14/09/2006 13.58
Riquelme Retirement: The Mother Of All Decisions
Juan Román Riquelme did whatever anyone would have done, further proving that he is human like the rest of us.
“My mother is the one that suffers when I am criticized by the media, I get it. She doesn’t. But to see her health deteriorate the way it has made the decision much easier.” Those critiques, which in some occasions turned into attacks, affected his mother as she taken into the hospital twice since after the World Cup. “She does not deserve to suffer simply because I want to play for the national team,” he said last night on Argentine television.
To Riquelme, being hounded by the media is normal. To be able to play for a club like Boca Juniors it is a prerequisite as they are under the microscope 24 hours a day. This is the part of his life that he’s dealt with for the past decade, although in reluctant fashion. It was his side of the bargain that people criticized throughout his career. He tended to be silent when it came to his personal life, with the exception of his younger brother’s kidnapping four years ago. This made his decision to announce his international retirement on television all the more awkward. He is the type of player that preferred anonymity over overzealous appreciation.
Hearing him say that “family is greater that football” is a foreign concept to many of us directly involved in the medium. There have been times, I have ignored certain commitments due to the fact that I have a deadline to meet or I have to produce a meaningless vignette when it comes down to the grand scheme of things, but there is nothing greater than family, because they are with you through thick and thin; regardless of how many goals you score.
There are people whose cynicism does not allow them to look at the big picture. They will try to find some type of angle as to justify Riquelme sudden exit form the national team, as soon as he was named captain. Albeit his recent performances did exacerbate his situation with the Argentine media, making his ride into the sunset much easier to make, one still has to admire the fact that family is much more important.
Obviously I write for a football website and for me to say that there are things much more important than the sport sounds kind of counterproductive, but that is the reality.
He now joins players the likes of Jorge Carrascosa, who quit the national team in 1977, although his reasons are unknown to this day, there are theories that there were political pressures of the time that forced him to step aside. Fernando Redondo, the greatest Argentine footballer to refuse on multiple occasions to wear the albiceleste, both with Carlos Bilardo (school) and Daniel Passarella (hair policy) he preferred to stay with his club team and excel there instead. The most ironic of all was his best friend and former teammate, Marcelo Delgado, who finally got a chance with Marcelo Bielsa decided to pass because he thought he was worthy of being a starter. In hindsight, which is always 20/20, he would have been a viable option in that 2002 World Cup compared to the performance of the others.
Now the big question is who will replace him. Some outlets look at Andrés D’Alessandro, but his temperament will get the best of him in a heated situation. His attitude made him a cancer at Wolfsburg and at Portsmouth, although Zaragoza could be the healthy new start he needs.
My opinion would be in the minority as most of Argentina will look at Lionel Messi, the one player of curing cancer at halftime of the World Cup final in their eyes, as the heir apparent; but he is still too green to take on that challenge. The responsible thing would be to take bring him along; South Africa is still less than four years away.
The obvious replacement for Riquelme is definitely Pablo Aimar. Although injury prone and being looked at in a lesser role by Claudio Rainieri and Quique Sánchez Flores his last few years at Valencia, he still showed moments of brilliance on the pitch. His combination of pace and ability while playing a more vertical game, the type demanded of in today’s game, makes him a viable candidate. He was the ideal substitution in that ill-fated match against Germany when Pekerman took Riquelme out. Aimar would have changed the dynamic of the game, putting more pressure on the German defenders and even opening spaces for Carlos Tevez and Julio Cruz. This in the process would have reduced the pressure on the Argentina defense. I am not sure if they would have won, but their odds would have improved significantly, but that is neither here nor there.
The point is that Riquelme’s decision does not leave the Albiceleste in shambles. Countries like Argentina have the luxury to grow quality players on trees, or so it seems. Making this decision was not easy as he had to do something that he did not like to do- put himself in the spotlight. Don’t take his decision as a sign that he is getting tired of the game, quite the opposite. It was a decision he had to take in regards to his two greatest passions, and he picked the one that he loved most. Anyone normal individual in his predicament might have done the same (at least I hope so). His final decision does not call for him to be vilified or placed on a pedestal. Riquelme did the same thing that any person would have done if they where in the same scenario; thus debunking the theory that football players are gods. Maybe it’s us that need that reality check if we bash him for doing what he did.
