Juan Román Riquelme, oh, Riquelme.. what does the future holds for one of the best playmakers in the world.. Why is Riquelme still in Villarreal? why is he relegated to the stands? why is he being discarded? and why in the hell did no one signed this unique genius?? I'm not posting this to explain why, I'm posting it because I want to clear out the untrue-negative hype that surrounds this player in Europe.. a negativity the "media" has created for him.. the negativity responsible for Riquelme's current situation.. truly ridiculous statements, like; "Riquelme damages the chemistry of his teams..", or "Riquelme has been a failure in Europe..", or (even more ridiculous if that's possible..) "Román Riquelme is an inconsistent player..", and the most popular of them all "Riquelme doesn't performs well in big teams.. and surrounded by other stars..". I'm posting this to show you the reality behind most of the "things" that surround the former Boca Juniors, and Villarreal playmaker"...

Boca Juniors; I'm going to start with Boca Juniors in order to make everything very clear.. Riquelme played for Boca from 1996-2002, and during those seven successful years he won everything he could possibly win with Boca; they won 1998's Apertura, 1999's Apertura, 2000's Libertadores, 2000's Intercontinental Cup (wich by the way was against Del Bosque's legendary Real Madrid.. Guess what? Riquelme does perform against the big teams.. he made Makelele look like an amateur..), 2000's Apertura, 2001's Copa Libertadores. The main reason behind all those trophies ; Juan Riquelme. Of course during all those successful years, Europe was watching him closely. And by 2002 Barcelona stealed the genial player... I'll discuss Riquelme's Barca story shortly.. But before that it should be aknowledged that Riquelme was head and shoulders above everyone else in South America, and in particular Argentina.. only a player of true class can achieve that.

Barcelona; I've been eager to discuss this for some time now.. as everyone who dislikes Roman, always comes up with that known frase; "what did Riquelme ever achieved at Barca.. he's a flop.. he nedeed to go to Villarreal, a poor team so he could shine..". As everyone knows this ignorant frases are joined by other more ridiculous ones, like;"Riquelme is an underachiever.. he's inconsistent.. he can't play in big teams, and he doesn't performs well when surrounded by other stars." All of these statements have no truth behind them, they're just mere opinions of skeptics.. mere interpretacions.. as if you look at the true-real facts; Riquelme is neither an inconsistent performer, or an underachiever.. I mean people, please, use logic before making careless statements. Anyways returning to Roman's time in Barcelona; Riquelme was signed in 2002, and guess what? Barcelona was passing through a bad time before that.. Mainly because of poor coaching by Louis van Gaal.. The same coach who called Riquelme a "political signing", as he (van Gaal) never had plans for Riquelme in the first place.. Van Gaal was indifferent towards Riquelme, he never liked Riquelme's style.. and in most of his rare appearances; Román played as a late substitute, and was placed in the flanks.. Are 15 minutes of play enough for a playmaker to establish himself? No!! it's obvious, and it's even more obvious when that playmaker is Riquelme... Riquelme needs time on the pitch.. everyone knows that! and to make it worst van Gaal placed him on the flanks, that's not Román's natural position.. In the end Román ended up playing only one season (2002-2003) for Barcelona, and made only 30 appearances for the club.. How can people rate this as a failure? I don't know. Riquelme was never given a chance at this club, he basically never played for the club, and he was never seriously considerated by then coach van Gaal.. How can people rate him for his Barcelona time? that people actually judge him for his suposed failure in Barcelona is very unfortunate, as Riquelme was never a part of Barca's team, he was just a "Hot South American Name" used to lift hopes.. In fact asking; why did Riquelme never accomplished anything with Barcelona?, is more or less the same as asking; why did Matt. Le Tissier never accomplished anything with England?..  Barca fans and many others usually state that; "Riquelme left Barca through the back door..", I wonder? is that suposed to mean he entered through the front door? well that's obvious, very very poor and false statements.. As the truth is that; "Riquelme arrived at Barcelona through the same door he left it". At the other side of the door, waiting, was; Pellegrini! the man who knew talent when he saw it, this is Riquelme's time at Villarreal.

Villarreal; Before the talk really starts, I want to take my hat off to Pellegrini, The only manager who dared to sign Riquelme after Barcelona tarnished his reputation.. I got nothing but respect towards him.. Anyway let's start the Villarreal saga; Riquelme was loaned to modest club Villarreal in 2003, and he started impresing soon after.. As expectations (and the pressure) were lower at this club, and he actually had a big part in Pellegrini's plans.. He had 33 app. and 8 goals in his first season for Villarreal, not bad at all for a playmaker... Of course there was more to come, as the next season (2004-2005) Villarreal ended up in third place! their highest place yet, and Villarreal's key player was Riquelme. He had 35 app. and 15 goals, a great season for any playmaker.. And achieving this in La Liga is extremely difficult, even more so with a team like Villarreal. After only two seasons with the club; the club was already a respected oponent, and everyone's eyes were on Riquelme. More was to come, and as Villarreal earned a place in the Champions League; they were going to compit in it for the first time.. and, they were expected to compit at a good level.. But the idea that Villarreal could reach the Semi-Final was laughable.. Anyways fantacies do come true; as Villarreal reached The Semi-Final of The Champions League! overcoming Man. Utd. and Inter (Riquelme's performance in the second game against Inter is one of the best I've ever seen.. this player really impressed me..) among others.. This was the perfect cinderella story; the modest outfit, the dependance on Riquelme, etc.. It had all the things fans had not seen in a long time, the possibility that Villarreal could reach the Final made that Champions League, a very exciting one.. And the fact that Villarreal reached the Semi-Final on their first ever appearance in The Champions League, is incredible.. I mean as Francesco Totti ever achieved that with Roma? No, and that's without mentioning Roma is a better team than "The Yellow Submarine", and also that Roma has appeared far more times in Europe's strongest Competition.. Anyways Villarreal were eliminated in that Semi-Final, and with that penalty miss; the public opinion about Riquelme changed.. He was now regarded as lazy instead of skillfull, he was now regarded as inconsistent instead of consistent, etc.. the press started noticing only the negative aspects of Riquelme; his appearance, his pace, his suposed inconsistensy, etc.. the annoying thing is that people actually believe this load of crap, and they still buy the shite the media makes up.. I mean, please, use logic before making carelees statements.. simple logic, like; "Villarreal depended on Riquelme, there's no point in arguing that. when Villarreal won a match Román was the hero, and when Villarreal lost a match Román was the villain.. it has always been like that", then you have to ask yourself; If Riquelme's that inconsistent? then why did Villarreal ended up in 5th and 3rd place in La Liga? as everybody knows when Riquelme didn't performed- Villarreal didn't performed, and ended up losing. When Riquelme performed well- Villarreal performed well, and most of the time ended up with a victory.. So this simple fact discards any statement of Riquelme being inconsistent.. If he really was inconsistent Villarreal would've ended up much lower than in 3rd and 5th place.. That's without mentioning Villarreal won 2004's UEFA Intertoto Cup, too many achievements for an inconsistent player.. Anyways, the latest prejudice towards Riquelme, haves even less truth behind it; "he damages the chemistry of his teams.. his mood swings are too risky, it could disrupt the spirit in the dressing room..", this thought is shared by Javier Aguirre (a manager that will probably lose his job because of his mistake.. as Miguel Velasco wrotte to perfection in "The Atlético Conundrum"..), so I'm asking myself; ¿Have I ever heard a teammate of Riquelme complaining about Riquelme's attitude? as far as I know, I've never heard any teammate of Riquelme complaining.. never heard it, in fact most of his teammates have praise towards him.. like his Villarreal teammates, and his Boca Juniors teammates. Yeah he fell out with both Roig and Pellegrini, and yes both of them or at least the president has complained about Riquelme's attitude.. But the chemistry with his teammates, wich is the one that really counts is a healthy one.. the statements about Riquelme disrupting a team are not supported by any real facts.. So I think managers should really stop believing everything they hear, and they should start looking at the facts; at the record of the player.. had Aguirre done this; Riquelme would probably be wearing the red and white.. but that didn't happened, and as for the "there's always the winter transfer window"; Atlético fans, I assure you that Riquelme will not join your club as long as Aguirre is in charge.. not after hearing what Aguirre though about him.. Anyways, this is the last negative (and untrue) statement about Riquelme I want to cover in this post; "Riquelme doesn't performs in big teams, and when he's surrounded by other big stars..", did anyone got to see this year's Copa America? If not, let me tell you; Riquelme whas the best player of the whole Competition, he was the best player of that Argentinian squad (wich included big names like Messi, Tevez, Aimar, Crespo, Milito, Verón..), and he was the most consistent player through-out the Competition. Finally returning to Villarreal, Riquelme played three seasons for Villarreal and guess what? those were the most succesful years in Villarreal's history. As far as I know Riquelme has never failed to establish himself at any team he played for; He's been the driver of Boca Juniors, Villarreal, and Argentina successfully.. in short the only teams he has ever played for.. There will always be a lot of people that'll dislike Riquelme's brand of football.. they'll call him "lazy, luxurious, or whatever they might come up with..", but the truth is that Riquelme plays simple, beautiful, and effective football (the kind of football almost no one plays today..).. It might look easy, in fact Riquelme makes it look easy, but it requires a great deal of skill and personality.. As Johan Cruijff once sumed up football; "Simple football is the most beautiful. But playing simple football is the hardest thing".

