Riquelme almost quit Spain

The Argentine midfielder claims he was left shocked when former Barcelona manager Louis Van Gaal told him he would not feature regularly at Camp Nou, shortly after signing from Boca Juniors.

The midfielder says he contemplated returning to Argentina, but opted to stay and prove himself in Spain.

He said: "When I arrived at Barcelona and heard that the coach had said that he didn't need me in his team, I nearly took the first plane back to Argentina."

Riquelme has been given the chance to kick-start his career by taking a loan move to Villarreal, but he claims new Barca president Joan Laporta has told him he has a future at Camp Nou.

"I came to Spain for five years and have had only one," commented Riquelme.

"I am thankful to Joan Laporta for leaving the doors open for me at Barcelona next year, when I will decide what I will do in the future.

"But at the moment I am only thinking about Villarreal.

"I have a lot of faith, we have a very good team and a good coach so I expect that we can do well."