player who has the ability to dictate the pace of the game and deliver killer passes. The comments that he failed in Spain are incorrect as Villareal did well in La Liga and the CL while he was there. To say he would have failed in the EPL is pure conjecture and there seems to be a huge misconception among some pundits that the 'pace and physicality' of the EPL are somehow what makes it the best league in the world.....it may have the most cash but in footballing terms it certainly isn't the best. May we see more of the likes of Riquelme
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I am surprised that nobody has mentioned Andrea Pirlo,in the same mould as Riquelme.He was very influential regarding Italy win in FIFA2006 World Cup and 3 times won FIFA Man of the Match. Come Euro 2008 a booking made him forced him to miss quater finals finals against Spain which Italy subsequently lost.
Riquelme was unjustly I feel was blamed for Argentina's elimination from 2006 World Cup and his international retirement and the media pressure on particularly his mother.
He was influential in Boca Juniors winning the 2007 Copa Libertores but beacause he did not meet transfer deadline was unable to take part FIFA World Club Championship.
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Post 157 :
" I am surprised that no-one has mentioned Andrea Pirlo "
Actually, many of the posts have mentioned him. I suggest you go back and read them again.
I' m more surprised that I called Carlton Palmer Calvin Palmer for some bizarre reason.
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Sorry Miz2die4 I missed you comment watching The Street but agree with you
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Socretes, Platini, Valderama, Zidane, Riquelme - the show must go on. Amazing midfielders and fantastic to watch. Who thought that Zidane would be the best player since Maradona. Zidane who was rejected by Algeria! Football is 70% skill and intellegence, and only 30% pace. There will be many Riquelmes around in years to come, and some of them will be the best players on the planet in their generation, just like Zidane was for three years in his playing career.
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Once again Tim, you do not dissappoint. Excellent article. Just wondering when your going to write a book.
Riquelme is a fantastic player, and one has to really try to look past the all the athleticism in the game now to really appreciate Riquelme's ability. I remember the 2002 World Cup, the USA had a similar player in Claudio Reyna. A player that could totally change the tempo of the game, and was probably the reason why the US got so far in that World Cup. There are others as well, Pirlo, Xavi and Iniesta, Scholes and Carrick, Fabregas and others, so the Riquelme type player isn't being endagered.
It's interesting how some people have noted Pirlo as one of those types of players. If not, Pirlo is almost an exact replica of Riquelme. As a Milan fan, I have noticed that Whenever Pirlo doesn't have a ball winner in the same midfield with him, he has a bad game. He had some excellent games in the 2006 World Cup as well, but he always needs a ball winner in order to get the best out of him. Recently he hasn't been doing that well for Milan (because he's injured) but also because Ancelloti never changes his tactics. Instead of playing Pirlo in front of Gattusso, he always plays him along side him. A small difference yes, but it might be the difference between a win and a disappointing loss.
Carrick is another great player, whom I hope Capello starts using along with Barry, so that he could provide those defense splitting passes to Rooney. Xavi and Iniesta have always done this at Barca, almost in tandem.
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Riquelme is good player, but some posters are getting carried away. He is nowhere near Zidane, and I don't think Arsenal fans are too far off in comparing Fabergass with Riquelme. Riquelme slows the game down. Teams that are afraid of Argentina (that would be 90%) tend to stay back and let Riquelme shine. Unfortunately in big games against better and faster teams his style becomes too ponderous and renders Argentina toothless. He is slow motion version of Zidane!
With all of Argentina's wealth their record against good top tier teams is pretty poor.
Riquleme and lack of pace are main reason.
I am sorry, but we have to move with time, players are bigger, stronger and faster. Zidanawas both physical and plenty of pace not Walccot pase but he was not slow.
Xavi and Fabergass are not the fastest but they do move about in quick pace. Riquelme is laid back and almost looks lazy.
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It's laughable that Carrick is being mentioned in the same breath is Riquelme
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Juan Roman Riquelme is a phenomenon, in an age when that word is over used.
To be brutally honest, people who can not see how good he is know very little about the game of football.
Not only he is he arguably the best proponent of ball retention I have ever seen, with the exception of Paul Scholes, he is the heartbeat of a team; a metronome who conducts the tempo of the side.