My last reflections and requests; In no way, shape, or form has Riquelme been a failure . In fact he's been very successful in South America, and it could even be argued that; in the last twenty years he's been the most successful player in South American football.. His European career on the other hand; has far fewer trophies and achievements.. But still; Riquelme's time in Vilarreal or in other words Riquelme's time in Europe cannot be called a "failure".. as he had considerable success with Villarreal.. Lastly, I would like to know the public opinion (of Goal.com community) about Riquelme. So I'm asking for one simple favor; if you've read the post to this point, please, post a simple "yes" or "no", to the following questions; 1) Do you think most people only point out Riquelme's defects?, 2)Do you think Riquelme is underrated?, 3)Do you believe all the negative hype talked about him is true?, 4)Do you think Riquelme could've achieved more with Villarreal?. And my personal favourite; ¿Why does Riquelme automatically becomes the key player everywhere he plays in?, of course this question cannot be answered with a simple yes or no.. so if you're interested, post your answer to this question.. I would appreciate it very much. My answer to this last question? -why does Riquelme always carries that unwanted burden of being the key player, the one responsible for his team's success? Honestly I don't know, but it's a fact that everywhere Riquelme plays; he's the key player, it doesn't matter if it's with Boca Juniors, Villarreal, or Argentina. He always ends up being either the "hero", or the "villain". An example of this is the talk that was generated by Riquelme's possible Atlético Madrid signing; Riquelme, although a Villarreal player, was already being tagged as the key player of Atlético Madrid, the "one" responsible for Atlético's success.. isn't that suposed to be Agüero's role?... And I still ask myself, why is it that Argentina are suposed to depend on Riquelme? I mean look at the Argentinean team; Messi, Tevez, Aimar, Cambiasso, Ayala, Mascherano, Verón, Crespo, etc.. why is it that everytime Argentina losses; Riquelme is the one responsible for it.. all the blame goes to Riquelme.. is Riquelme the only one wearing an Argentina shirt?, because it looks like it.. I don't see anyone blaming Leo Messi, the player many people (me included) consider as Maradona's succesor.. In fact Riquelme is the only key player I've ever seen relegated to the stands by his own club administration.. But something that's clearly noticeable about all of this, is; that even the harshest critics consciously, or unconsciously aknowledge Riquelme's unique talent, as they never miss to tag him as the main-key-essential-responsible player for his team's success.

clearly your enthusiasm to this player is noticeable....what i still see is that he is still not taken by those so called great team...so i would say that his greatness is not that great at all.....

unfortunately, Riquelme looks like a crack addict, has a 'lazy' style of playing, not very good at tracking back and of course, that penalty miss against Arsenal... I had an argument with a few people on goal community over this player.. his achievements with Boca can not be questioned, nor his accomplishments with the Yellow Submarines. I just feel sorry for Aimar because i feel he never really got a chance in the Argentina set up because of Riquelme!

I watched that game against Real Madrid, when they had the best team in the world, and i watched what Riquelme did during that game and i must say it was HUGELY impressive, his range of passes was basically a football lesson for anyone watching, he literally outshined everybody playing that day.. not bad for a lazy player huh..

He's a football genuis. Forlan famously blasted Villareal for letting Riquelme go because he could no longer get the kind of passes he used to get from the man. I dont think there is anybody today, throughout europe, who has the football intelligence that comes anywhere near Riquelme's, and it was only fitting to watch Zidane's last game AGAINST Villareal, when in the end of the match he went over to Riquelme and handed his shirt to him, that says alot.

A player like him needs the confidence and trust of the manager, without that riquelme can not operate.

