Boca fans are not accustomed to seeing times as bad as these recent few months. The squad is a far cry from the SuperClásico win that seems like it happened a generation ago. That win is now just an overvalued trophy with absolutely no personal or symbolic weight in overall perception of this Clausura tournament.
Martín Palermo said it best when he said after Sunday's loss against Rosario Central that the team had never been so low. Yet he is one of those very few that have been on scholarship from the angry Boca mobs.
If there is a player that should have been forgiven it was Juan Román Riquelme, but his antics after Rosario Central's second goal wreaked bail out. He earned a direct red card for "verbal abuse" and there could be some other repercussions by the club.
The commentator of the match on Argentine television mentioned that the sending off was an obvious attempt to bail out on his team in a dark situation. For many he was already on the way out as the team is looking for some type of change of players from the pitch.
As many know Riquelme is a brilliant player, but much like any other maestro, his temperament is one that does not allow him to be friends with many people. Riquelme bailed out on his team and everyone knows it. He went to look for trouble and looked for the red card. What was the worst of all, he left the pitch in the moment his team needed him most. There was still time to equalize- and almost did on a Palermo header that went wide- but the writing was on the wall.
Was it Riquelme's fault Boca lost? Probably not. The team as a whole was not functioning, so we would need lots of fingers to appropriately distribute the blame.
Riquelme's "premeditated action" was a microcosm of the uncontrollable tailspin that Boca are experiencing as a team and as an entity. Javi García could be forgiven for his terrible gaffe. Gaitan could be forgiven for his poor finishing. The defense COULD BE forgiven for allowing the two scores.
But Riquelme getting sent off the way he did symbolized everything that goes against Boca's principles of sweating the jersey and going down fighting. The proverbial rotten cherry on top. The Xeneize playing in helter skelter fashion and they paid for it in a match that they should have handily won against Rosario Central.
It was officially "rock bottom" for players like Martín Palermo. The last time that Los Canallas last won at La Bombonera, Gary Medel was two years old. It was a place that evoked fear in the hearts of opponents. It was an intimidating venue to go to. Now it seems like it is a place where a group of friends gather on Sundays and play a pickup game. Riquelme's sending off was the thump that officially brought the last few Boca fans to reality after that surreal free fall.
Riquelme, as a player might have a brilliant legacy, but as a teammate he is probably one of the worst to have around. Boca fans embrace him in moments of brilliance, but when he is not on people know that he has 1,000 other places he wants to be.
That is why "Riquelme is motivated" are the three most feared words in Argentine football. Let's face it, his talent has the potential to turn games around and can make magic in the smallest of spaces. Unfortunately his character has truly come to light in situations where his team needed him the most. That's what really comes to tell what a player is made of.
For fans of his game, it has been the ultimate downer. For followers of Boca Juniors, we now know why Martín Palermo is the captain of the team and why Riquelme will leave much, much sooner rather than later and that would be for the best. Because like any good captain Palermo is going down with the ship. And like any good passenger on a sinking ship, he was the first one to jump out.
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