I have never understood why Riquelme divides opinion so much, when he elevates football to an art form.
Those critics who point out his miserable spell at Barcelona fail to realise that he joined the club (reluctantly) at one of the most turbulent periods in its recent history, and was often played on the flank!
That's the footballing equivalent of hiring a bricklayer to sort out your plumbing!
Excellent article...
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I think a few people are a little too insular here; seemingly unaware of football outside the Premiership.
Can't believe someone said Riquelme is slow mentally either. Riquelme may be many things, but he is certainly not slow of mind. One of the best football brains around, and I like the Valeron comparison someone brought up.
Hope this doesn't break the rules, but I'm going to plug a football forum (you can visit it too Tim!)
http://europeanboard.ephpbb.com/index.htm
lot of regulars from the old 606, and we talk about football from all over (Prem, La Liga, Serie A, South American footy etc). Be nice if we could get some fresh faces.
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There are a few players that I have heard of emerging from south america, i just wondered if you could enlighten me, on there oversall talent, and the likelyhood of them coming out of the shadows and to the forefront.
renato augusto, benega, and danilnho. I already knew of aguero, who is now doing well for alectico madrid.
what annoys me is that i know of these players and they always go to spain or italy first? when will we start getting them here first, im a liverpool fan and would love aguero to have come to liverpool, 2 years ago now he will cost 30 million after this season,
I just want some more flair but at a better price at a younger age, whats your thoughts on this?
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I see your point but I'm not sure it's entirely true, there are still players who rely more on their passing game than their fitness or ability to run at players.
Fabregas, Berbatov and Deco are evidence of three of the 'big four' having this type of player.
I wouldn't say they are dying out so much as being discouraged by lesser talented teams with tactics of tough tackling, I think of Everton playing Arsenal last year.
This goes to what Shannonmydas says, it's more teams like Bolton and Everton where such players will struggle, everyone has spoken of Modric not being tough enough for the Premiership, so they end up elsewhere, particularly Spain (plus it's easier for them to avoid work permit issues there given that the vast majority of this type of player is South American).
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Having read the majority of posts on here, I'm surprised to see Pirlo's name being mentioned so sparingly. IMO he was just as good as JRR in Germany 06, culminating in the victory at the end. He was man-of-the-match three times, not least in the final, where he 'duelled' with Zizou.
Also, his partnership with Gattuso (with both sitting behind Totti) was the ultimate midfield combination. Graft, guile and class, all rolled into one.
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Ive read many of the comments, and naturally (as this is england) many people seem to think there is no room for this kind of artistic player that is not running himself into the ground in matches.
I totally disagree, and glad to see many others also of the same mind.
There are so many comments i would like to make on this subject and as i write, i cannot foresee how long my post will end up.
Let me start by mentioning the recent (or not so) failings of our national team.
There is something to be said of the current crop of so called world class 'golden generation' of england players and the fact that there appears to be none who possess the sort of vision and technique of a requelme, someone who is, as tim put it; "a foot-on-the-ball playmaker".
The influence of this kind of player cannot be under-estimated, even if he's having an off day, but also the team needs to be accomodated around this kind of player which seems to be something we fear to do in this country.
Take the world champions Italy for example, the payer that the team takes its tempo from is Andrea Pirlo, albeit from a deeper position than requelme. When he asks for the ball, he is usually always given it and is trusted implicitly with what he will do with it.
Other examples of this sort of 'trusted role' would include; Beckenbaur-Germany, Zidane- France, Deco- Portugal, Veron- Argentina and Arsharvin- Russia.
I feel that one of the problems with the England team is that there are too many ego's to allow this sort of respect and responsibility to go to one player, and therefore it leads to confution and uncohesive play. This coupled with the fact that there appears to be no one with this ability in England (who has not retired from the national team -Scholes).
Infact when Man utd are playing at their free-flowing best its not the undesputed talents of Ronaldo of the tenacious Rooney that I admire the most but the calculated, tempo setting, artistic playmaking that Scholes brings to the team, you can see that the team respects him, but also when you see Man utd struggle they seem to negate the ever open Scholes and to some extent Carrick and instead choose to try and bluggeon there way through down the flanks, this does also work for them but is not them at their best.
