Boca Juniors

Club Overview

Club Atletico Boca Juniors is one of the most popular and famous soccer clubs in Argentina and the entire world. Boca has gained its popularity due to all the international and national titles that it has won throughout its history. Some of the most important international titles that this team has acquired are: the Intercontinental Cup, the Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, Recopa Sudamericana and many more. What is remarkable and well known about the team are the famous and unique colours that the team have (blue and yellow). Boca juniors is well known by the nickname “the half plus one”, which means that half of the population from Argentina plus one are fans of the team. Boca juniors is ranked within the fifth place in the world ranking of soccer teams according to the ranking elaborated by the International Federation of Soccer History and Statistics in the year 2008.

Club History

Boca Juniors was established on Monday, April 3, 1905, when five young people in the neighborhood of La Boca (Esteban Baglietto, Alfredo Scarpatti, Santiago Sana'a and the brothers John and Teodoro Farenga) met at the Plaza Solis for the purpose of founding a soccer club. Without imagining it, this group of Italian immigrants wrote the first pages of the history of the most popular Argentinean team. The name of the institution was taken directly from its neighborhood, but the word Juniors was added to give an English tone to it, so that way it would have more prestige taking away the bad reputation that the neighborhood had gain during those years. The name of the team has never been changed since the creation of the club.

In the year 1905, it was really simple to try to find a free space to create a little soccer field and with this purpose the young founders that year searched for a place located in Darsena Sur. The team played there for two years but when Boca was affiliated to the association in the year 1907 it was forced to evacuate this site because it did not achieved the minimum requirements for games such as bathrooms and locker rooms.

In the island of Demarchi which was located near the neighborhood of la Boca, the team found another territory where they used three fields from 1908 to 1912. However, that year they need to move again. In 1914, the directives of the club decided to accept the proposal to rent a territory in Wilde; unfortunately, the distance of the location of the field and the bad campaign that the team carried out during the season of 1914-1915, caused a decrease of associates reducing the quantity from 1500 to 300.

Faced with tremendous problems, the leaders decided to return to La Boca and build the stadium there. There was a place between Brin and Senquel Minster streets. There operated a warehouse that was used by a factory of artificial tone blocks for storage. In May 25th, 1916, the new stadium was located in that place and inaugurated. Unfortunately, the patrons protests forced them to leave, and the search for a location continued. This search came to an end in 1923, when a piece of land located in Brandsen and Del Cruises was rented. The galleries were built with wood and preceded to be known -as it is nowadays- as La Bombonera. The inauguration took place on June 6th, 1924. The first period of the construction began in 1938; in the same place that was located the previous stadium which was finished in 1940.The architect who was responsible for the work was the engineer Jose L. Delpini. La Bombonera was inaugurated on May 25th, 1940, during the presidency of Eduardo Sanchez Terrero. On Sunday, June 2nd, 1940 the first official game was disputed in the new stadium. Boca juniors faced Newell’s Old Boys and beat them 2-0 with goals from Alarcon and Gandulla. In the year 1949, began the construction of the final stage of the great dream of Boca, and that same year, the artificial lighting of the stadium was opened.

Boca juniors have won numerous important tournaments and titles that have given it an enormous worldwide prestige. Some of the most distinguished titles that Boca Juniors has won are:

• Champion of the First Division in the Amateur Era (six times).
• First Division of Argentina (twenty-two times).
• Copa Intercontinental (three times)
• Copa Libertadores de America (six times)
• Copa Sudamericana (two times)
• Recopa Sudamericana (three times)
• Supercopa Sudamericana (one time)

Besides all the recognition that the team has, we need to recognize all the good players who have made history and established many records in the team and who helped achieve many of the titles won by the club. Some of the most notable players are: the goalkeepers: Hugo Orlando Gatti (1976-1978), Carlos Navaro Montoya (1987-1996), Oscar Cordoba (1997-2001). The defenders: Silvio Mazolini (1941-1947), Vicente Pernia (1973-1996), Jorge Berudez (1997-2001). The mid-fields: Ernesto Mastrangelo (1976-1981), Diego Latorre(1987-1992 and 1996-1998), Juan Roman Riquelme (1996-2002 -present), and Diego Armando Maradona (1981-1982). The forwards: Francisco Varallo (1931-1939), Miguel Angel Brindisi (19810-1982), Martin Palermo (1997-2000- present), Guillermo Barros Schelotto (1997-2007)

Club Rivalries

The Superclasico of the Argentine soccer is the game which faces the two most popular teams in the country: Boca Juniors and River Plate.

This particular sport event concentrate not only the attention in Argentina but also in others parts of the world. It is recognized by the huge passion expressed for the fans of both teams.

This rivalry began in the early twentieth century, when both teams use to share the neighbourhood of the Barrio de la Ribera. This classic has survived many chapters that have been left in the history of Argentina sport.