Juan Arango
Riquelme Retirement: The Mother Of All Decisions
Juan Román Riquelme did whatever anyone would have done, further proving that he is human like the rest of us.
“My mother is the one that suffers when I am criticized by the media, I get it. She doesn’t. But to see her health deteriorate the way it has made the decision much easier.” Those critiques, which in some occasions turned into attacks, affected his mother as she taken into the hospital twice since after the World Cup. “She does not deserve to suffer simply because I want to play for the national team,” he said last night on Argentine television.
To Riquelme, being hounded by the media is normal. To be able to play for a club like Boca Juniors it is a prerequisite as they are under the microscope 24 hours a day. This is the part of his life that he’s dealt with for the past decade, although in reluctant fashion. It was his side of the bargain that people criticized throughout his career. He tended to be silent when it came to his personal life, with the exception of his younger brother’s kidnapping four years ago. This made his decision to announce his international retirement on television all the more awkward. He is the type of player that preferred anonymity over overzealous appreciation.
Hearing him say that “family is greater that football” is a foreign concept to many of us directly involved in the medium. There have been times, I have ignored certain commitments due to the fact that I have a deadline to meet or I have to produce a meaningless vignette when it comes down to the grand scheme of things, but there is nothing greater than family, because they are with you through thick and thin; regardless of how many goals you score.
There are people whose cynicism does not allow them to look at the big picture. They will try to find some type of angle as to justify Riquelme sudden exit form the national team, as soon as he was named captain. Albeit his recent performances did exacerbate his situation with the Argentine media, making his ride into the sunset much easier to make, one still has to admire the fact that family is much more important.
Obviously I write for a football website and for me to say that there are things much more important than the sport sounds kind of counterproductive, but that is the reality.
He now joins players the likes of Jorge Carrascosa, who quit the national team in 1977, although his reasons are unknown to this day, there are theories that there were political pressures of the time that forced him to step aside. Fernando Redondo, the greatest Argentine footballer to refuse on multiple occasions to wear the albiceleste, both with Carlos Bilardo (school) and Daniel Passarella (hair policy) he preferred to stay with his club team and excel there instead. The most ironic of all was his best friend and former teammate, Marcelo Delgado, who finally got a chance with Marcelo Bielsa decided to pass because he thought he was worthy of being a starter. In hindsight, which is always 20/20, he would have been a viable option in that 2002 World Cup compared to the performance of the others.
Now the big question is who will replace him. Some outlets look at Andrés D’Alessandro, but his temperament will get the best of him in a heated situation. His attitude made him a cancer at Wolfsburg and at Portsmouth, although Zaragoza could be the healthy new start he needs.
My opinion would be in the minority as most of Argentina will look at Lionel Messi, the one player of curing cancer at halftime of the World Cup final in their eyes, as the heir apparent; but he is still too green to take on that challenge. The responsible thing would be to take bring him along; South Africa is still less than four years away.
The obvious replacement for Riquelme is definitely Pablo Aimar. Although injury prone and being looked at in a lesser role by Claudio Rainieri and Quique Sánchez Flores his last few years at Valencia, he still showed moments of brilliance on the pitch. His combination of pace and ability while playing a more vertical game, the type demanded of in today’s game, makes him a viable candidate. He was the ideal substitution in that ill-fated match against Germany when Pekerman took Riquelme out. Aimar would have changed the dynamic of the game, putting more pressure on the German defenders and even opening spaces for Carlos Tevez and Julio Cruz. This in the process would have reduced the pressure on the Argentina defense. I am not sure if they would have won, but their odds would have improved significantly, but that is neither here nor there.
The point is that Riquelme’s decision does not leave the Albiceleste in shambles. Countries like Argentina have the luxury to grow quality players on trees, or so it seems. Making this decision was not easy as he had to do something that he did not like to do- put himself in the spotlight. Don’t take his decision as a sign that he is getting tired of the game, quite the opposite. It was a decision he had to take in regards to his two greatest passions, and he picked the one that he loved most. Anyone normal individual in his predicament might have done the same (at least I hope so). His final decision does not call for him to be vilified or placed on a pedestal. Riquelme did the same thing that any person would have done if they where in the same scenario; thus debunking the theory that football players are gods. Maybe it’s us that need that reality check if we bash him for doing what he did.
Juan Arango
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