The sad fact for england is for all our talents in many departments we still see Gerrard or Rooney as our most influential players. Two palyers that are good but lacking in technical and tactical nous.
Rooney for me has not lived up to hype and the potential has has, he is too loose when in posession and I fear he may not have the footballing intelligence (or other) to fullfill his natural talent.
Gerrard can only be effective at one pace, which is fast. By admission by his own manager (benitez) "he empties the midfield to quickly". This is the reason benitez does not want to play him in his prefered CM role and instead sees him more effective as a support striker or coming in from the wings rather than dictate the play in his 'rush rush' style.
Don't get me wrong these players are good and have prooved to be effective at club level, but they do not have the attributes to be the 'trusted playmaker'
As for previous generations, we seem to have only produced handfulls of players in the Requelme mould; Wilkins , Hoddle, Le Tissier, Rednapp, Gasgcoine but worse still we never used them in the right way when it came to the England team, playing them in orthedox postions as opposed to specificaly disigned roles with the resposibility and freedom.
Too many times i hear people bemoan an individual's playing position in the england team like- "gerrard should have been played through the middle rather than wide left" etc, what i always say is ; it matters more what role and mind set a player is given and what task he is assigned to rather than just position alone, e.g. zidane for madrid played left side of midfield but was no winger.
As for why we dont produce this kind of talent in england, I agree with one of the previous comment's on this page. It is down to grass roots football and the culture we have in this country where commitment and physical atributes take priority above all esle. the shouts of "get rid of it " and "lump it" still ring fresh in my mind from my youth.
Couple this with assesments on potential talents made at an age where the body is still developing and the strong and the quick for the age group is noticed first, rather than footballing brain and its no wander we have numerous players in the same mould right up to the england senior team- like center mid; Gerrard, Lampard, Jenas, Barry etc.
I very much enjoy reading your Articles Tim, as you seem to be that rare thing in the British media, someone with real knowledge on football with genuine well thought out opinions and not just someone who 'know's all the names' and jumps from bandwagon to bandwagon.
I just wish we could have you back here giving your thoughts on English football on a big stage.
Keep up the good work.
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You people who hate him need to grow up and ACCEPT he is a brilliant and technicly gifted midfielder , you can't hate a footballer for being great , look at C.Ronaldo , im a Chelsea fan and even i can admit he is a good footballer
you need to swollow your pride and accept he is one of the best midfielders football has seen along with the likes of Ballack , Lampard , Gerrard
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First and foremost, let me introduce myself here. My name is Sivan John from Malaysia, a passionate supporter of Argentina. This is my first comment here. I must say I’ve always enjoy reading your article. For your info, I am blogger myself. I write all the stuff about my favourite team alongside with buddy Seba (from Buenos Aires) at Mundo Albiceleste. Is it possible to have our link under your blog roll?
By the way about Roman, the opinions have always been divided among fans alike. I for one even had some reservation about him, especially after the World Cup 2006. I was absolutely disappointed when he announced his retirement in such circumstances and then chooses to make a u-turn to play in the Copa America. Another thing about him is that I have never seen him enjoying his game for the Albiceleste as he does when he wears a Boca jersey.
These things will always raise plenty a question about him, at least from my own humble opinion. After all it is highly that he will be our playmaker in 2010, a statement that bothers me sometime.
Please don’t get me wrong here. I’m not an anti-Roman or something like that. As a matter of fact, I was among fortunate enough to have seen him playing as a teenager back in 1997 when Malaysia hosted the FIFA World Youth Cup. Alongside Pablo Aimar, he steered Argentina all the way to the final and winning it as well. He was indeed special and many of friends knew that he was going to be something big in the future.
I don’t think there is any problem with his game or his style of play for that matter. I do believe the problem lies within Riquelme himself.
On his best, he can turn on against the best in the world. One good example was against Brazil in a World Cup qualifier in 2005. Without a doubt, it was one of the best games I’ve seen him playing. A night when even Ronaldhino didn’t look he was the best player in the world.
But there is also the dark side of him. The one that has the tendency to have a mood swing and switch off when it really matters. I could hardly remember him in the quarter final against Germany in 2006.