Many sources take that the rivalries started by a friendly game that was played in august 2, 1908 in the field that Boca Juniors used to have in South Darsena with the victory of the locals, 2-1. However, the most notable Superclasico of the history was disputed on august 24, 1913 in the field of Racing club (another important team from Argentina) with the victory of River for 2-1. On December 23, 1928 the biggest goal difference was marked between the two teams. Boca defeated River 6 to 0 with goals of Roberto Cherro, Domingo Taraconi and Esteban Kuko (two goals each). The player that most Superclasicos disputed was Hugo Gatti with 52 games (12 with River and 40 with Boca)

Other rivalries of Boca are The Club Atletico Independiente, The Racing Club, and The Club Atletico San Lorenzo de Almagro. These teams including Boca and River are the strongest and the most important teams in Argentina. All these teams have won popularity from all the tournaments that have won in their history. That is why when one of these teams play against each other there is a rivalry that start. However, the history and background leading to Boca and River is already made that is why these two teams are the typical football Argentina rivals and the Superclasico is only and between Boca and River.

Stars of the Current Squad

Juan Roman Riquelme is one of the most important and new incorporations of Boca Juniors. Riquelme was also the new hope for the team in order to win another championship or to maintain the Copa Libertadores. Roman is a player with enough experience and with a talent that not every player has. Roman is a unique and incredible player without doubt. His techniques and his quality as a player are hard to observe in other players, for these reasons, Roman is an important incorporation for the team and will definitely help the team to obtain new titles.

Martin Palermo is another important player for the team. He is the goal man and the one that would never lose a chance to score a goal. He is the one who is in the right place at the right time to score and thanks to his experience he will be the one to make the difference when the team needs a goal. Palermo had scored many goals so far in his career; in addition, he is the highest scorer of the Argentine league who is still playing at the moment.

Rodrigo Palacio is another important player for Boca. His strength and speed helps Boca open the field and pass centers to players like Palermo to be able to score goals. The combinations of these three players are essential and very important to Boca, so that way the team can reach the goal. The qualities of these there players are envied and any team would like to have them.

Club Legends

Hugo Orlando Gatti

Hugo Orlando Gatti was the goalkeeper with the most participation in the history of the club. He had courage to protect the area all the time. He marked a new era in his position. “The Crazy”: nickname which is well known debuted in Atlanta club and stepped to River club in 1964 and later to Gymnasia and Union. In 1976 came to Boca squad reaching glory and was considered a hero.

Juan Roman Riquelme Juan Roman Riquelme started playing in the humble club of Argentina juniors. However, it was in Boca where he met the true meaning of success. He made his first appearance with Boca at the end of 1996 but it was only in 1998 when it was consolidated with the team. Bianchi (the coach of the team in that year) trusted him and Riquelme answered with three tittles, two Libertadores Cups and one intercontinental. Roman is a very important player and it is proven by all the cups he has won in his career

Diego Latorre Diego Latorre (1987-1992 and 1996-1998) was one of the most talented players of Boca Juniors. Because of the good control that he used to have with the ball people started calling him with by the nickname of “Gambetita”, and as team captain he guided Boca to obtain the title in 1992. After his transfer to Fiorentina and Tenerife, he returned to Boca to play for two more seasons and again showed his exceptional talents.

Most Appearances

Most Goals

Player Recognition & Awards

Guillermo Barros Schelotto has obtained the maximum championships for Boca juniors with 16 titles and the maximum championships in Argentina with 18 titles.

Martin Palermo has received recognition for being the top scorer of all leagues of America in the year 2007. On May 3, 2007 he became the top scorer of Boca Juniors in an international tournament by overcoming Guillermo Barros Schelotto with 30 goals. In addition, he became the 15th soccer player to convert at least 150 goals in the first division of Argentine playing for the same club. Moreover, he holds the record for goals in short AFA tournaments, with 20 goals in 19 matches, made in the Torneo Apertura of 1998. Furthermore, he was voted as the best header in the world according to a survey made by fifa.com.

Team Honours

According to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics Boca Juniors is positioned in the fifth place of the world ranking of the best clubs in the world. Apart of that Boca have the record of maximum goals converted in one game. This record is hold by Roberto Cherro the one who made 7 goals. The game in which Boca Scored the most goals was in the game between Tigre in 1942 when Boca beat them 11 to 1. In international tournaments the maximum goals converted was in the game between Boliviar of Bolivia the 27 of April of 2007 when Boca beat them 7 for 0. Boca is the club of Argentina with more titles (by adding official titles of national and international titles): with a total of 39 titles.

Encouragement Cup (1) 1926

George VI Cup Competition (1) 1946

Argentina Football Cup (1) 1969

Championship of the first division in the Amateur Era (6): 1919, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1930

First Division of the Argentina in the Professional Era (22): Campeonato: 1931, 1934, 1935, 1940, 1943, 1944, 1954, 1962, 1964, 1965; Nacional: 1969, Nacional: 1970; Metropolitano: 1976; Nacional: 1976; Metropolitano 1981; Apertura 1992, Apertura 1998, Clausura 1999, Apertura 2000, Apertura 2003, Apertura 2005, Clausura 2006.

