Sports / Soccer |
Riquelme finds new lease of life away from Europe(Reuters)Updated: 2007-07-04 09:14 PUERTO LA CRUZ, Venezuela, July 3 - Nobody seems to want him in Europe but in South America Juan Roman Riquelme is in majestic form and oblivious to the uncertainties about his future. The enigmatic playmaker produced one of his best performances in 39 outings for Argentina on Monday when he scored twice in their 4-2 win over Colombia at the Copa America. The win sent Argentina into the quarter-finals with a match to spare after their opening 4-1 rout of the United States. The goals were Riquelme's first for his country since a 3-0 friendly win away to Qatar in November and his first at the Copa America, a tournament he previously graced in 1999. Not a man of many words, Riquelme had little to say after the game. "We played very well. It's not easy to score four goals and we've done it in both games," he said. "We were always calm and confident. Now, we can unwind and think about the next game." Riquelme's goals -- a classy header and a free kick -- came in an 11-minute spell before halftime and gave Argentina a commanding 3-1 lead after they had fallen behind. For much of the game, Riquelme dictated the pace in midfield as Argentine probed the Colombia defence. FALLEN OUT His apparently lazy style is perfectly suited to their passing game and the presence of Juan Sebastian Veron appears to have lifted some of the responsibility off Riquelme's shoulders. Previously, it seemed that Argentina had to choose between building their game around him or leaving him out altogether. Riquelme's revival since he returned to South America has been striking. Last September,the 29-year-old announced his international retirement, saying criticism of his performances had affected his mother's health. Then he fell out with coach Manuel Pellegrini, his coach at Villarreal, and was kicked out the team. Boca Juniors, the club where Riquelme made his name, came to the rescue and signed him on a six-month loan. Riquelme responded by scoring eight goals as Boca won the Libertadores Cup, South America's equivalent of the Champions League, for the sixth time. After that, he could not resist the wave of popular opinion calling for him to reconsider his decision to quit Argentina. Yet many feel there is no room for his style of play in modern football and his future remains a mystery. Boca would love to keep him but say they cannot afford him. Spain's Villarreal still own him but have made it clear there is no room for him in their team and so far there have been no reports of any other takers.
|
|