Juan Roman Riquelme has finally started to fulfil the potential he showed during Argentina's FIFA World Youth Championship triumph in 1997 and is now recognised as one of the world's finest creative midfielders. He made his debut for the senior national team in 1997 but never managed to convince former bosses Daniel Passarella and Marcelo Bielsa that he merited a regular place in the starting line-up. However, the arrival of Jose Pekerman as coach in 2004 saw the playmaker become an automatic choice and Riquelme is now regarded as crucial to Argentina's hopes of success in Germany. The fluctuating fortunes of his international career have been mirrored at club level, where he is the driving force behind Villarreal's current success following a disappointing spell at Barcelona.