At the end of the day, he is what he is and I just hope that Coco Basile can instill the faith that entrusted upon him by his mentor, Jose Luis Pekerman. 2010 is just around the corner.
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Great article Tim. I've been living and working here in BsAs for a couple of years now and as an avid footy fan who regulary reads your articles I've been fortunate to have been able to watch Juan Roman Riquelme on many occasions both on the tele and in the flesh.
To say whether or not his style and footballing wizardry is of a dying breed merely glosses over the fact that in Riquelme we have a old-school footballer who has the intelligent ability to drag and bewilder both midfielders and defenders alike, execute a pinpoint accurate pass and score an abundance of important goals both for club and country time and time again.
Agreed, this does not happen 100% of the time he pulls on the jersey, and at times could be questioned for his lacklustre and lethargic approach. But for the majority of the time it must be said that most of the football getting played both at Boca Jrs and for Argentina comes directly through him. When Riquelme plays and gets the support and creative running from his teamates he usually orchestrates the team into a winning formula. Without disrespecting any of his teamates, Riquelme is usually the 'One' who makes them tick.
Last year I spoke to one of Pekerman's coaches at the 2006 World Cup and he more or less accepted (as did Pekerman he told me with the use of hindsight) that his decision to substitute Riquelme categorically led to the demise and defeat of Argentina against Germany. Whether or not Argentina would have then went on to lift the World Cup is forever going to be open to question.
I for one salute the man who turned his back on the millions of euros he could still be earning to ply his trade for his boyhood heroes for a fraction of the earnings. There's few like him and his 'old-school' genius in modern day football. Thank god I'm still fortunate enough to be able to watch his skill and finesse week-in week-out.
So Tim, if you're ever in BsAs and you want to enjoy the delights of Argentinean football, get in touch.
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Great piece again Tim. I'm a massive fan of Riquelme but don't see him as a dieing breed at all. As a previous comment mentioned, Manchester United use Scholes in a similar way and similarly to Riquelme, he has good players around him to use his football brain on. You could even argue that Deco is a more consistent version.
Englands problem wont be solved simply adding a Riquelme type player.
They don't possess enough players who want to play this way and there is no balance. If Riquelme was English, he woudn't do much as the other players wouldn't know how to play with that type of player (with the exception of Hargreaves who played with Effenberg and perhaps some Man U players)
Look at Spain during the Euros. Iniesta and Xavi are not seen as athletic but with someone like Senna behind them (who is amazingly under-rated) and great movement from the likes of Silva and Torres, they bossed the midfield with pure football last summer.
Same as
Italy 2006 - Pirlo
Milan 2006 -Kaka+Pirlo
Porto 2004 - Deco
Just a few examples but it shows that with the right balance, those types of players still shine and are relevant in modern football. If anything they are more important.
I cant help but think we have a similar style of player at Celtic in Nakamura (I'm not comparing them in class before people jump on my back). He is great technicaly and has a superb left-foot but we play him wide. The players he plays with have to be as good technically if you want to get the best out of him but sadly that isn't the case in Scottish football.
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beautiful article yet again tim...juan roman riquelme is simply one of a dying breed.
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I think this article goes to show that a lot of people who maybe only really follow Prem football dont know too much about Riquelme!
Also there are claims that some comparisons are wide of the mark eg Carrick . Again a general ignorance prevails.
Carrick is as close as you can get to Riquelme as far as English players go. This isnt a discussion about who we think are good midfielders its about a particular type of midfielder with high levels of decision making and vision to open spaces, unlock defences and show a chess players patience in his reading of the game. Given the chance of such a free role in a side I believe Carrick has the basic attributes that this role requires which are first and foremost the ability to trap a ball and pass a ball cleanly. His range of passing is then added to this mix and then for him to be effective he requires like minded players to exploit the space around them. I would say Joe Cole and Rooney have the football intelligence to make the right kind of running and positioning as well as the natural talent that is Theo Walcott. He isnt Riquelme, no one else can be. But the option is there for the England manager if he wants to emulate the likes of Italy or Argentina.
