Riquelme opens up about his bond with Thiago Almada: "We never told him to come to our club"

With just a few days to go before the Superclasico, and as often happens in the buildup, Juan Roman Riquelme ended up talking about something that has nothing to do with tactics: his relationship with Thiago Almada, one of River's newest and most expensive faces. Boca's president put it plainly in an interview with AZZ, and the first thing he made clear was that the club never made any approach to sign him.

"We never told him to come to our club. I've known him since he was a little kid, he used to come eat at my house, I have photos with him from when he was little. He sends friends to the stadium. I wish him well and hope he enjoys himself. I care about him a lot," Riquelme said, making it clear the bond goes back to another time, long before either of them wore their current jerseys.

We never told him to come to our club. I've known him since he was a little kid, he used to come eat at my house, I have photos with him from when he was little.Juan Roman Riquelme

What's striking is that the story has another chapter, one told by Almada himself a few months back, before his move to River. The Guayo had acknowledged that close relationship with the Boca official: "I always talk to him. He asks me how I'm doing, how my family is. We have a great relationship. He told me he wishes I would play for Boca," he had said at the time. Two versions that, deep down, tell the same friendship from two different sides of Argentine soccer's biggest divide.

What's ahead: Superclasico, the transfer market, and the obsession with the Copa

On the match itself, Riquelme was direct and pointed to the clashes' recent history: "In the last two clasicos we were far superior to River. Let's hope the team the coach puts out on Sunday does well." He also commented on the Bombonera and a possible expansion: "Our stadium looks better every day, and if at some point we can add another tier for the fans, we'll do it happily, but we're never going to lie to them."

As for the transfer market, the president asked for patience: "In the transfer windows we have several options and we're moving calmly. We talk about which one makes the most sense. You have to understand that on the other side there's always another club that asks Boca for more than usual. We know we need at least two players per position." He added that protecting the club's finances remains the priority: "I take care of the money we have at Boca because I believe that's my job (...) If we need to buy, we'll buy, but we're not going to buy just for the sake of buying."

He also addressed Leandro Paredes and the injury that ruled him out of the Libertadores: "Paredes loves Boca. I've known him since he was very young. I care about him a lot and he cares about me. It hurt him a lot to miss out on the Libertadores (...) Paredes can afford to play in the condition he's in. Merentiel, given the way he plays, wouldn't recover in that amount of time, and neither would Flores."

Finally, there was no shortage of references to the Copa Libertadores, the one that still seems to shape every word out of the president's mouth: "Beyond that, this is soccer, you also need luck. We had the bad luck of facing Fluminense, and we played on their field."