Boca Juniors' Juan Roman Riquelme returns to Argentina squad after three-year absence; Carlos Tevez left out
The new Argentina boss has named two different squads for the upcoming matches, with the Boca Juniors midfielder returning to the side after almost three yearsAug 19, 2011 12:25:00 AM
By Luis Mira
Boca Juniors playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme has been included in Argentina's local team for the two-legged tie against Brazil.The 33-year-old midfielder has not played for his country's national team since a 2-1 victory over Uruguay in October of 2008, having decided to retire from international football after a disagreement with then coach Diego Maradona.
However, the former Barcelona and Villarreal man never hid his desire to return to Argentina, when the team had someone different in charge, and Alejandro Sabella has decided to grant his wish.
Riquelme has been included in the 24-man squad composed only of players who act in Argentina which will take on Brazil in a two-legged tie on 14 and 28 September.
Meanwhile, Sabella has named a 26-man squad for the upcoming friendlies against Venezuela and Nigeria, on 2 and 6 September, respectively.
This roster contains only players who compete outside Argentina minus Lanus goalkeeper Esteban Andrada.
The biggest surprise on this list comes in the exclusion of Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez, whose future at the Premier League side is still up in the air.
Here is the list of players who feature in Argentina's international roster, which will tackle Venezuela and Nigeria:
Goalkeepers: Mariano Andujar, Sergio Romero, Esteban Andrada
Defenders: Nicolas Burdisso, Ezequiel Garay, Nicolas Otamendi, Pablo Zabaleta, Cristian Ansaldi, Martin Demichelis, Federico Fernandez, Nicolas Pareja, Marcos Rojo
Midfielders: Angel di Maria, Javier Mascherano, Eduardo Salvio, Ricardo Alvarez, Fabian Rinaudo, Javier Pastore, Lucho Gonzalez, Ever Banega, Jonas Gutierrez, Jose Sosa
Strikers: Gonzalo Higuain, Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Lisandro Lopez
Below you can find the full list of players who will represent Argentina's local team against Brazil in the two legs:
Goalkeepers: Marcelo Barovero, Agustin Orion
Defenders: Sebastian Dominguez, Emiliano Papa, Christian Cellay, Leandro Desabato, Ivan Pillud, Clemente Rodriguez, Jonathan Bottinelli, Lisandro Lopez
Midfielders: Augusto Fernandez, Hector Canteros, Rodrigo Brana, Juan Sebastian Veron, Lucas Castro, Agustin Pelletieri, Riquelme, Cristian Chavez, Diego Valeri
Strikers: Juan Manuel Martinez, Gaston Fernandez, Mauro Boselli, Gabriel Hauche, Emmanuel Gigliotti
http://www.goal.com/en/news/585/argentina/2011/08/19/2626321/boca-juniors-juan-roman-riquelme-returns-to-argentina-squad
