Juan Román Riquelme (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxwan roˈman riˈkelme]; born 24 June 1978) is an Argentine former professional footballer and current vice-president of Boca Juniors, the club where he spent the majority of his playing career. He is considered by various journalists, players and coaches as one of the greatest Argentine players of all time, as well as one of the most outstanding midfielders of his generation.Riquelme played as a midfielder in the classic "enganche" role from 1996 until 2015, beginning his career with Boca Juniors, where he won ten titles, including three Copa Libertadores and one Intercontinental Cup. In 2002 he was transferred to FC Barcelona of Spain, but his time at the club was short lived due to his unsteady relationship with then-head coach, Louis van Gaal. Riquelme was subsequently loaned to and later bought by fellow La Liga club Villareal, where Riquelme would help the club to achieve a third place league finish in the 2004–05 La Liga and reach the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time in the club's history in the following campaign.
