Rafael Riquelme
Rafael Riquelme Díaz (born 10 May 1995 in Mexico City, Mexico) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as winger for Club Universidad Nacional in Primera División de México. He was part of the Mexico national under-17 football team FIFA World Cup champions in 2011, becoming the first national team to achieve it while hosting, defeating Uruguay 2–0 and managing their second title. He recently graduated, he used to play college football as a placekicker at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
 Riquelme in 2016 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Rafael Riquelme Díaz |
| Nationality |  |
| Born | May 10, 1995 Mexico City, Mexico |
| Education | Benedictine College |
| Occupation | Student/Athlete |
| Years active | 1 |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Weight | 85 kg (187 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  |
| Sport | American Football |
| Position | Placekicker |
| College team | Benedictine College |
| League | HAAC |
| Coached by | Larry Wilcox |
| Achievements and titles | |
| World finals |
|
| Updated on 24 July 2016. | |
Early life
Riquelme was born on 10 May 1995 in Mexico City, Mexico. His parents moved to Mexico when he was a baby. His mom, a nutritionist, was always encouraging him to play sports since he was 4 years old. He has a younger brother, Rodrigo Riquelme Díaz. At the age of four, Riquelme started playing football for the subsidiary Pumas Morelos, coached by Antonio Jasso. At the age of twelve, he was representing his home state in various tournaments around the country.
High school
After retiring from football due to undisclosed differences he had with the club, Riquelme got a scholarship to play football at Maur Hill–Mount Academy so he decided to finish his junior and senior years of high school in Atchison, Kansas. While playing on the varsity football he was invited to play on the American football team as a placekicker. On October 13, 2013 in his second game, Riquelme scored a 54-yard field goal to help his school get a win against Horton High School. After this, he started gaining attention from Division-1 Colleges. On February 4, 2015 Riquelme signed his letter of intent to attend Benedictine College.
College career
Benedictine College
Riquelme red-shirted for the 2015 season, his first season at Benedictine College.
International career
Mexico U-17
At the time of the World Cup, Riquelme was one year younger than all the other players on the team, nevertheless, he was called up by Raúl Gutiérrez to serve as a reserve. Riquelme did not get to see any action during the World Cup.
References
- "The Oskaloosa Independent May 22 Page7". Osk.stparchive.com. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
- "Around the Classes - Week 6 recap". Kpreps.com. 2013-10-14. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
- "Rafael Riquelme's (Atchison, KS) Awards". MaxPreps.com. 2013-10-31. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
- "2016 Football Roster - Benedictine College Raven Athletics". Ravenathletics.com. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
- "Heart of America Athletic Conference - 2016 Football Roster". Heartofamericaconference.com. Retrieved 2017-02-26.