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Vickery, have you not heard of Cesc Fabregas. He does everything you say of Riquelme. Fact is Riquelme is easier to mark out of the game at the highest level because his lack of fitness lets him down. great skills but will only do it against limited opposition. Fabregas is a fitter Riquelme - he does it against any opposition.
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Great article Tim and I agree it would be a very sad day and the start of the death of football if fantastically gifted, but not blessed with pace, players like Riquelme were forced out the game. Football is of course about winning, but it must always try to be about entertaining as well. Football can't just turn into a weird mirror image of basketball. One team having 11 players all 6 feet 2+, so other teams buy players that are 6 feet 4+, and so on and so on. Personally I'd rather see my team having players like Riquelme, Le Tiss, Waddle, Ginola, players with no pace, and a lazy style of play, but who excite you every time they get the ball. It costs enough to go to a game these days, surely you'd at least want to watch a game happy, watching players you'd have dreamed about playing like when still a kid, instead of watching 11 big, built like an outhouse, players, grinding a 1 nill win every week?
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Riquelme is fine if you want to build a team to accomodate him, it can be done. The problem comes when you have several players who want to be doing the same thing and Argentina (like Barcelona to an extent) have had that problem in recent years.
Riquelme will never be forced out of the game, teams will take a chance on players like him because in the end only a handful of teams can play the 'ideal' way. The rest have to make do with wht they ahve and alter their tactics to try and gain some sort of edge. This is where he comes in.
Whether Argentina can afford to do that is another matter. I feel that they would be better without him because of the extra freedom it would afford the likes of Messi and Tevez but in the modern age it should be viable to pick a team for the occasions. where you have a game agaisnt a team who will put 11 men behind the ball you need someone like Riquelme as he can break through whereas the other type would be less likely to do so.
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@Tim
Excellent point about people basing their opinion on a players worth by judging can they play in the premiership
Leagues all over the world are different. Granted some are better and other are worse.
But if you compared La liga and the premiership.... Riera couldn't produce at Man City but could at Espanyol i.e. la liga is inferior, this is not the case at all
I believe the manager and trainers have a huge hand in performance. Already at Liverpool he is producing a few waves.
Henry went to Barcelona and is playing desparately i.e. La liga is superior to the premiership, this argument is also just as nonsensical as the previous.
I dont' know many people that truely believe Henry can't perform anymore. He isn't over it. Its just the system he is forced to play in and maybe a couple of other issues that we don't know about, manager player relations etc...
And to all those people that keep saying Iniesta is similar to Riquelme
STOP SAYING THIS, are you having a laugh, are you just saying this cause he is catalan and plays for barcelona just like Xavi which infers that they are identical...
Honestly I can't come up with any other reason for people saying this other than complete lack of knowledge.
Iniesta is not Xavi... if he was Rijkaard would not play them on the same team nor would Pep Guardiola.
And finally Riquelme is a better passer of the ball than Messi.
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A lot of posts mention Pirlo, but he's a totally different player and plays a lot deeper then Riquelme.
What i dont understand is why more teams don't play with a Pirlo type player as for years he has pulled the strings for AC and nobody has picked him up as he plays so deep. The average DM like Mascherano or Makalele never got near him so he could pick teams off at will.
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Even if your the best winger/striker in the world you still need someone to get the ball to your feet. Alot of these great goal scorers would not have such goal tally's if it were not for players like Riquelme. To me the pass is the linch pin of football, you can't exchange the ball between players. A good pass can make put even an average player into space and a good position. I'm not saying you don't need pace but you could do with a player like Riquelme to unleash that pace into space. If that was to diminish from our game I for one would miss it, purely from a neutralistic love of the game and the way I think it should be played.
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English Premier League is not the be-all end-all measure of worth for a football player.
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Finally someone pointed out that Iniesta is totally unlike Xavi. He is dribbler, more like Aleksandr Hleb than anyone else or a slower Messi.
Also, Pirlo is different in that at AC Milan he has Clarence Seedorf to push on with Kaka and for Italy it is normally Camoranesi or another player, he normally is the deepest midfielder so naturally open to passes back from all angles.
One English player who hasn't been mentioned here but is similar in some ways is Jimmy Bullard- although he is more athletic, he has a very good tactical brain unlike the other England boys mentioned.
