Soccer-Copa-Riquelme finds new lease of life away from Europe

By Brian Homewood

PUERTO LA CRUZ, Venezuela, July 3 (Reuters) - Nobody seems to want him in Europe but in South America Juan Roman Riquelme is in majestic form and oblivious to the uncertainties about his future.

The enigmatic playmaker produced one of his best performances in 39 outings for Argentina on Monday when he scored twice in their 4-2 win over Colombia at the Copa America.

The win sent Argentina into the quarter-finals with a match to spare after their opening 4-1 rout of the United States.

The goals were Riquelme's first for his country since a 3-0 friendly win away to Qatar in November and his first at the Copa America, a tournament he previously graced in 1999.

Not a man of many words, Riquelme had little to say after the game. "We played very well. It's not easy to score four goals and we've done it in both games," he said.

"We were always calm and confident. Now, we can unwind and think about the next game."

Riquelme's goals -- a classy header and a free kick -- came in an 11-minute spell before halftime and gave Argentina a commanding 3-1 lead after they had fallen behind.

For much of the game, Riquelme dictated the pace in midfield as Argentine probed the Colombia defence.