Riquelme and his controversial sayings about the Villa case: the day Román spoke as usual and wrong as ever

Once upon a time, journalist Juan Pablo Varsky referred to Juan Román Riquelme as “the best speaker ever”, the “best ever” when it comes to making statements. It was that Román emerged as the greatest idol in the history of the xeneize club for what he did and won on the field, while in front of the microphones he fought, most of them soccer. And that combo made him weird.

So, in all right, Riquelme always chooses what to say, when, how and (something key) before whom to do it. He created a cult with that ability and it was very important for him to become vice president of the institution he loves, which defeated the ruling party that Daniel Angelici promoted in the polls, in December 2019.

But now JRR is a leader and, as a result, his opinions have gone through another sieve, more complicated than determining whether Boca played the ball well or poorly. It is sadly exposed these days, on the occasion of his statements related to the case of Sebastián Villa and on a subject as sensitive as gender violence.

After a new complaint from a Colombian woman about, this time for sexual abuse with carnal access and attempted murder, crimes for which she could receive a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, Riquelme gave of his opinion on the situation of the soccer player. And there, strange to him, he thought it was nailed to the corner but he certainly threw it away.

“We have nothing but words of gratitude,” Román said of Villa on the Equipo F program, hosted by Sebastián Vignolo.

And he added, with a lack of empathy that is hard to digest: “The truth is as a professional to that child we need to take off our hats. Then, what happens off the pitch is another matter. But it’s amazing to have a player who for two and a half years hasn’t missed a training session. He’s an athlete, he looks calm, you see him enjoying himself, he helps us a lot and I think his growth just depends on him. “

The most curious thing about that part of the interview was that no one consulted him about the Villa but Riquelme, alone, and while discussing the hierarchy of the group led by Sebastián Battaglia, decided to stop being Colombian.

He was a pragmatic Riquelme type. He lives for Boca and he wants his management to continue adding championships. In addition, he clearly thinks of the club’s assets when talking about Villa, whose pass is worth 5.5 million euros according to expert site Transfermarkt. Therefore, the striker continues to play, a decision that even the plaintiff’s lawyer understands, respecting the principle of innocence that governs the Colombian, who will be 26 years old this week.

However, for Roman to highlight Villa’s “athlete” status or to say that he “took off his hat” for his professionalism, is at least an unnecessary detail on his part. Especially if you think about what the women who decided to bring the footballer to justice may be going through.

And it’s a strange concept in addition to Román if you remember that Villa himself got angry in mid -2021 because they didn’t sell him to Europe and go to his country without permission, missing 40 days of training and missing. some games that matter. “Everyone already knows. He doesn’t respect the group, the club, the shirt, his teammates …” Riquelme said at the time, with a different rigor.

At a club that claims to have a protocol against sexual violence and has appointed a woman as vice president for the first time, the Villa case is uncomfortable and deserves another kind of official position, in the heyday of an institution like Boca. At least one other than what Riquelme apparently did on ESPN, and that has led to her severe rejection on social networks, even right from xeneizes fans.

With the magnifying glass always in his words and actions, this time Román no longer spoke as the legend he knew how to build, but as the politician he learned to be. And it is known that this is a difficult terrain to navigate for anyone, also for “the best speaker ever”.