Lastly, what about the Egyptian captain, Ahmed Hassan- every time i saw him, he looked the player that pulled the strings.
Basically, not a dying breed yet, other than England. But the in the present age, Riquelme is surely the best example of extremely technical/strategic player.
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I think there are some very good points made in response to the excellent blog, however i think that to put people like Carrick, Pirlo, Xavi (in his earlier days certainly) who play a lot deeper roles and therefore have more time to deliver pin point long passes is unfair. I am a big fan of these players but i think its a very different role. Roman finds his space in tighter areas higher up the park. I think players of valerons and le tiss' style and calibre are comparable, but would agree it is a dying breed.
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Great article, Tim Vickery, I agree entirely.
FACT: A player who is regarded as a world-class footballer in the modern game WITHOUT having fantastic speed and athletisism is something very special. Very few modern players would fit the bill... (probably only Riquelme, Brazil's Ronaldo and the now 'slow' Ronaldinho). PURE TALENT sees these guys through.
...And by world-class I mean "truly" world-class. I'm not talking about thelikes of Gareth Barry, Paul Scholes, Carrick, etc who have seemingly been gifted this tag by biased fans and the British press. If these guys were all world-class, then the England national team consists of 11 world-class players?! LMAO if only!!
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First of all i would like to say that this was a good article by Tim.
Second i dont really understand hwy some people here are comparing Fabregas to Riquelme when they are two completely different type of players even tho they play more or less the same position!
I love to see players like Riquelme at their best, its like watching an artist paint a new painting, or a director directing a new film. Unfortunately there aren't many of does type of players anymore, i follow the english league, italian, spanish, portuguese, french brazilian and argentinian and i dont see many of does types of players anymore. Theres only really a few players that i concider 'REAL' number 10's (playmakers) the likes of Deco (Chelsea) Diego (Werden Bremen) Diego Buonanotte (River Plate) and maybe a few others that play that role of linking the play from defence to attack at their own pace and with such natural technique and very little speed.
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Riquelme is a phenomenal footballer, people have been saying that he only good when he has space, but if these people knew anything about football they would realise that he creates his own space for a whole 90minutes... the whole game he drifts into the holes between the oppositions defence and midfield and demands the ball. riquleme is great because of what he does off the ball not just on it... he is always aware of the people around him and you will see him in acres of space all game because he finds it, it doesnt find him.
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donbothroyd... Brazils ronaldo had lighting pace... thats half his game, the bust of pace to send him through the defence and in on goal. have you never seen him play??? Also paul scholes is most definalty World class and very underrated. Fabregas can make it.. he just needs a few more years and some more silverware.
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@ donbothroyd (#185)
Brazil's ronaldo was all about speed, so him being regarded as a world class player without speed like Riquelme is wrong, maybe i'm misreadin what you're saying
and heres an article on paul scholes, this is what top professionals say about, this is why he is top class
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/7408010.stm
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It reminds of the build up to the last world cup, when everyone said France were a team of past-its. Who was it who rose to the occasion and near enough single-handledly carried them to the final? Zinedine Zidane, a player who is cast in the same mould as Riquelme. His control of the tempo was at the heart of the France team, much like Riquelme's was in the same tournament.
Another excellent example of this style of play is Paul Scholes: probably one of the most underestimated and underrated footballers of his generation. While beckham was off courting the entire world Scholes got on with playing football.
While footballers are becoming increasingly better athletes; there is one attribute that is had to learn, namely intelligence. Not intelligence is a necessarily academic sense but in being able to pick a pass, find space or even simple awareness.
In short in all the great teams lies craft and diligence; Scholes at United, Cambiasso at Inter, Xavi at Barca to name but a few. If Argentina turn their back on players of Riquelme's ilk then they may well lose their way. Just look at Brazil; their midfield is littered with muscle and athleticism, but very little guile.
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It's very difficult to compare a footballer playing in Argentina or Spain with one in England. Very different footballing universes. Having said that, I would not class (younger, in-form) Scholes in the same category of footballer as Roman.
Scholes is, undoubtedly, class. A wonderfully incisive passer and so clever on the ball. Also very dangerous from striking distance. It is a tribute to him that in a league that places such high esteem on physical traits (pace, strength, power...) that Scholes has built a career on intelligence and craft.
