Riquelme Opens Up on Everything: The Superclasico, La Bombonera, the Transfer Market and the Libertadores Obsession

Some interviews exist to lower the temperature. Others are meant to stake out ground. The one Juan Roman Riquelme gave to AZZ belonged firmly in the second category. With Boca buoyed by hopes in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana and the Torneo Clausura, the club president covered it all: the roster, Paredes, the Superclasico, La Bombonera, and even the folklore of Argentine stadiums.

The first thing Riquelme made clear is that, for him, responsibility never shifts. Player or executive, the blame always lands on him when things go wrong. He explained it with that mix of pride and resignation that defines him:

Whenever the team played badly it was my fault. Now as president, if the team struggles the fault is also mine. And that's how it should be. That's what keeps me motivated every day. When I was a player, if the goalkeeper at Casa Amarilla came down with a fever, somehow that was my fault too. It was always like that. I never let myself be bought. Not everything in life can be bought.Juan Roman Riquelme

On the coach, he left no room for doubt. Riquelme described Arruabarrena as someone who understands the club from the inside, something the president values above almost anything else: "Arruabarrena came back home, he feels these colors deeply and he has things clear in his head. It makes me very happy to see him coaching Boca."

Superclasico, La Bombonera and the transfer market

With the Superclasico now on the horizon, Riquelme sounded confident based on recent history: he said that in the last two clasicos of 2025 and 2026 Boca had been "far superior" to River, and he asked that whatever lineup the coach picks this Sunday "do the job."

He also addressed the stadium. With talk circulating about a possible expansion of La Bombonera, he was cautious but didn't shut the door: "Our stadium looks better every day, and if at some point we can add another tier for the fans we'll do it gladly, but we're never going to lie to them."

On the transfer market, Riquelme explained that the club moves carefully, following one fixed principle: having at least two players per position. He recalled that in his first year in charge they could only bring in two signings because of the debt the club was carrying, and he offered a line that sums up his approach to the finances: "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."

Flores, Paredes and the obsession with the Libertadores

Riquelme also spoke about the moment Flores is going through, a young player who, in his words, "is living through an incredible moment," and who, after a recent stumble, is being closely watched by the coach and the team's senior players so it doesn't happen again. He pointed to the example of sharing a locker room with national team players like Enzo Fernandez, recalling that not long ago these young players "were in the reserves and suddenly they're changing in a locker room with Messi."

On Leandro Paredes and his recovery, Riquelme was full of praise: "Paredes loves Boca. I've known him since he was very young. It hurt him deeply to miss out on the Libertadores. He plays like a player and like a fan." He added that not every player recovers on the same timeline, drawing a comparison with the cases of Merentiel and Flores.

The Copa Libertadores remains the great obsession. Riquelme looked back on the road traveled, from dreaming of being a professional footballer to beating Real Madrid, and expressed regret over the elimination against Fluminense, played on the opponent's turf. He closed with thoughts on Argentine soccer, defending its competitive level despite criticism of the referees, and even found time to joke about that famous stadium chant which, in his view, he has never seen actually help a team perform better.