Juan Román Riquelme

The elegant enganche who defined an era at Boca Juniors.

Juan Román Riquelme (born 24 June 1978) is an Argentine former professional footballer and current president of Boca Juniors. Known for his elegant playing style, passing, vision, creativity, free-kick technique, and ball retention, he is widely considered one of the greatest playmakers of all time. He is a major symbol of the "enganche" figure, a classic attacking midfield role prominent in Argentine football.

Quick Facts

Born: 24 June 1978
Birthplace: San Fernando, Buenos Aires,Argentina
Position: Attacking midfielder
Current club: Boca Juniors (president)
Total caps: 443
Total goals: 106

Lore & Background

Riquelme made his professional debut at age 18 at Boca Juniors in 1996. Under Carlos Bianchi's coaching, he led Boca Juniors through their most successful era, winning three Argentine Primera División titles, two back-to-back Copa Libertadores titles, and the 2000 Intercontinental Cup, beating Real Madrid in Tokyo. After five seasons, he signed for Barcelona in 2002, where he had a short spell due to his strained relationship with then-manager Louis van Gaal.

He was loaned to Villarreal, helping the club achieve a third-place league finish in the 2004–05 La Liga and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time in the club's history in the 2005–06 campaign. He returned to Boca in 2007, winning the 2007 Copa Libertadores as the tournament's MVP and top scorer, in addition to two Primera División titles, one Copa Argentina, and one Recopa Sudamericana. After losing the 2012 Copa Libertadores final, Riquelme left Boca Juniors, only to return six months later following Bianchi's return as manager.

He retired in 2015 at Argentinos Juniors after helping them return to the Primera División in the 2014 season. With the Argentina national team, he won the 1997 South American U-20 Championship and the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, earned his first senior call-up in 1997, and appeared 57 times between 1997 and 2008, scoring 17 goals, representing Argentina at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and captaining the side to gold at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Reader's Guide

On 10 November 1996, aged 18, Riquelme made his Primera División debut in a 2–0 win against Unión de Santa Fe. Two weeks later, he scored his first senior goal in a 6–0 triumph over Huracán.

Did You Know?

Riquelme was distinguished as Argentina's footballer of the year four times and named South American Footballer of the Year in 2001.
He was included in the South American Team of the Year six times.
He was among the nominees for the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2006 and 2007, and the Ballon d'Or in 2005 and 2007.