Juan Roman Riquelme is the personification of Argentine brilliance, and has had audiences purring with delight for decades. Though the physical side of his game may be somewhat waning, the undeniable world-class technical ability is still there, combined with the flair and daring to perform unthinkable acts of skill on the football field. After spending the vast majority of his career with Boca Juniors, the 36-year-old living legend has returned to his boyhood club Argentinos Juniors to play out his swansong, returning to where it all began. Despite making a splash in Spain, turning out for both Barcelona and Villarreal over a five-year period, Riquelme didn't ever bring his talent to English soil, where his undisputed ability with the ball at his feet would have been enjoyed by supporters in their hundreds of thousands. But it almost happened. During the tenure of Steve Kean, when plenty of Rovers fans would have needed cheering up due to the drab and failed football of the Scottish coach, the former Argentina international nearly swapped Buenos Aires for Blackburn, before the club fell out with Riquelme's former agent Willie McKay. Though the deal threatened to go through, an agreement failed to be made, leaving Ewood Park without a welcome bit of awe-inspiring quality that would have brought back visions of former Turkish delight Tugay Kerimoglu. But, alas, it wasn't to be.
