With Juan Roman Riquelme taking to social media to congratulate Lionel Messi on his World Cup win, Evertonians have been reminded of another long-running saga – the repeated speculation that the Argentinian playmaker was heading to Goodison Park.
Riquelme – who was Messi’s idol as a youngster before he replaced him as number 10 for the national side – offered his thanks in an Instagram post after Argentina secured their third World Cup success with a 4-2 penalty shoot-out victory over holders France following a thrilling 3-3 draw.
Messi netted twice in the game to ensure he scored in every round of the 2022 finals in Qatar before lifting the trophy with the added bonus of being the Golden Ball winner as player of the tournament with Riquelme hailing the World Cup as being the missing trophy in the 35-year-old’s collection. Back in the noughties, Riquelme to Everton was the transfer rumour that would not go away.
