IS RIQUELME ONE OF THE GREATEST?
Talking about the greatest number 10s still in activity, the names of Ronaldinho, Kaká and Totti immediately come up. Lately, however, also Argentine Juan Román Riquelme came to the forefront, or, to be more exact, made a comeback. "El mudo" has always been considered a great talent. Right from his first spell at CA Boca Juniors (1996-2002) we would have expected him, given that his playing level was much higher than the continental players’ standard, to come to Europe and do very well; on the contrary, he did not have success at FC Barcelona (2002-2003). Last year he guided small Villareal CF up to the Champions League semi-final after four seasons during which he played at a good level, but still without making a real qualitative leap. Then, Riquelme returned to Boca Juniors where in few months he was able to hold the South American audience spell-bound winning the Copa Libertadores (he had already done it in 2000 and 2001, when he was also elected Best Player in South America). Besides, he was called up by public acclaim to play with the national team again, and also Maradona has praised the star of "his" Boca Juniors. "El mago" seems to have eventually made it.
