At the 2008 Olympic Games, Román and Leo spent their time simply enjoying the moment. For reasons unclear, the pair could not build a lasting partnership.
The point is that football would lose its meaning if it only told stories with bright chapters. No, it isn’t that. Football is frustration, moments of ingratitude, and failures. And then every so often a moment of pure joy. That’s why so many people are drawn to the ball: hoping for a miracle that arrives now and then.
Among a long list of shattered hopes and dashed dreams, they stood out. They had won everything, earned recognition as the best in their realm, and dominated the game. When they joined forces, it looked as if nothing could go wrong. In Beijing 2008, Juan Román Riquelme and Lionel Messi played as if they had known each other forever, as if the sole purpose was to enjoy the moment together on the court.
ARGENTINA AND URUGUAY: A BRIEF HISTORY
The Argentina national team, guided by Sergio Batista, claimed gold, yet the triumph felt secondary. The core of the squad, especially in midfield with Gago and Mascherano as a double pivot, Di María on one flank, and the Riquelme-Messi-Agüero attacking trinity, suggested a potentially defining formula. Time tested this notion quickly. The magic remained fleeting. Football pushed back against a group clearly capable of great things.
The first coach to utilize the Messi-Riquelme pairing was Coco Basile (earlier, Pekerman had given them minutes at the 2006 World Cup, though not consistently; at the 2006 World Cup, they produced intriguing moments against the Netherlands).
Simply put: Román as the creative link (often supported by a double pivot featuring Mascherano with Cambiasso or Gago), Messi free in attack with another striker (Agüero, Tevez, or Crespo). With these players, Argentina produced an attractive Copa América 2007, a high-flying campaign. Yet the brutal blow in the final against Brazil hit the concept hard.
With the same personnel, the national team did not start World Cup qualifying to South Africa 2010 badly. Riquelme, suspended in Villarreal after a clash with Pellegrini, began the World Cup qualifiers out of rhythm but soon found form. He scored twice in a 2-0 victory and then posted a positive run (2-0 over Venezuela and 3-0 over Bolivia). Doubts surfaced after defeats to Colombia and a draw with Ecuador, a goalless stalemate with Brazil, a 1-1 draw with Paraguay and Peru, a postponement against Uruguay, and a defeat to Chile (Riquelme suspended for yellow-card accumulation). Basile eventually left the squad.
What made them so special? The same understanding of football that allowed Riquelme and Messi to read the game in almost magical ways. Beyond technique, they possessed a rare ability to choose the most advantageous moves for the team. It seemed natural for Román to feed La Pulga, and for Messi to respond with decisive runs and ideas. In Beijing 2008, there were moments others overlooked that to some felt like miracles: Riquelme as a guiding captain and Messi as the brimming talent, exchanging passes with ease in a space carved out in midfield. They did not press intensely; instead they found room and shared the ball with confidence.
“We do not share the same ideas under the coach, and we cannot work together. For me, a cycle has ended,” Riquelme said on March 10, 2009. The partnership faced friction as Maradona’s comments on television suggested a different plan for the ten; the break became inevitable. On March 28, 2009, Argentina defeated Venezuela 4–0, now without Riquelme and with Maradona on the sidelines as coach.
In September 2011, a plan to rebuild from within led Sabella to call upon Riquelme and Verón. When Messi was asked about a possible return, he replied that Riquelme would fit well with the style they wanted. But injuries and hesitations from the coach prevented anything lasting from materializing.
Did they fail to stay connected off the field? Were they from different generations? Were they merely friends? A handful of sequences where they played together shows those questions were perhaps overthought—the chemistry was real, even if history complicated the outcome.
Riquelme and Messi, the partnership that never fully materialized. Football stayed in love with the idea of a duo that could have been as great as the individuals suggested they might be.