I've got the same enthusiasm towards Kaka, Figo, Messi, and other players.. the reason I pointed out Riquelme in particular is because he's the only world class player who's performing well, and still is set for a place in the stands until january (once more)... Witch; "what I still see is that he is still not taken by those so called great teams..."; I can't deny that because that's a fact, but you should know that the reason big teams have not signed him are; because of his supposed inconsistence and his supposed negative influence in a team's chemistry.. this reasons are untrue, that's very easy to see, you just need to analize it a little, or simply look at the facts.. as once you really think about all of those negative (because the talk about Riquelme is always negative, people seem unaible to notice his good qualities..) things said about Riquelme; the only conclution is that they're all ridiculous, false, and they have no true-real-raw-facts supporting them.. Of course it's easy to see Riquelme's negative aspects, as Teee posted; "Riquelme looks like a crack addict, has a lazy style of playing...", this is true, and it's the media's main target.. of course once people see Riquelme's face; they believe all the things the media makes up (wich by the way is pathetic, people should notice how Riquelme plays not how he looks..)... The thing is Riquelme might look like a crack addict or play a so called lazy (I wonder how Zidane played..) style of football, but fact is Riquelme's an effective-consistent player, there's no point in arguing that.. that's not to mention great to wacth too. People (like yourself) should look at Riquelme's record/career stats so you can see the truth about Riquelme, he has never failed at any team he has played for.. why would he fail at a big team, if he has already proven himself with Argentina?. Lastly; if you think winning all (and I literally mean all of them) the South American Cups, Titles, and Awards is like; "his greatness is not that great at all...", then there's nothing I can tell you that will change your mind, as you clearly don't know the definition of greatness.. Ask Ronaldinho if it's so easy to win South American Competitions..

he is good, no doubt to that...and i am not trying to demain him...for me, his face does not matter in the field,  it is his ability to help the team win.... what i am trying to say is that big teams win because they know when and who to get (players to buy)... the question here is why are they not buying him if he is as good as you are emplying (and i am not denying you that iether)....

if this big teams are not buying him because of his face...this teams must be stupid...if it is because of the gossip, then this team analyst are much more stupid...a face and gossip does not do any good when you are in the field...that is what i was trying to say.... to buy a player, you have a projection of his capability in your team and so far no big team has put him in that list.....

 Very good post, you actually posted a lot of truth.. OK, first of all; Aimar never really got a chance in Argentina because of Riquelme, that's the way it happened, as if it wasn't for Riquelme; Aimar would've had plenty more opportunities.. But is also a fact that Aimar is an inconsistent player, and get's injured a lot.. on the other hand Riquelme's more consistent, and doesn't get's injured that often.. Overall I think Aimar and Riquelme are almost equally good, of course I think Riquelme is a little bit better.. but the consistency is what made Aimar a substitute (Riquelme's substitute) in Argentina. In fact a lot of people say that; "Aimar is a Riquelme with pace..", and I've got no doubts about Aimar's skills, but Riquelme is an extraordinary player.. Anyways, I agree with you /teee; "I watched that game against Real Madrid, when they had the best team in the world, and I watched what Riquelme did during that game and I must say it was HUGELY impressive..", Riquelme is one of those players, that during a great day; haves impressive performances, astonishing performances.. like the one against Real Madrid, or the one against Inter in The Champions League.. Zidane had that unique talent too.. In fact I think Real Madrid should sign Riquelme in january, as Schuster is still after Ballack, but is not willing to pay a ridiculous fee and salary.. Riquelme could fill Zidane's boots, and I think you/teee agree with me as you posted; "and it was only fitting to watch Zidane's last game against Villarreal, when in the end of the match he went over to Riquelme and handed his shirt to him, that says a lot.", Zidane didn't usually went and handed his shirt, he usually waited until someone came and asked him.. plus Zidane and Riquelme play the same style of football; they're both slow, great passers, can score if the situation arrises, rely a lot in their technique, etc.. they're both great to watch.. in fact, two years ago Riquelme was asked who else played his kind of football, as it was so peculiar, he answered; "Zidane's been doing it for some years now.. and he's the best in the world.." This shows just how highly Riquelme rated Zidane, he regarded Zidane as the best player in the world at a time when Ronaldinho was better than everyone else.. So Schuster is still looking for a player like Ballack as he publicly stated, and he thinks "Ballack would bust Real's salary structure,", why doesn't he signs Riquelme instead?.. Riquelme would be much cheaper, as Ballack would at least double Riquelme's price tag.. and Riquelme's a better passer, although he doesn't haves Ballack's work-rate.. but really, who needs Ballack's work-rate, when you already have Sneijder, Drenthe, Diarra, etc.. these players cover a lot of the pitch.. I think Riquelme and Sneijder would work even better than the Sneijder-Gutti midfield.. Anyway, returning to reality, Tee you also said that Forlán famously blasted Villarreal for letting Riquelme go etc.. and it's been said (although not official, just a rumor) that Forlán was the one pressuring Atlético Madrid into signing Riquelme, as we all now know; The Dissapointing Aguirre believed Riquelme would dirupt the team's chemistry, the chemistry that is working so well for Atlético.. what a moron, from where does he even get's those teories?, I mean, as Riquelme ever damaged a team's chemistry?, I don't know, I think Aguirre made up that excuse because he personally doesn't likes (or believes in) Riquelme's style of play.. As you said; "A football genius like him needs the confidence and trust of the manager, without that he cannot operate", I agree with all of it, except for the "without that he cannot operate" part.. I think he needs the manager's confidence in order to play (not to operate), so that he can actually have sometime on the pitch playing, instead of sitting in the stands.. as in Riquelme's case; managers usually love him or hate him, there's no in between.

funny you should say that, not long ago we debated this subject (should Real go for Riquelme since its clear they cant get kaka), i agree he would be ideal at Real, you'll get better creativity than Guti for a fraction of the price kaka would cost.

Yes this Riquelme issue was debated and I've seen no proof to show something other than what I thought of him.  Very good player for teams trying to be great, great to have in your team if you're not in a CL spot...hint Everton, Tottenham, Man City, Bolton, Villareal, Zaragoza, Palermo, to cut a long story short - CL hopefuls! 

HOWEVER! I say, however, HE IS NOT a big club player, he will not ever win a World Cup, CL, League title etc playing at Milan, United, Liverpool, Madrid, Barcelona, maybe even Valencia, etc.  He breaks down! ....like most argentines.  He will get a shirt exchange from Zidane, because Zidane knows that Riquelme almost worships him.  Don't get me wrong, I like him, was sad to see him leave Barcelona, but eventually I saw why he had to leave.  He's slower than the average attacker and consumes alot of attention, maybe too much, where at big clubs players play against you with more zeal and motivation.

I lost quite a bit of respect for him following his behaviour at Villareal and what is now history, his initial resignation from the National team.  Yes, he needs the confidence and trust, which really means give him the ball and believe he will produce something for you.  Nonetheless, that's hinging a team on a player who isn't that strong mentally in my opinion.  I prefer players who've carried scathing insults and pressure like C. Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Anelka etc and have come out while performing at a high level and never gave up even when the thought was there.

He's very good, but big games and big teams are not his forte...a team without Kaka and Ronaldinho destroyed them...Arsenal beat them after a missed Riquelme's penalty, was missing when Germany beat them...okay he won those championships in south america...I wouldn't buy him though, unless as i said i'm teams who are CL hopefuls - can't go wrong there!

