- Vasco da Gama, who face Boca Juniors on Tuesday for a place in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana Final, have two players named after him: Riquelme Avellar and Riquelme Carvalho.
- According to the latest census, 31,684 people in Brazil bear the name “Riquelme” or a variation inspired by his surname, including Hickelmy, Rikelme, Riquelmy and Riquelmo.
Before the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana Semi-finals, which will be decided this Tuesday in the second leg at the Maracanã (following a 1-0 defeat for Boca at 'La Bombonera'), Vasco da Gama and Boca Juniors had met four times, all in 2001. In their first tie, Boca eliminated Vasco in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Quarter-finals in May, winning 4-0 on aggregate. The teams would meet twice more in the group stage of the 2001 Copa Mercosur. During that year's CONMEBOL Libertadores campaign, in which Boca retained their title, Juan Román Riquelme produced two outstanding displays against Vasco, first at the Estadio São Januário (0-1) and then at 'La Bombonera' (3-0). The Vasco goalkeeper on the receiving end was Hélton da Silva Arruda. On 22 November that year, nearly six months after the elimination, Hélton became a father. He named his son, born in Rio de Janeiro, Hélton Hickelmy, in honour of Riquelme, who is now, 25 years later, Boca's president. Hélton was a pioneer.
The legendary Vasco da Gama goalkeeper, who went on to win 18 trophies with Portugal's Porto between 2005 and 2016, would not be the last to name a son “Riquelme” or one of its linguistic variations. Vasco's current squad alone includes two footballers who owe their names to Boca's iconic No. 10: Riquelme Avellar da Silva Fortes (20 years old, five appearances in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana for the 'Gigante da Colina') and Riquelme de Carvalho Araújo Viana (24 years old, 38 appearances for Vasco, having returned from a loan spell at Greece's Panserraikos).
Atlético Mineiro, who will look to secure their place in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana Final against Montevideo City Torque in Uruguay on Wednesday following a 3-0 home victory in the first leg, also have a Riquelme in their squad: 17-year-old Riquelme Henrique da Silva Ferreira. Although he has yet to make his first-team debut, he was named among the substitutes for the 1-0 defeat to Cienciano in Group B of this year's competition.
At Fluminense, who will attempt to overturn Palmeiras' 2-1 first-leg victory at the Maracanã when they meet again in São Paulo on Wednesday in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores Semi-finals, there is 19-year-old Riquelme Felipe Silva de Almeida. Although he has yet to play a minute in the competition, he has been named among the substitutes for four matches in this edition. Palmeiras, meanwhile, had Riquelme Fillipi Marinho de Souza until September, when he was transferred to Inter Miami in the United States. He did not feature in the current CONMEBOL Libertadores, although he was an unused substitute on four occasions.
In other words, four of the five Brazilian semi-finalists across the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana and Libertadores have, or have recently had, a Riquelme in their ranks. The exception is Flamengo, who will decide their Semi-final tie against Estudiantes at the Maracanã on Thursday following a goalless draw in La Plata. In February 2019, during the tragic fire at the 'Ninho do Urubu', Flamengo's youth training facility, one of the ten people who lost their lives was Rykelmo de Souza Viana. He was just 16 years old.
According to the 2022 census conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the most recent to date, 31,684 people in Brazil have “Riquelme” as their first name (25,942) or one of its variations, including Rikelme, Rickelme, Rykelme, Rikelmi, Riquelmy, Riquelmo and Rykelmo (5,742). Most were born between 2000 and 2009, when the original Riquelme was at the height of his career, starring in Boca's three CONMEBOL Libertadores triumphs in 2000, 2001 and 2007.
Ahead of the second leg of the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana Quarter-finals against São Paulo in Brazil, Riquelme met Brazilian journalist Flávio Prado, an admirer of both the player and Boca. "I love football and have enormous admiration for Brazilian players. Knowing that mothers and fathers have decided to name their children after me makes me very happy," Riquelme told him, visibly surprised. He added: "Brazil is a country that loves football, that adores football, just as we do. We share the same passion as Brazilians, and the fact that a father or mother would want to give their child my name means so much to me. I'd love to meet all 30,000 of them, give them a kiss and a hug. All I can say is thank you. It's a moment of great happiness for me." In the documentary El legado de Juan Román Riquelme (O Globo), released in May, the iconic No. 10 had joked: "Well, I guess I'll have to ask each of them for a shirt."
To put the legacy of a surname into perspective — and the sheer number of Brazilian Riquelmes — the second name derived from an Argentine footballer in the census was Lionel Messi's, with just 363 people bearing his name. Last April, during the South American U-17 Championship in Paraguay, Brazil defeated Argentina 3-0 in the group stage. Two of the goals were scored by Riquelme Henrique, the Atlético Mineiro forward. A Brazilian Riquelme, one of those named after Román, scoring against Argentina for the first time.
Boca have Brazilian supporters who do not support any club in their own country. To a large extent, that connection can be explained by Riquelme, widely regarded as the greatest idol in Boca's history. His trademark footwork, assists, goals and masterclasses in strategy and geometry with the ball left a lasting impression. Most of the parents who gave their children his surname as a first name support traditional rivals of Palmeiras and Grêmio, such as Corinthians, Santos, São Paulo and Internacional of Porto Alegre. After all, Riquelme won two of his three CONMEBOL Libertadores titles on Brazilian soil: in 2000, against Palmeiras at the Morumbí, and in 2007, against Grêmio at the Estádio Olímpico Monumental in Porto Alegre. In 2001, Carlos Bianchi and Riquelme's Boca also eliminated Palmeiras in a memorable Semi-final penalty shootout at the Parque Antártica.
This Tuesday, as Boca president, Riquelme will be at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro for the second leg of the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana Semi-finals against Vasco da Gama. "There was an argument at the registry office because my dad wanted to register me as 'Riquelme' and my mum wanted to call me 'Emanoel'. But he ended up registering me as 'Riquelme' without my mum knowing. I want to meet the man who inspired my name," Riquelme Carvalho said in 2023. Now back at Vasco, perhaps his opportunity has arrived. Hélton Hickelmy, the son of legendary goalkeeper Hélton, is now 24. After coming through Porto's youth academy in Portugal, Hickelmy now plays as a goalkeeper for clubs competing in the amateur regional leagues organised by the Porto Football Association.
