Boca's Riquelme to quit Argentina over threats
( 2002-05-15 10:32 ) (7 )

Argentine midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme has vowed to quit soccer if he cannot secure a transfer abroad amid fears for the safety of his family after his brother was kidnapped and threats followed.

The popular Riquelme, one of Argentina's most precocious talents though not included in their star-studded World Cup squad, said he would play two more games for Boca Juniors and then quit Argentine soccer for good this weekend.

"They have threatened me and my siblings several times and they, like me, are very scared," the 23-year-old playmaker told local television late on Monday, tears welling in his eyes.

"I am going to play my last two games and then I want to go abroad," he added.

"I will have to wait and see if I can continue to do the same job abroad, but if I can't I will have to adapt to what we did when I was younger when we got by on the little we earned."

Riquelme's younger brother Cristian was kidnapped and freed a day later last month after the family paid a $160,000 ransom -- a fortune in this crisis-racked country after devaluation slashed the dollar value of the peso earlier this year.

Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona -- whose number 10 Boca shirt Riquelme now wears -- slammed the "horrendous" kidnapping at the time.

Riquelme -- who has eight brothers and sisters -- refused to travel to Ecuador in April to play in a Libertadores Cup match because he believed his family could be in danger of another attack.

Ironically, Riquelme had long resisted moving abroad so he could play in his native Argentina.

Last month Barcelona said the purchase of the Riquelme no longer featured on the Catalan club's immediate agenda. But Riquelme Atletico Madrid are though to have him in their sights.

Argentina's sports papers say heading abroad may be the only option for Riquelme, who when on form draws rapturous chants of "Ole" at the Boca stadium for his deft tackles and subtle play.

"Riquelme hasn't been the same since the worrying kidnapping," daily La Nacion said in its Tuesday edition.

"The after effects continue to be visible and are translating into a significant drop in his game... Riquelme's spirit is not the same."