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'You go out to Bournemouth and get a reality check' - Riquelme on Cherries stint

Rodrigo Riquelme whilst on loan at Cherries (Pic: Richard Crease)
Rodrigo Riquelme whilst on loan at Cherries (Pic: Richard Crease)

ATLETICO Madrid winger Rodrigo Riquelme credited his stint on loan at the Vitality Stadium for helping him “personally and mentally”.

22-year-old Riquelme joined Cherries on a season-long loan back in October 2020, a deal that also saw Cherries have the option to make the switch from Spain permanent.

In total, he made 19 appearances in all competitions, scoring twice in a bit part role of a Cherries side that reached the playoffs.

After a far more productive season in Spain’s second tier, scoring eight goals and providing 12 assists, the Madrid-born talent has broken into the Spanish under-21 set up, scoring three times in his five appearances so far.

That included a brace away in Romania last Thursday, with the Girona loanee keen to stake a claim for a spot on the plane to next summer’s under-21 EUROs.

Reflecting on his journey so far, Riquelme told Spanish publication Marca: "They have been short steps, but I think they are the right ones.

“My time at Bournemouth helped me not so much football-wise but personally and mentally.

"Many of the things I do today, the habits I have for training, guidelines, food, are things that I picked up there."

"You go out to Bournemouth and get a reality check. You watch real football.

“There was a great team there with (Arnaut) Danjuma, (Dominic) Solanke, more accomplished than me.

"I learned a lot. Positive things come out of all the moments that are not so good, and you have to feed on that too."