Still, in-form and in-the-mood Riquelme has the ability to single-handedly transform a game and bring his team to another level of play. Perhaps I have not seen enough of Scholes to make the judgement - but I have rarely seen him as the transformative agent in the midfield - as opposed to a generally consistent and clever handler and passer of the ball.
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"He was brilliant" Rooney said at a Nike launch of their new boot Total 90 Supremacy.
"I remember at half-time everyone was saying that nobody could get anywhere near him. He was fantastic."
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Lets just face the facts as long as Coco Basile is the coach of of team he will not drop him. So I guess they have to deal with it. Another problem is the back line, a bit slow and quite flat footed. Heinze needs to go and bring in El Negro Garay and Demichelis has some good games as well. But Heinze needs to get out as well as the biggest problem for Argentina and that is Pato Abbondanzieri. I'd rather see Carrizo or Romero anytime of the year. And both of them got called up. I think it is all but over for Abbondanzieri and most of us Argentines will just say ciao to him. But Ustari might be the front runner if he gets fit.
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Tim
What a great peice and what a refreshing place to come. The level of intelligence shown in the vast majority of posts gives me a glimmer of hope for the future of English football.
At last somewhere where they don't worship at the altar of England's "golden generation". Riquelme v Mexico was my lasting memory of 2006. My 8 year old son was devastated when Argentina went out. This "wouldn't survive in the Premiership" nonsense is easily answered.
The golden generation couldn't go past a major quarter final
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Panchopuskas, comment number 7: what are you on about? "Riqueleme failed in Spain"? He carried Villareal to the Champions League semi finals!
I am an enormous Riquelme fan. The problem with him (and his type) is that you have to build your team entirely around him. He has to be the number 10 and you have to have two central midfielders doing his leg work - the Deschamps and Petit to Zidane at France '98.
If he came to England he'd probably flop, as most sides would either be too frightened to accommodate him centrally or would not have enough quality around him to make him fit. That and he's getting on a bit too.
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Brazil seem to be shooting themselves in the foot with their (over)emphasis on athleticism. How they could do with a Riquelme-type in their midfield, instead of the talentless powerhouses such as Lucas, Mineiro, Gilberto silva etc....
Riquelme would flourish in that Brasillian midfield, with an infinite number of options when on the ball. When the Selecao's wing-backs, Dani Alves and Maicon, get forward, they spread the opposition's midfield wide open, thus creating small avenues through which JRR could feed the likes of Kaka, Robinho and Adriano with his 'eye-of-a-needle' passes.
This was the secret behind Italy's success in WC06. Whenever Pirlo was on the ball, he had a whole selection of team-mates to choose from; with Zambrotta, Grosso, Camoranesi and Toni being the key beneficiaries. Also, having Francesco Totti further up field, keeping defenders occupied in his support-striker role, it freed up space behind the opposition centre-halves for the likes of Toni and Gilardino to exploit - which they did.
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Tim,
I bought 'The ball is round' and have just been reading the 'Military Manoeuvres' part. It suggests that the move towards futebol forca was influenced by the military regimes in Brazil and Uruguay whilst in Argentina they tried to respond with pace and tempo because they remembered that whilst they had to compete, winning wasn't about boring people to death, to quote Danny Blanchflower
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i thought this article was on riquelme? how did arsenal, fabregas, the premiership, el coco and brazil all jumo into it?? juan is exceptional...simply put. i dont believe in the term "today's football / modern football", because football is an everyday thing, not restricted to generations or eras. brazil employed a 4-2-4 in 2006 when people thought that died out. 3-5-2 is used in serie A commonly although its called "old-fashioned" and england only have confidence when a 4-4-2 is being used (glanville, world soccer 10/2008). seeing him makes me nostalgic, to a time in football when entertaining was part of the game, much like not conceding is nowadays. but keep in mind, players who occupy the number 10 spot are still coming through. except, with more versatility. for EPL lovers, thats villanueva for you! he's a no.10 in his game style...just look at his games with audax, but now he can play on the left to accomdate other players
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I can't remember whoever it was but you cannot compare Scholes and Carrick to Riquelme! They are workhorses who do well in the league they play in but neither is anywhere near as technically gifted.
