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| The hopes of three countries rested on the shoulders of Juan Roman Riquelme as he placed the ball on the penalty spot, face to face with Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann. Fans in both Spain and England could only look on nervously as Arsenal and Villarreal's Champions League campaigns hung in the balance. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, millions of Argentines were glued to their screens, ready to see if the main man in Jose Pekerman's tactical scheme could pass the ultimate test of nerves. Unfortunately for Riquelme, Germany No1 Lehmann guessed right and saved, sparking riotous celebrations back in England and reopening the debate over the midfielder's key role in the Argentine national team. A thorny issue ever since Pekerman took charge of Argentina, the Riquelme question again took centre stage in the media in the aftermath of last week's game. While some lauded the Villarreal star's intelligent play, others criticised his lack of pace, with no stone left unturned as fans queued up to have their say. But one thing is for sure: the player who once endured an unhappy spell at Catalan giants Barcelona will still have his hand on the Albiceleste rudder at this summer's FIFA World Cup. A love-hate relationship Having made his full national team debut under Daniel Passarella back in 1997, neither El Gran Capitán nor his successor Marcelo Bielsa saw fit to give Riquelme a regular starting berth. Nevertheless, Pekerman wasted little time in moulding his team around the gifted playmaker, ahead of the likes of Pablo Aimar and the forgotten figure of Juan Sebastian Veron. The consensus among the country's top sports journalists is that when Román is on his game, Argentina move up a gear, although many have questioned the wisdom of placing such a burden on just one player. What if he were to have a quiet game, critics ask. However, Pekerman himself believes Riquelme is up to the task. "They say he doesn't play at a high tempo, but I don't see him as a slow player. It's the ball that needs to move quickly, not the players." Pekerman's faith in Riquelme's innate footballing genius has already reaped substantial rewards for a new-look Albiceleste side. The former Boca Juniors No10 played a starring role in the resounding 3-1 win over Brazil that booked Argentina's place at Germany 2006, as well as leading his country to second place at the FIFA Confederations Cup last summer. During qualifying for Germany, Riquelme hit three goals in eight appearances, of which Argentina won five, drew one and lost two. At the FIFA Confederations Cup the midfield maestro's talent shone even brighter, as, featuring in all five Argentina games, he scored three goals and collected the adidas Silver Ball for the tournament's second-best player. Difference of opinion Statistics apart, Riquelme's missed penalty prompted scores of fans to express their support for the 27-year-old while many others took the opportunity to criticise the Villarreal man. Enrique Macaya Marquez, perhaps Argentina's most famous football pundit, made a point of emphasising his "concern about Argentina's Riquelme-dependence". Jorge Valdano, a FIFA World Cup winner in 1986, was also quick to throw his hat into the ring. "Riquelme's very clever," he said. "He knows how to find space, his timing's immaculate, he always picks the perfect pass to suit every one of his team-mates, and knows how quickly the ball moves across every blade of grass. It's a pleasure to see such an intelligent player, one who recalls perfectly the way football has been played throughout history." Argentine legend Diego Maradona, a personal friend of Riquelme, firmly agreed with Valdano: "We've all missed penalties. I missed important penalties myself, but I don't think Riquelme's career will be defined by what happened against Arsenal. He's got a great record and it doesn't bother me in the slightest that he's missed a penalty." The last word should go to the man at the centre of this debate, Riquelme himself. "It's not like I killed someone, I just missed a penalty. I feel fine, I'm perfectly aware that it was just a game of football and nothing more. Many teams would have loved to have got as far as we did," the midfield schemer revealed to the assembled press. Calm words, but a storm is surely raging inside a player who knows that Germany 2006 will be the perfect stage to prove his class and silence his critics once and for all. "If I win the title in Germany, I may well retire. I can't imagine achieving anything bigger than that," he revealed recently. Lovers of the beautiful game will hope to enjoy Riquelme's exquisite skills for a few more years yet. | ||
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