Gregory gregory.. what we gona do with you?

you blame him for the final against brazil as if it was his fault for losing (which is exactly the problem highlighted in the first post), yet you wouldnt give him credit for helping his team reach the final with his performances for Argentina!! and i come back and tell you he wasn't 'missing' against Germany, if you watched that game you'll know it was his ball from which Ayala scored his header!! in fact, it was soon after Riquelme was replaced that Argentina simply collapsed! (if you watched the game you would know that)

you're being unfair towards him, you know very well from our earlier discussion that he never got the chance he deserved at Barca, being played out of position is one thing, described by your own manager as a 'political signing' is quite another.. I doubt any player had to put up with that kind of attitude from his manager. Barca was already a  team in crises when he was signed and to get blamed for being played out of position or lack of games at that club is harsh to say the least.

you didnt even mention his recent loan spell at Boca, where, had it not been for Riquelme Boca would have actually LOST the final against Gremio.. this was a few months ago just incase you're wondering!

and finally, and i've said this before, you cannot come to the conclusion that a player is mentally weak by missing a penalty in a semi final- most world class players have missed penalties at crucial times.... Platini missed against Brazil in 86, Van Basten missed, the incomparable Maradona himself missed a few- does not mean they're mentally weak and dont forget, when he arrived at Boca on loan last season alot was expected of him from the minute he arrived, and he delivered!

Because we've all seen what he did at Boca (biggest club in south america), and we seen how in his 3 seasons at Villareal the Yellow Subs had the best 3 seasons of their entire history, and according to these two points alone you can not have a bigger reason (unless your insane) as to why this player shouldnt play at a big club.

 Give credit where credit's due.

Mate; people like you really annoy me... How can you say he's a good player only for CL hopefuls? , Riquelme with Boca Juniors could beat a team with both Kaka and Ronaldinho.. I would be willing to bet on it.. How can you say he's not up for big games? , have you ever seen 2000's Intercontinental Cup against Del Bosque's Real Madrid, if not let me tell you; Riquelme gave them all (Real) a footballing lesson.. Also; did you ever got to see how Riquelme single handedly carried Villarreal all the way to The Champions League Semi-Final. How can you even state that Riquelme can't play for a big club? is Boca Juniors not a big club, because if you consider Boca Juniors a CL hopeful; mate you wouldn't know a thing about football.. As a matter of fact; what did Ronaldinho ever accomplished in South America? he played for Gremio (1998-2001) and made 14 goals in 35 app; what is so extraordinary about that?, when you compare those three years at Gremio with Riquelme's three years at Villarreal (2003-2006, 105 app. and 35 goals) there's a huge difference in effectiveness, as Riquelme made plenty more assists, goals, and appearances.. As far as I know Ronaldinho was a flop in PSV-"a CL hopeful", he needed to go to a big-star studded club like Barcelona to really start playing good football, and this is without mentioning; Barcelona nourishes and takes care of Ronaldinho as much as possible.. Ronaldinho is untouchable at Barca. On the other hand Riquelme practically never played for Barca, and he was treated like shite by Louis van Gaal, this is why statements like; "was sad to see him leave Barcelona,", really annoy me.. I mean, what did you expected; he signed for Barcelona with the ilusion of playing for a big club in Europe, and what did Barcelona do? he wasn't even a sub, he was a "political signing" who wasn't apreciated by the manager.. they tarnished Riquelme's reputation in Europe, turned him into what looked like a failure.. of course he got the hell out of Barca in order to start playing again, that's only logical. And, please, explain to me why where you sad to see him leave? (on my part I was very happy to see him leave..) did you ever got to see him play, if so, how much minutes? 15 minutes or 10 minutes.. I don't really remember how much minutes exactly, but they were very few.. You should multiply 30x15; it equalls 450 minutes, are those minutes enough for a playmaker to establish himself at a club?.. I mean 450 minutes in a season is very very few for a playmaker, and is even worse if that playmaker is Riquelme.. So with your way of thinking, wich really annoys me by the way, you would think the same about Zinedine Zidane before he got to play for Juventus. You/Gregory would've said something like this; "He's slower than the average attacker and consumes a lot of attention.. he breaks down, like a lot of French players do.. However, I say however, he would be a very good player for teams trying to be great, like Bordeaux..", tell me differently, Zidane had played for Cannes (1988-1992, 61 app. and 6 goals) and Bordeaux (1992-1996, 135 app. and 28 goals. Less than Riquelme's three seasons at Vilarreal with 105 app. and 35 goals.. I don't know I think Zidane gave Riquelme the last Real Madrid shirt he ever weared because he really respects Riquelme as a player.) before he signed for Juve, I'm sure you would've said the same about Zidane; "oh I wouldn't buy him if I was Juventus".. But guess what Juventus signed Zidane, although Zidane was slow and hot-headed, they signed him and Zidane ended up a great success.. Anyways, you went as far as posting; "I prefer players who've carried scathing insults and pressure like C.Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Anelka etc.. who never gave up..", this statement is stupid I must say, C.Ronaldo has been parented by Man. Utd. since he whas like 17 years old, and Kaka the same thing with AC Milan, and Ronaldinho as I said before; whas an untouchable ever since he played his first game for Barca. You also posted; "Yes , he needs the confidence and trust, wich really means give him the ball and believe he will produce something for you. Nonetheless, that's hinging a team on a player who isn't that strong mentally in my opinion.", Dude; a playmaker has to ask for the ball as much as posible, he's the one who distributes the play, and this is Riquelme's job (distributing play), if he doesn't produces sometimes.. it happens, you can't expect a player to perform perfectly every game. The thing is giving the ball to a player doesn't really means "hinging a team to a player", and this is one of the main reasons for his (Riquelme's) current situation; people actually believe that Riquelme makes a team dependable on him.. that is ridiculous, although I most admit that it doesn't looks so ridiculous from some point of views, but the thing is; there's no logical explanation for that.. for ex. let's take Argetina, Copa America Final- against Brazil, Riquelme didn't performed well in this match; people have interpretated that Argentina depended on Riquelme, and as Riquelme didn't performed in this important match-Argentina ended up lossing.. Why, I ask myself, Why didn't Leo Messi or Tevez stepped up to the challenge/ocasion (like Riquelme did countless times in the way to The Final), they certainly have the skill to do so, but they couldn't manage it.. why? I don't know, ask them, but it was surely not Riquelme's fault that they couldn't perform either. On the other hand, that same statement is not ridiculous in a modest club like Villarreal, as Villarreal really depended on Riquelme (they still miss him by the way.).. But, I repeat, this does not mean in any way, shape or form; that Riquelme would make a big team Riquelme-dependable.. It's just nonesense, it is like saying that if Ronaldinho doesn't performs-Barca doesn't performs.. and this way of thinking (gregory's way of thinking) was proved wrong last season; when Ronaldinho dissapointed, Messi stepped up to the challenge and proved his worth..like against Real Madrid; Ronaldinho was underperforming "again", Messi stepped up to the challenge, and ended up scoring the hat-trick that drew the game. He was the reason Barca still had a chance of winning the league on the last game of the season. It's a shame Messi couldn't do the same for Argentina in the Copa America Final.. still, I've got no doubts of the potential he haves to keep improving. Anyway, gregory you also posted; "He's very good, but big games and big teams are not his forte.. a team without Kaka and Ronaldinho destroyed them..", oh f-u-c-k, so now a team without Kaka or Ronaldinho is worthless?, how can you even say that?, Arsenal is a great team, and they would've beaten Barcelona if it wasn't for H.Larsson, that's right it was Henrik Larsson not Ronaldinho; the one who won that Final for Barcelona.. in fact Ronaldinho didn't know what to do against Arsenal, at least Riquelme performed better.. the only thing Arsenal could do about Riquelme was simply takling him like wherever they could manage, as once Riquelme had the ball under his control it was simply impossible to win it cleanly. And what did you meant by they destroyed them?, if Riquelme doesn't misses that penalty; they would've gone to overtime.. As far as I know destroying a team is making a team look bad, like; Real Madrid-Villarreal, Real Madrid ended up with a 5-0 victory.. Real Madrid destroyed them.. However, saying that Arsenal destroyed Villarreal is ridiculous. And, lastly; I don't really care if what I wrotte doesn't changes how you think of Riquelme, why would I?, you clearly see what you want to see .. so be it.. if it was me; Riquelme would already be wearing a #8 Real Madrid shirt.