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Riquelme is one of a number of Argentines in the modern era that seems to never fully fulfill the undoubted potential he has (others being Ortega, Esnaider, Palermo and d'Alessandro). The problem with JRR however is not really an attitude thing, but more of a bottle issue. The 2006 world cup showed Riquelme playing well in the early stages (the aformentioned Cambiasso goal being a good example) but going AWOL in th latter stages and once again lead to Argentina flattering to deceive in a competition they had been touted to win.
Again, the Villareal v Arsenal game where beating Lehman from a spot-kick would have handed his side a Champion's league final place, he once again lost his nerve.
I think JRR would be an asset to any side (imagine him at Man United or Arsenal) because not only is his passing immense, but his shooting and deliveries are also 1st class. I think it's just a shame his big-match temprament has let him down.
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Juan Roman Riquelme is a special footballer with a unique body language.
Unlike fellow big stars with the usual forceful body language, Riquelme appears more like a humble, awkward looking and laboriously toiling monk but deadly enough when in his elements.
Riquelme's somewhat clumsy and unsuspecting appearance has misled so many defenders and markers leading the oppositions to frequent merry-go-rounds and eventual downfalls.
Gifted footballers with such body language like that of Riquelme appear less bright when they are having an off day. Hiding becomes difficult and even small blunders appear Himalayan. For others their body language and appearance often covers a huge multitude of sins.
Juan Ramon Riquelme is still good. Such footballers are known to have longer playing careers than most. Best wishes to the Argentine midfield general.
Dr. Cajetan Coelho
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Why does South America have such an epic World Cup qualifying system? It seems ridiculous compared with the European set-up. Why don't they have three groups of four, or two groups of five (excuse me, not absolutely sure how many nations there are) - with maybe two qualifiers per group - to mirror the European model more closely. There would be outrage if teams at our end of the world had to play 18 games before they qualified for the Finals.
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Yes it is strange Africa has 12 groups of 4 teams,N.America and Central America 3 groups of 4 teams.After 6 draws a win at last for Argentina Brazil tonight
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Redveg, son...south americans care more about playing football than reaching the world cup in the easiest way possible! its an opportunity for the continent's 10 to play each other. this doesnt hppen in the copa, so every 4 years its nice to go to la paz for the highest stadium in the world, the maracana with its history, monumental in its vibrant atmosphere and such. when was the last time england played holland competitively? that would be a good match, worth waiting 4 years to see...but europe doesn't function like that. maybe you should change your system, make it harder for silly teams to compete, or something
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'south americans care more about playing football than reaching the world cup in the easiest way possible'
Can't see them being that enamoured with the romance of La Paz and the Monumental if they didn't qualify
Silly teams?
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JohnBarnesfreekick
you're missing a point here kid, and that's the south american solidarity. something europeans won't indulge in if money is not on the table. fifa may have tried to ban games in high altitude, but they still go on because south american countries stood up againt the ban. la paz is not a memorable place, but wouldn't you say the same about england's games to belarus, kazakhstan, andorra...? not romantic, but always a challenge.
and yes, silly teams! how can europe get so many seats for the mundial when some of the football's standard's is plain disgusting? and we get 4 1/2?? we deserve 6! just watch our qualifiers, no such thing as an easy game. even when brazil thrashed venezuela 4-0, the vinotintos gave them a game rather than succumb to destiny and play rough (andorra vs england).
i would allow the top 16 teams in fifa rankings to qualify automatically to the group stages, whilst the silly ones can battle it out for the best to reach the next level. that way, the quality and excitement of games will improve
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I think Riquelme, like all creative midfielders, has up days and bad days. Zizou had a terrible start to the World Cup in 2006, but then hit his stride for the last 4 matches.
Just a few months ago, Riquelme was a genius that stroked home free kicks against Chile and was everyone's darling. So he has hit a rough patch - Argentina still has no equivalent.
I also think that people overlook Riquelme's size as an asset - he is very tall and deceptively strong. When was the last time a single player knocked him off the ball? In the Olympic final, the goal started with his tacklet.
www.futfanatico.com
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