These guys established themselves as stars in Argentina before heading off to the bright lights of Europe to test themselves against the world’s best. Some of them had long and successful stints in the Old Continent, others less so. All of them have now returned to their homeland to finish their careers, bringing with them bucket loads of experience, as well as a few creaking bones.
1. Juan Sebastian Verón
The brujita (little witch) has balanced his career just right. After starting out at his home town club, Estudiantes de La Plata in 1993 and spending a solitary season with Boca Juniors in ‘95/96, Veron left for Europe, where he played for Sampdoria, Parma, Lazio, Manchester United, Chelsea and Inter. He didn’t exactly set the Premier League alight (although his performances in England were not as bad as some have made them out to be), however it was in Italy that he really impressed. For many years, this tough-tackling, intelligent-passing midfielder was considered one of the very best in his position in the whole of Serie A and indeed, Europe. He was especially dominant in his Parma/Lazio days. Resisting the temptation to remain in Europe and move to a smaller club when he realised his career with Inter Milan was winding down in 2006, Veron delighted Estudiantes fans by moving back to his boyhood club to finish his career. Since then, he has confirmed himself as one of the club’s all-time greats by leading them to the Clausura in 2008 and the 2009 Copa Libertadores. His father, the original bruja and another Estudiantes legend, must be quite proud.
2. Juan Román Riquelme
Boca Juniors fans should probably be grateful for their midfield general’s notoriously prickly personality; without it he most likely wouldn’t have ended up playing back in Argentina for at least a few more years. Riquelme has fallen out with a number of coaches and teammates over the years, and it was irreconcilable differences with Villarreal coach Manuel Pellegrini that saw him end his stint in the Spanish La Liga somewhat prematurely, and return to play for Boca Juniors while still at, or near, the height of his powers. He started his professional career with Boca in 1996, and was instrumental in the team’s domestic and international success over the following years. He eventually made his much-anticipated move to Europe in 2002, signing for Barcelona. He failed to live up to expectations there, probably because he was never really part of coach Luis van Gaal’s plans and moved on the next season to Villarreal. It was with the Yellow Submarines that Riquelme flourished for the first time in Europe, transforming the team from La Liga also-rans into European big hitters. It all turned pear-shaped in the 2006/07 season as Riquelme bickered with the coach and club directors. The result was a surprising move back to Boca Juniors where he has been playing delightful passes, scoring breathtaking goals, and getting up many teammates noses ever since.
3. Martín Palermo
The irony for many Argentine stars who make it big in Europe is that they never receive the kind of status back home that they perhaps deserve. The other side of the coin is someone like Martin Palermo who, despite only playing a handful of games for his country, is widely celebrated in Argentina for his achievements in breaking the Boca Juniors all-time goal scoring record, and for being one of the leading goal scorers in Argentine football history. Such feats have only really been possible because Palermo was a relative failure in European football. After banging in goals for years for Estudiantes and Boca Juniors, Palermo eventually made the move across the pond in 2001, signing for Villarreal. However the team’s counter-attacking style was never suited to the lumbering target man, and after a couple of fairly lean years he moved to Real Betis, and later to second division side Alaves. After three and a half years and just 22 goals in Europe, Palermo returned to Boca Juniors – where he immediately started banging them in again.
4. Ariel Ortega
One of the great talents of his generation, Ortega is another who never really fulfilled his potential on the European stage. He was already a star for River Plate before the 1996 Intercontinental Cup in Japan brought him to international attention. He may have lost out in the battle of the up-and-comers to Alessandro Del Piero of Juventus that day, but observers knew it was only a matter of time before he moved to the Old Continent. In 1996 he joined Valencia where he played a full season before moving to Italy with Sampdoria and then Parma. Despite some fine goals and a few noteworthy performances, El Burrito (The little donkey) never quite became the world-beater he had promised to be early in his career. In 2000 he returned to his beloved River Plate. Aside from a short spell in Turkey with Fenerbahçe, Ortega has been playing his football in Argentina ever since, where his struggle with alcoholism has been well publicised in the local press. He has had stints with Newell’s Old Boys and second division outfit Independiente Rivadavia, but one gets the feeling that River Plate is where he feels most at home, and it’s where he always ends up returning to.
The Quintessential: Kily Gonzalez
Christian ‘Kily’ Gonzalez has never been a superstar, but his long career has included successful stints at a number of big clubs. His honours speak for themselves; a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics, two Serie A titles with Inter , one La Liga title and two Champion’s League finals with Valencia – it’s an impressive resume by anybody’s standards. A speedy, skilful left winger with a powerful left-foot shot and strong personality, Kily came through the ranks of his hometown club Rosario Central, making his debut for the senior side in 2003. His talents were appreciated by Boca Juniors coach Carlos Bilardo, who brought him to Boca Juniors to play alongside Diego Maradona for a season. One year later, he was off to begin his European adventure with Real Zaragoza. Soon the big clubs came calling, and success followed. In 2006 his career with Inter was winding down and he returned to help out his old club Central, who were struggling on the pitch and financially. Since 2009 he has been playing for San Lorenzo, still earning the respect of fans and fellow professionals wherever he plays.
