Juan Roman Riquelme will finally have his testimonial in front of the Boca Juniors faithful on Sunday, June 25, 2023.
The Argentina legend retired back in 2014 but was not able to set a testimonial date until now.
"It feels strange but I know that one day this had to happen," Riquelme said after the game was announced. "My children are going to enjoy it a lot. This is my life, it is being at home, being with my people again, having a great Sunday again, without a doubt it will wonderful".
The Sporting News looks at some of the key details ahead of the match, including the attendance of Lionel Messi.
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Is Messi playing in Riquelme testimonial?
The two teams playing in the testimonial will be Argentina and Boca Juniors legends. Riquelme previously confirmed that Messi will be playing in the match on June 25, and shortly before the match he was spotted at the event hotel.
¡MESSI YA ESTÁ EN EL HOTEL Y POSÓ CON EL CHIPI BARIJHO! pic.twitter.com/Rh87OnKcEn
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) June 25, 2023
Riquelme and Messi played together with Argentina at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the 2007 Copa America. They apparently got along well despite their brief time in the Argentina squad.
Messi recently wrapped his June international duties with Argentina, where he featured against Australia. He is getting set to sign a deal with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer and has been reported to debut on July 21.
He will be playing at Boca Juniors' home stadium La Bombonera just 24 hours after starring in another testimonial match: Maxi Rodriguez's tribute in his native Rosario, scoring a hat-trick in Argentina colours.
Before Barcelona, Newell’s Old Boys, the Rosario club, is Messi’s first love. Played for the academy when he joined them at 6 yrs old. Now, a World Cup champ, this is how they received him on on his birthday, for Maxi Rodríguez’s farewell match pic.twitter.com/Kc8UwMTOg4
— Luis Miguel Echegaray (@lmechegaray) June 25, 2023
Here are the list of players that will be representing each side in the Riquelme testimonial.
| Argentina | Boca Juniors |
|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | Claudio Rodriguez |
| Sergio Romero | Mauricio Serna |
| Roberto Ayala | Sebastian Battaglia |
| Gabriel Heinze | Blas Giunta |
| Juan Pabl Sorin | Gustavo Schelotto |
| Javier Mascherano | Raul Cascini |
| Pablo Aimar | Pablo Ledesma |
| Maxi Rodriguez | Ever Banega |
| Lucho Gonzalez | Leandro Paredes |
| Angel Di Maria | Marcelo Delgado |
| Ezequiel Lavezzi | Guillermo Schelotto |
| Ariel Ortega | Rodrigo Palacio |
| -- | Carlos Tevez |
MORE: Live blog (in Spanish) of Riquelme testimonial
Riquelme testimonial live stream, TV channel
Riquelme's testimonial will be broadcast and streamed on Argentina TV channel, TV Publica. It will not be televised on any other channels around the world, but the game will be live streamed on Boca Juniors YouTube channel.
- Date: Sunday, June 25, 2023
- Time: 3 p.m. EDT / 8 p.m. BST (4 p.m. local in Argentina)
- TV Channel: TV Publica (Argentina)
- Stream: TV Publica & Boca Juniors YouTube channel
The match will kickoff at 4 p.m. local time in Argentina at La Bombonera. Here is how that translates to regions around the world:
| Country | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| UK | Sun, Jun. 26 | 8 p.m. BST |
| USA | Sun, Jun. 26 | 3 p.m. EDT |
| Australia | Mon, Jun. 27 | 5 a.m. AEST |
| Canada | Sun, Jun. 26 | 3 p.m. EDT |
| Hong Kong | Mon, Jun. 27 | 3 a.m. HKT |
| India | Mon, Jun. 27 | 12:30am IST |
| Malaysia | Mon, Jun. 27 | 3 a.m. MYT |
| Singapore | Mon, Jun. 27 | 3 a.m. SGT |
| New Zealand | Mon, Jun. 27 | 7 a.m. NZST |
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When is Messi playing for Inter Miami?
Messi's current deal with PSG ends on June 30, 2023, so his move to Inter Miami has not be officially announced.
He is set to make his debut for Inter Miami three weeks after his contract expires, due to an extended break to allow for international duty in June, and for a proper preseason.
His first appearance for Miami is expected to be against Mexican side Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup competition on July 21, 2023. This means he could play at least 15 times for the club during the rest of the season, potentially more depending on cup success and league finish.
Messi is expected to sign a two-and-a-half-year contract in Miami, with the half-season accounting for the period from July to December 2023. (Unlike the European campaign, the MLS season runs from February to December.)
As per reports from the Miami Herald, Messi's deal will be worth $125-$150 million in total (£100-£120m), which breaks down to around $4.1-$5 million (£3.3-£4m) per month.