First and foremost; I apreciatte your way of thinking, as you post some good-reasonable questions and thoughts.. Anyway, you said; "the question here is why are they not buying him if he is as good as you are emplying (and I'm not denying you that either)..", before posting what I think about this very revelant question, i must say; I'm very demanding of world class players, it takes a lot for a player to impress me.. and Riquelme has deeply impressed me more than a few times.. so, that's why I rate Riquelme so highly. Ok, here are my thoughts, and reasons for The why - Riquelme has not been signed already by a big club; witch you said; "if this big teams are not buying him for his face... these teams must be stupid..", this might look very ridiculous for you and me, but the presidents and managers of big teams see it very differently.. Managers of big teams have the advantage (or luxury) of signing not only great players, but great players with great "poster boy" potential, like for example; Kaka, C.Ronaldo, Beckham, etc.. It might look ridiculous, in fact I thought it was ridiculous, but it's understandable, as "pretty faces" usually mean great marketability.. this was explained very well by Fabio Capello, who stated; "To (president Ramon) Calderon I said, you are failing here. (Milan president) Berlusconi doesn't lack money and has a 'pretty face' at Milan - who is it? It was Maldini before, but now it is Kaka." "The boy in all the photos is Kaka. And Berlusconi, who lives an aesthetic life, and loves the aesthetic players, will never let such a man go.", this is totally true, unfortunate, but truth.. there are presidents and managers that have a clear preference towards aesthetic players, like Capello clearly stated.. This is how in my mind, managers of big clubs think; "Ok, I'm the manager of one of The bigest clubs around, I've got all the money in the world to spend, and I'm looking for a world class playmaker.. there's Kaka, of course there's no posible way of signing him.. there's Bremmen's Diego, might be a good signing.. There's Riquelme an extraordinary player, who is in the perfect conditions for an easy signing, but whom I don't think would make a good poster boy.. I think I can manage signing a great player who's also good on the eyes, so maybe I can sign Sneijder, Diego, C.Ronaldo, F.Torres, or keep trying with Kaka..", this is how I think a lot of big-club-managers think, it might look stupid to you.. but I see it as completely understandable and unfair. For ex. I don't think is fair that a player like David Beckham got to play for Real Madrid.. and a player like Riquelme, who's clearly more talented than Beckham, as only managed to play for Villarreal in Europe.. there's not a good excuse or explanation for it. Anyway here's another reason for The why of that revelant question; a lot of big teams don't really need Riquelme.. like AC Milan, Barcelona, Inter, and many other big clubs.. for ex. AC Milan already haves Kaka, Pirlo, and A.Pato, Riquelme would be surplus to requirements. Or Barcelona; they already have Ronaldinho, Xavi, Dos Santos, Deco, and Iniesta. why would they sign Riquelme? they clearly don't need him, they wouln't make good use of him, and again they do not need a player like Riquelme. The list of big-team who don't need Riquelme keeps going.. However, I must say that just as there are a lot of teams who don't really need Riquelme; there are a lot of other big-teams who could actually put Riquelme to good use.. like; Real Madrid, they already have Gutti, and he's the sole natural playmaker on that team.. of course you could say Robinho could cover for Gutti (if Gutti get's injured or whatever), but Riquelme is far superior to Robinho when playmaking's the matter, there's no point in arguing that. So I've got no doubts; Real Madrid should sign Riquelme as soon as posible.. as Gutti is a very important player for that team, and he usually get's injured.. Real Madrid will struggle if Gutti get's injured, and I think Riquelme would end that problem/fault. Other big-teams that can make good use of Riquelme? Valencia could really do wonders with Riquelme. Atlético Madrid obviously needs a player like him, of course Aguirre spoiled any chance Atlético had of signing Riquelme.. Now they'll have to spend much more money in order to sign a world class playmaker, wow Aguirre you've made a great job.. Man. Utd. should sign Riquelme, as Scholes is getting old (still a good player though). The list of big-teams who can make good use of Riquelme (also) keeps going.. Now, returning to The why of The question, Witch you also posted; "if it is because of the gossip, then this team's analyst are much more stupid.. a face and gossip does not do any good when you are in the field.. to buy a player you need a projection of his capabilities for your team, and so far no big teams has put him in that list..", mate, let's not make it harder than it looks.. Sometimes, a lot of times in fact, things are has simple has they look.. Yes a lot of managers believe all the crapp/gossip talked about Riquelme, the shite the media makes up, that's the way it is.. Although I must admit that there has to be a few managers who know better (it's impossible all the managers are that stupid.. there has to be a few smart managers), who have no doubt Riquelme could succed at a big club, at their club.. But I think (unfortunately) most of the managers who actually think like that; don't really need Riquelme on their team.. Of course there's the old "I like good hard-working players" a lot of managers follow.. And then there's always the fact; a lot people (managers in particular) just do not like Riquelme style of play, they don't believe it's effective, they usually state it's a style from past times that isn't effective in modern football.. of course the people that state this, state it carelessly.. as it is very very clear that Riquelme although slow, lazy, and moody; is an effective-consistent player. Riquelme has always been described has a player with a lot of high and lows in his performances.. when in reality, Riquleme has always performed with the same class.. this is evident in the facts, if people overlooke them, that's their problem.. but the facts have always been there.

