JUAN ROMAN RIQUELME - ARGENTINA

Date of birth: June 24, 1978
Birthplace: San Fernando, Argentina
Club: Villarreal (Spain)
Position: Midfielder
International debut: November 1997 vs. Colombia

The list of creative geniuses who have patrolled Argentina's midfield is long and distinguished: Maradona, Juan Sebastian Veron, Pablo Aimar. You can now add the name of Juan Roman Riquelme to that list.

The driving force behind Argentina's attack, Riquelme, who plays in Spain's La Liga with Villarreal, is considered one of the best playmaking midfielders in soccer today. Although slow, Riquelme makes up for it with deft ball control, visionary passing and his ability to orchestrate and organize the attack.

When he's at his best, he can single-handedly dictate the pace of a game.

Riquelme was a child prodigy is his native country who was spotted by Boca Juniors and River Plate — the two biggest clubs in Argentina — when he was a youth player for Argentinos Juniors, another prominent Argentine club.

He signed with Boca, the team that launched Maradona to fame early in his career, in 1995 and made his first-team debut for the Buenos Aires club in 1996 when he was still 18. Riquelme turned heads with his mature play at Boca and was quickly called up for duty in Argentina's youth team, leading his country to victory at the 1997 under-20 World Cup in Malaysia.

Riquelme quickly established himself as one the best players in the Argentine domestic league over the ensuing years, leading Boca to three league titles, two Copa Libertadores (the South American equivalent of the Champions League) from 2000-01, and the Intercontinental Cup in 2000.

He also piled up several individual honours — he won a pair of Argentine league MVP awards (1999 and 2000) and was named the South American player of the year in 2000.

With nothing left to prove in Argentina, Riquelme made the big jump across the pond, moving to FC Barcelona in 2002 in an 11-million-pound transfer deal.

His first season in Spain was far from successful, however, as he had a tough time adjusting to the Spanish game. Barcelona overhauled their team the following year and with midfield superstars such as Ronaldinho and Deco in the lineup, the Catalan club sent Riquelme to Villarreal.

Before his arrival, Villarreal was a modest club, but Riquelme transformed the team into one of the top powers in the Spanish league over the next two years, scoring bags of goals, creating loads of scoring chances for his teammates and becoming a hero to the fans who packed El Madrigal Stadium every week to watch him play.

Riquelme has a breakout season in 2004-05, scoring 15 goals and leading Villarreal to a fourth-place finish and qualification for the Champions League, the first in the club's history.

With Riquelme leading the way, the tiny Spanish club went on a memorable run in the competition, before losing a heartbreaker to English side Arsenal in the semifinals.

After coming so close to tasting success in European club competition, Riquelme will be looking to lead his country to international glory in Germany.