(CNN Spanish) — With a difference of only one day, Argentine football will experience two mega-events this weekend and both will see farewell to famous and transcendental footballers and idols of their respective clubs.
These are Maximiliano “La Fiera” Rodríguez and Juan Román Riquelme, who have also made careers in the Argentine national team and abroad. Rodríguez shone at Newell’s Old Boys, Espanyol de Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, Liverpool and Peñarol from Uruguay. Riquelme did it at Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Villarreal and Argentinos Juniors.
Both will have a special guest, Lionel Messi. The Argentina national team captain spends his days off in Argentina, before moving to his new soccer destination Inter Miami in the US MLS.
The farewell of Massimiliano Rodríguez
Former Argentine soccer player Maximiliano Rodríguez salutes before the start of the Argentina 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup Final match between Uruguay and Italy at the Estadio Unico Diego Armando Maradona in La Plata, Argentina on June 11, 2023. (Photo by ALEJANDRO PAGNI/AFP via Getty Images)
La Fiera said goodbye to professional football in December 2021 in a match that was played right at the Marcelo Bielsa stadium in Rosario. The match corresponded to the Professional League, in which Newell’s drew 0-0 with Banfield.
This farewell event will take place this Saturday at the same venue. The slightly over 40,000 venues were quickly sold out.
The centerpiece of the event will be the match that one team from the Argentine team will play against another team wearing the Newell’s Old Boys shirt.
- The match will be played at 19:15 in Argentina and will be broadcast from 18:00 on the Star+ platform, available in Latin America.
- Mexico: 16:15 (Mexico City Time)
- Colombia: 17:15 (Bogota time)
- United States: 6:15 pm (Miami time)
Rodríguez will play for a period with the Newell’s shirt and another with the Argentine team.
In addition to Messi, there will be friends, former teammates and players with whom he shared his brilliant career.
Among these, the current technical staff of the Argentine team: Lionel Scaloni, Walter Samuel, Roberto Ayala and Pablo Aimar. In addition to Gabriel Heinze, Mauricio Pochettino, Ignacio Scocco, Esteban Cambiasso, Ariel Ortega, Fernando Belluschi, Fernando Gago, Javier Saviola, Andrés D’Alessandro and Justo Villar.
Newell’s team will be led by Gerardo “Tata” Martino, while the Argentine team will be coached by José Pékerman.
Marcelo Bielsa, Ángel Di María, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Cristian “Kily” González are other guests, but have not confirmed their presence. Argentine Football Federation (AFA) president Claudio Tapia and FIFA president Gianni Infantino are also likely to attend.
Maxi Rodríguez participated in three World Cups: Germany 2006 (his goal against Mexico was chosen as the best of that competition), South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014.
Riquelme’s farewell
Boca Juniors midfielder Juan Román Riquelme smiles with the trophy of the 2011 Argentine First Division soccer tournament, at La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires, December 4, 2011. (ALEJANDRO PAGNI/AFP via Getty Images)
Unlike Maxi Rodríguez’s farewell, which had been announced for several months, Riquelme’s mega-event was confirmed a few days ago. The sale of the locations was carried out this Thursday and Friday online.
A packed Bombonera is expected with more than 50,000 fans.
Juan Román Riquelme will have his farewell party with the presence of Lionel Messi
The central part of the party will be a match played by a team wearing the Boca Juniors shirt and another from the Argentine team.
Boca Juniors has not officially confirmed the schedule of matches or who will handle its telecast.
- According to the Télam agency, the match will be played at 16:00 in Argentina and will be broadcast by TV Pública.
- Mexico: 1:00pm (Mexico City Time)
- Colombia: 14:00 (Bogota time)
- United States: 3:00 PM (Miami Time)
Riquelme confirmed that Messi will attend the event. Furthermore, Scaloni and his technical staff.
The coaches will be Alfio Basile, Carlos Bianchi and Pékerman.
Expected former Argentina national team mates are Di María, Heinze, Lavezzi, Saviola, Lucho González, Sergio Romero, Juan Pablo Sorín and Javier Mascherano.
Former Boca teammates expected to go are Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Gustavo Barros Schelotto, Hugo Ibarra, Sebastián Battaglia, Sergio “Manteca” Martínez, Roberto Abbondanzieri, Blas Giunta, Fernando Gago, Nicolás Burdisso, Marcelo Delgado, Raúl Cascini, Mauricio Serna, Jorge Bermúdez, Leandro Paredes, Éver Banega, Clemente Rodríguez, Claudio Morel Rodríguez, Antonio Barijho, Óscar Córdoba, Daniel “Cata” Díaz, Pablo Ledesma, Rodrigo Palacio.
Riquelme only played in one World Cup in his career, Germany 2006.
In both events there will be a musical show before and after the event. At the end of both matches, both idols will say a few words on a stage set up on the playing field.