This is my reply to all of Gregory's, The Soldier's, drucurl's, etc.. statements. It is very long (just think of it as 17 posts in one big reply), but I think that after reading it (if someone get's to read it completely) you won't feel like you just wasted some 30 minutes of your day.. I honestly think it's a worth-while post, it haves; the most complete and accurate information about Riquelme, and it also covers some other interesting topics that we can discuss about later.. So here is my post about; Riquelme, the Champions League, the Copa Libertadores, and the World Player of the Year award. I hope someone finds a part of it interesting..

I. The journalists statements:

 Why is it that so much people agree with statements like; "Riquelme is not a big-team player", "Riquelme doesn't have the mental strenght or attitude to succed in Europe", "Riquelme is an inconsistent, and unreliable player", "Riquelme tends to dissapear in the big games, and when he's needed the most", "Riquelme was a failure in Barcelona.. he dissapointed", "Riquelme only performs when a team plays for Riquelme.. when everything revolves around him", All of this statements are false, as I will explain later in the post..

But, why is it that people believe them? Who are the responsibles for it?? Well, as always, the media's the one who invents all those false statements.. they invent them in order to create hype, controversy, etc.. and negativity sells, it translates into "money".. This is why most journalist only seem to notice Riquelme's few and uncharacteristichal performances..

Why do so many people believe everything some journalist says? Nowadays journalists pretty much writte what they want.. they do not give you the actual facts, they only sell negativity to the public.. it has happened with many players before.. And in Europe one of the media's main targets is Riquelme..

Riquelme, the guy with the furrowed brow, the guy with the sad look on his face, the unconventional guy, the guy who's so easy to criticise and get away with it.. Journalists are the guys who state "Argentina's mercurial playmaker Juan Román Riquelme performed one of his notorious disappearing acts on Sunday as his side floundered against Brazil, losing 3-0 in the Copa America final" "But, not for the first time, Riquelme froze on the big occasion as Argentina were muscled out by the ruthless, physical Brazilians",

This are the same people who also state "Juan Román Riquelme, unquestionably one of the most talented midfielders of his or any other generation, has retired from international football at the age of just twenty-eight.", journalist writte what they want, whatever can sell.. and unfortunately, negativity sells and a lot of people buy it..

An example of this was back in 2000, after Riquelme's extraordinary performance against Del Bosque's Legendary Real Madrid in the Intercontinental Cup, this was a very big and prestigious game.. and Riquelme gave Real Madrid a technical footballing lesson with the brilliant simplicity of his passing and movement.. the way in wich he exasperated Madrid's players with his infuriatingly effective protection of the ball.. the way he single-handedly imposed his slow-tango.. he owned the pace of that game, and the game ended 2-1, with a historic Boca Juniors win over Real Madrid..

The next day, the Madrid-based daily AS's (Ace) front page had a "¡Florentino, Fíchalo! (¡Florentino, sign him!), the paper was crazy about Riquelme.. But what did you know? When Riquelme choosed Barcelona instead of Real Madrid, the AS frontpage had a "¡Timo al Barca! (Barca have been conned!), the story had changed, Riquelme was no longer an impressive talent..

Now Riquelme was being described has a scam, they claimed that Barca had been ripped off by Boca Juniors for paying 12 million euros for a sluggish 24 year-old.. Oh, and the sad part is that some Barca fans believed that load of crapp.. I wonder if Real Madrid was ripped of for paying a transfer record fee (66 millions) for a 29 year-old player in 2001, I guess AS had nothing to say about that..

Anyways, this are journalists, they make a living out of writting, and they will make up any articule that sells.. It must also be stated that most of this negative media comes from European journalists.

 II. Riquelme's reputation:

 As anyone ever noticed how different Riquelme's regarded in South America and Europe..

In Europe, journalists always describe Riquelme as "the former Barca playmaker.. the player with a lot of ups and downs... who always seems to dissapear when he's needed the most" "the playmaker who produced five suberb performances in the Copa America, but turned into a flop when it mattered the most"..

In South America papers go "It's not necessary to say how important and differentiated Riquelme was, as Román dug the Gremio grave and nailed the lid shut. First he mantained posetion and made Gremio run all over the place. After that he lured the Gaúchos into attack and killed them with a counter attack. He made every cent of his $500,000 monthly salary at Boca count. A better farewell would be impossible.", interestingly enough, this was published by a Brazilian paper..

It becomes quite clear, that Europe ignores all of Riquelme's achievements, and instead focuses on Riquelme's uncharacteristical performances..

 III. "Riquelme underperformed at World Cup Germany 06"

 Most European articules state "Riquelme pulled all the strings in the memorable 6-0 win over Serbia g Montenegro in the first round, when he was voted man of the match. But he ran out of inspiration in the crunch quarter-final against Germany when Argentina needed him the most and they lost on penalties after a 1-1 draw.", It seems that they have forgatten a very important fact about footballers; 'it's impossible to perform perfectly through out a complete tournament', this has happened with Zidane, Pelé, Platini, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Roberto Baggio, Zico, Figo, Totti, etc..

Zidane never had five consecutive superb performances in a World Cup or European Championship, not even in World Cups 1998 and 2006 (where he's regarded as the best player of the Tournament).. in World Cup 1998, Zidane had a great Final, but he didn't had a good run through out the tournament.. and in World Cup 2006, Zidane had a good run of form, but he didn't had a superb performance in the Final..

It's happened to Ronaldo too, he failed to perform against England, France, etc.. he dissapeared in some very important World Cup games.. and when Ronaldo was having a poor performance, Rivaldo was the one who made the difference.. it must also be said that Rivaldo was never consistent for Brazil..

Roberto Baggio is another example, in World Cup 1994 (a Tournament in wich he's highly regarded as the best player), Baggio started slowly.. he didn't performed superbly in all the matches, that's impossible.. however he did make it up in the 2nd round, Quarter-Finals, and Semi-Final.. in the Final he also failed to perform do to an injury.

So what I'm getting at, is that not even the best players of the last decade can manage to make great performances every single game.. No one has had a perfect run in a World Cup..

I don't understand why some people insist with statements like "Riquelme underperformed at the 2006 World Cup", why did Riquelme underperformed at this World Cup? Was it because he was the player with most assist in the Tournament, or because he made two incredulous assists against Ivory Coast, or because he orchestrated a masterful 6-0 thrashing over Serbia g Montenegro (wich included one of the best goals of all time with a twenty-four pass masterpiece), or because he had another assist against Mexico, or was it because Germany could only manage to score after Riquelme's substitution, this wasn't a coincidence.. without Riquelme, Argentina lost their composure.. and then there's always the fact that Riquelme once again made an assist in this game..

So I wonder, how was it that Riquelme failed when Argentina needed him the most? Riquelme was substituted by Cambiasso, and Riquelme left Argentina with a 1-0 lead.. there's nothing Riquelme could do from the bench. The facts say that Riquelme gave it his all for Argentina, Riquelme delivered in World Cup 2006, and he definitely didn't dissapointed.

 IV. "his notorious dissapearing acts when he's needed the most"

 This shows how biased Europe is towards Riquelme, they are very keen on stating "The Argentinean who couldn't coupe up with the pressure and wasted Villarreal's penalty" "the playmaker who produced five suberb performances in the Copa America, but turned into a flop when it mattered the most", but they always seem to miss Riquelme's plenty of great performances when he's needed the most..

Like when he captained Argentina to the World Cup Sub-20 Title in 1997.. or when he was the best player of the Copa Libertadores Final in 2001 and 2007.. when Riquelme won UEFA's Intertoto Cup with Villarreal in 2004, when Riquelme steared Villarreal through Inter in the UEFA Champions League.. when Riquelme almost lead Villarreal to a Champions League Final.. when Riquelme had a good performance against Arsenal in the second leg, he missed the penalty, but he had a good performance.. or the fact that Riquelme has won three Copa Libertadores with Boca Juniors..

Europe regards Riquelme as a player who dissapears in the important games, when in fact Riquelme is a player who's known for appearing at key moments and making a difference.. he's done it for most of his 12 seasons career.. Statements like "the playmaker who always seems to dissapear when he's needed the most" are totally false.. they're pure invention of journalists trying to create some controversy..

 V. The perfect consistency:

So up til now, the only true statement about Riquelme is "the playmaker who produced five suberb performances in the Copa America, but turned into a flop when it mattered the most", wich is a very unfair statement because, Riquelme wasn't the only player who dissapointed in that Final..

Messi, and Tevez couldn't manage to performe either.. And they have completely ignored that Riquelme was the player who reacted when players like Messi, Crespo, and Tevez were falling asleep early in the Tournament. Riquelme was the best player of the 2007 Copa America, that's unarguable..

He didn't had a great final? tough luck.. Zidane was the best player of the 2006 World Cup and he didn't had a good final.. Ronaldo didn't had a good final in World Cup 1998.. Rivaldo was never a consistent player for Brazil.. Ronaldinho didn't had a good Champions League Final against Arsenal in 2006, and he was a complete failure in World Cup 06.. etc.. etc.. No player in the world is able of performing perfectly every single game.. it's impossible.

 VI. Riquelme's 'ups and downs'..

 I've already discussed the statements about "Riquelme dissapearing in the big-important games..", but I've not discussed Riquelme's 'ups and downs', so let's take a look at Riquelme's career.

Riquelme has played for three teams in his senior career, those are Boca Juniors, Barcelona, and Villarreal.

In his time with Boca Juniors, he played from 1996-2002, and between those years he won; The Argentine Apertura Tournament; 1998, and 2000. The Argentine Clausura Tournament; 1999. The Copa Libertadores; 2000, and 2001. The Intercontinental Cup; 2000. Wich sums up to six titles/trophies in seven years, wich is a very incredible record given that Riquelme was a reserve player between 1996-1998. Riquelme had 4 successful seasons with Boca Juniors (one of the bigest clubs in the world), and between 1998-2001 he won 3 Argentine Titles, 2 Copa Libertadores, and 1 Intercontinental Cup.. wich means that Riquelme won 6 trophies in the 4 years he played for Boca.

After those successful years with Boca Juniors, Barcelona stealed the genial player for 12 million euros.. And Riquelme only played for Barcelona 1 season, season 2002-03, and during that season Riquelme only made 30 App, in wich 20 of them were as a late substitute, and most of the other 10 (Apps) were as a Barca B-Team player.. Why didn't Riquelme managed to have the same succes he did at Boca Juniors? This will be explain later.. but for now, just know that Riquelme couldn't even manage to play 200 minutes in a year..

And in Villarreal, Riquelme played from 2003-2006, and some part of the 2006-07 season.. during his time with Villarreal, Riquelme only won The UEFA Intertoto in 2004 with Villarreal.. But that's not the only thing he achieved with Villarreal.. Riquelme transformed Villarreal from a modest club who usually got relegated, to an established and respected team in La Liga.

And most importantly, Riquelme's three years with Villarreal, have been the most succesful years in Villarreal's history; Villarreal finished seaon 2004-05 in 3rd place (their highest ever in La Liga), Villarreal qualified for their first-ever Champions League, Villarreal reached the Champions League Semi-Finals on their first ever appearance.. Riquelme had considerable succes with Villarreal, a modest club.

Of course, after Riquelme's fall out with both Fernando Roig and Pellegrini.. Pellegrini used Riquelme as the scapegoat for Villarreal's bad start to the season (season 2006-07), and this meant the end for Riquelme and Villarreal.. Nevertheless, Riquelme has been the most influential player in Villarreal's history.

Villarreal loaned Riquelme to Boca Juniors for the remaining of the 2006-07 season.. and during this short time Riquelme managed; winning the Copa Libertadores, being the MVP of the Copa Libertadores, and almost winning the 2007 Copa America.. which really questions Riquelme's "mental strenght" remarks..

So suming up Riquelme's career, he's played for 12 seasons; 7 1/2 of those seasons he played for Boca Juniors, a club in wich he had extraordinary success, and a club that had the most successfull seasons in his history with Riquelme as their key player.. Riquelme won 7 titles/cups in 7 1/2 seasons for Boca Juniors, an unprecedented record..

Riquelme played in Barca's bench less than a season (he didn't even finished the season with Barcelona)..

And he played for 3 1/2 seasons with Villarreal were he enjoyed considerable success as it's well known..

So I guess that if Riquelme's ups and downs meant that Riquelme had to win a Copa Libertadores every season or so.. then yeah, Riquelme's a player with ups and downs.. But if it meant 'real' success, then Riquelme's not a player with "ups and downs", in fact Riquelme's only "down" came with Barcelona.. discarding Barcelona, Riquelme has enjoyed success every single season of his career..

VII. The statements made up by "fans"

If Riquelme's been such a great player, why has no European big-club ever signed him?? This is a very good question, and this is the question responsible for a lot of ridiculous speculation.. This is the question that no journalist dares to answer, because there's no logical explanation for it..

Journalists take part in the most believable statements about Riquelme.. But you never see a journalist stating; "Riquelme dissapointed with Barcelona..", "Riquelme is an inconsistent, and unreliable player..", or "Riquelme is not a big-team player", etc.. No, no, no, journalist are not that stupid, they state "Once again, it was a similar story in Venezuela as he produced five superb performances, followed by a flop when it mattered the most.", instead of "Riquelme is an inconsistent, and unreliable player..", they state believable things with some facts supporting them..

They do not make statements without any kind of fact supporting them, like; "Riquelme is an inconsistent, and unreliable player", "Riquelme dissapointed with Barcelona..", or "Riquelme is not a big-team player". This kinds of statements do not come from journalists.. they come from ignorant people, this are the statements that fans make up.. And I want to clear them out..

 VIII. The Copa Libertadores and The Champions League:

 But before discussing the statements made up by fans.. Why is it that no European big-club signed him?? The only reasonable explanation I could find, is that South American Cups and Leagues are underrated in Europe.. I mean, Riquelme has won 3 Copa Libertadores, and 1 Intercontinental Cup in 7 1/2 seasons for Boca Juniors, and no big-team has even mentioned him.. For ex. if Riquelme had won 3 Champions Leagues instead of 3 Copa Libertadores, do you think he would be on the same situation? Of course not! had Riquelme won a Champions League he would probably be a Real Madrid player, or an Inter player.. but that's not the case, the case is that Riquelme has won three Copa Libertadores and nobody cares..

On the other hand everybody boasts about Ronaldinho's Champions League win like if it was such a great thing.. I mean, that's only one Cup, and Ronaldinho didn't win it on his own, Barcelona wasn't a one-man team, that Champions League was won mainly by Ronaldinho-Eto'o-Deco, and then there's always the fact that the final was won by Henrik Larsson.. statements like "Ronaldinho won that Champions League for Barcelona" are completely ridiculous..

It's the same with Kaká, everyone talks about Kaká like if he was the reason for that Champions League title.. and I wonder what A.Pirlo, C.Seedorf, G.Gattusso, and Inzaghi did in that Champions League. People should know that AC Milan's Champions League was a collective effort, it wasn't a one man show by Kaká..

Nowadays people think that the Champions League is superior to the Copa Libertadores, they usually state things like "the Copa Libertadores can't be compared with the Champions League.. the Champions League is in a higher level..", most people think that because Kaká, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho, Messi, and many other modern starlets take part in the Champions League, that the Champions League is superior to the Copa Libertadores.. Well, I'm here to clarify that the Copa Libertadores is just as hard as the Champions League..

The Champions League might have a great repertorie of football legends, like; Di Stéfano, Johan Cruijff, Platini, Franz Beckenbauer, George Best, Eusebio, Roberto Baggio, Zidane, Figo, Fernando Hierro, etc.. etc.. But the Copa Libertadores also haves a great list of football legends, like; Pelé, Maradona, Carlos Alberto, Nilton Santos, Djalma Santos, Garrincha, Jairzinho (the only player in the history of the World Cup who has scored in every game he played in the tournament), Rivelino, Zico, Sócrates, Carlos Valderrama, Batistuta, Claudio Caniggia, Romário, Ariel Ortega, Rivaldo, etc.. etc.. I'm talking about great players, in fact 5 of them are in the 'World Team of the 20th Century', and that makes about half of the Century Team, wich includes; Lev Yashin, Carlos Alberto, Franz Beckenbauer, Bobby Moore, Nilton Santos, Johan Cruijjf, Di Stéfano (played 9 years in South American football), Michel Platini, Garrincha, Diego Maradona, and Pelé.

The only difference between the two Cups is the money involved, and the style of football.. as for the level of difficultness, it's exactly the same. The Champions League in my opinion is; more names, more money, but in the same level as the Copa Libertadores.. This is my opinion of course, but I want to show some of the facts behind my opinion..

Pelé, the name speaks for itself, he's regarded as the best player of all-times, and he played his whole career in South America.. Pelé played for Santos between 1956-1974, he played in South America for 18 years, and he played 14 years of Copa Libertadores.. Another fact to know, is that Pelé's Santos is one of the best football teams of all-time, and arguably the best of it's era.. Pelé played along football legends like Carlos Alberto, Pepe, Zito, Mengálvio, Lima, Couthino, and Gilmar (the best Brazilian goalkeeper of the 20th century).. Santos FC had no competition in South America, they were a class above everyone else in South America, and guess how many Copa Libertadores Santos FC managed to win? two of them, one in 1962, and another one in 1963.. during those same years they also won the Intercontinental Cup twice (1962 against Eusebio's Benfica, and 1963 against Milan).. This in my opinion serves as evidence of how hard it is to win a Copa Libertadores, a team that won over Eusebio's Benfica and over AC Milan, could only win it twice in fourteen years..

So I can state with all the certainty in the world that "Pelé only won 2 Copa Libertadores in 14 seasons, while Juan Román Riquelme won 3 Copa Libertadores in 7 1/2 seasons.." "..and this goes without mentioning that Pelé's Santos was a much better team than Riquelme's Boca Juniors..", no one can prove me wrong because I'm not playing politics, I'm stating a fact..

It's the same with other football legends.. let's take Zico, he played in Flamengo between 1971-1983, and 1985-1989.. so he played 16 years in South America, and 16 years of Copa Libertadores.. Zico won the Copa Libertadores once in 1981, and the Intercontinental Cup once in the same year (1981).. This player is considered by many as the best Brazilian player after Pelé and Garrincha, and he could only manage to win the Copa Libertadores once.. this serves as further evidence of the Copa Libertadores level.

Amazingly, Diego Armando Maradona, the same who shares the 'best player of all-time' title with Pelé, played; for Argentinos Juniors between 1976-1981, and for Boca Juniors between 1981-1982 and 1995-1997.. So Maradona played 8 years of Copa Libertadores and he never got to win that Cup.. it should also be acknowledged that Maradona was simply the best player that will ever exist during his five seasons with Argentinos Juniors.. this is just another example of the many I can give about the Copa Libertadores football level..

Another example is Garrincha, a member of the 'World Team of the 20th Century', and a player who played for Botafogo between 1953-1965.. he had 5 years of Copa Libertadores, and he never managed to win it.. On the other hand, Riquelme won the Copa Libertadores after 3 years of playing (and on his first year as a 'first team player'), he was 22 years old at the time and he was already the fulcrum of Boca Juniors..

It's also the same with legendary Romário, he's played for; Vasco Da Gama between 1985-1988 and 1999-2002.. Flamengo 1995-1997, and for Fluminese 2002-2003. So he's played for 9 seasons in South American football, and he has never won the Copa Libertadores.. this player won a World Cup, but he never managed to win a Copa Libertadores..

It's the same with; Rivelino, Djalma Santos, Tostao, Gerson, Clodoaldo, Batistuta, Valderrama, Claudio Caniggia, Ariel Ortega, and many others.. they're all great footballers, and neither one of them managed to win a Copa Libertadores..

The way I see it, a Copa Libertadores is as good as a Champions League, the way I see it Riquelme has won three Champions Leagues.. I rate the two most important Cups in club football the same, the style of football might be different but I rate them equally prestigious and difficult.. And I'm not the only one who sees it that way, FIFA seems to think the same, as they included Riquelme on their 30 players shortlist for 'World Player of the Year'.. Riquelme was