Cup Dr. Carlos Ibarguren (5): 1919, 1923, 1924, 1940, 1944.

Cup of Competency Jockey Club (2): 1919, 1925.

Champion of Honor (1): 1925

Cup Encouragement (1): 1926

Cup Competition George VI (1): 1946

Cup of Argetnina football (1): 1969

Unofficial National Tournaments

Cup Reform of the Central League (1): 1906

Cup Barone of the Albion League (1): 1908

International Official Tournament

Intercontinental Cup (3): 1977, 2000, 2003.

Copa Libertadores de América (6): 1977, 1978, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007.

Copa Sudamericana (2): 2004 y 2005.

Recopa Sudamericana (3): 1990, 2005, 2006.

Supercopa Sudamericana (1): 1989.

Copa Master (1): 1992.

Copa de Oro Nicolás Leoz (1): 1993.

Club Management

Mauricio Macri 1996-2008: Mauricio Macri conducts in his first two years as manager multiple reforms in the club. One of them was to remodel la Bombonera with the inauguration of official VIP sets. According to the present times Boca present his official website in internet. In 1998 the era Bianchi begun: the club obtain the tournament of the Apertura 98 (unbeaten for the first time in the professional era) and Clausura 99, being the best Boca two times in a rod champion of the history, in terms of effectiveness in points. In addition, gets the unbeaten record in the history of professional soccer from Argentina: 40 encounters without defeats. For the first time in its 95 years gets the “triple crown” Libertadores Cup, Intercontinental Cup of clubs in Japan and Opening tournament, all of them in 2000. La Bombonera changed its name in December 2000 by “Alberto J. Armando” in tribute to the former president. Win Copa Libertadores 2001. In 2003, with the return of Carlos Bianchi, Boca gets his second triple crown: Libertadores Cup, Intercontinental Cup of Clubs in Japan and OpeningTorunament. In 2004 won it’s first Copa Sudamericana and in 2005, with the leadership of Basle, reached a new Triple Crown (this time without Bianchi): Recopa Sudamericana, Opening Tournament and Copa Sudamericana. That year the club would have their first problem, for the lack of place in La Bombonera decide to cancel the registration of associates. Following the overwhelming demand for tickets to visitor fan, decided to implement a ranking of associates to reduce the ones who would have the priority for thickets.

Uniforms

At the beginning of the century, it was very difficult that a team would maintain the colors of the shirt definitely and Boca was not the exception of this issue. The team had other shirts before adopting the colors that the team uses these days. It is said that the first shirt was a dark light-blue and made of a satin fabric. However, there are versions that say that the pioneer was pink, although, it was used only a few of games. After a few days, the founders met again and asked a sister of them the purchase of other shirts. The new shirts were made of wool, blue and white with vertical stripes very fine. (Others versions indicate a similar design but with black and white colors). The legend says that there was a team called Boedo, which had a similar shirt. Then an agreement was made between the clubs and they made a challenge game to define who will be the one who stayed with the colors. This game was lost by Boca and had it had to decide on new colors. A young man, who worker on the bridge of La Boca was inspired by the flag of a Swedish vessel which had the colors blue and yellow, and this is how Boca Juniors started to use this colors all the time. But before reaching the current model of the shirt, Boca used a blue shirt that had a yellow stripe in 1908. (This design was similar to the actual shirt of the River Plate team). This necessity brought the need of create another game of shirts. Conversely, the novelty was that the bay, rather than going thought the chest in an oblique way was made horizontally. And at that precise moment al the doubts were gone: Boca had found the shirt that would lead the team to the fame. In the year 1996, an agreement was reached to modify the traditional design by adding a white horizontal stripe two centimeters thick, between the colors blue and yellow. And this design led to a great controversy because the majority of people were opposed to the white stripe on the official shirt. In the year 1998, Boca juniors returned to their original colors, but this time the yellow horizontal stripe was made of 33 cm thick. In the year 2000, the yellow horizontal strip returned to it is classic size of 15 cm of thickness and the blue color was presented more clearly. In 2001, the current shirt of Boca adopts another innovation: the coat in the middle and not on the side as before. It was added to the sides a strip of a darker blue and in the back is yellow from the number to the bottom. In 2003, the design is modified, eliminating the yellow line on the back, with larger more visible numbers. The current model represents a design with a darker blue and yellow, and the coat at the center of the chest. The yellow lines returned to the back.

Stadium

In the year of 1986, it was decided to call the Bombonera officially with the name of “Dr Camilo Cichero,” in honor of that president that during whose mandate the cornerstone was laid for the construction of the stadium. However, in 2002, under the presidency of Mauricio Macri, the official name was change by the one of “Alberto J. Armando”. The stadium is located in the Neighborhood of La Boca in the 805 Bradsen, Capital Federal. The date of the inauguration was the 25 of May of 1940. The capacity of the stadium is for 49,000 spectators. When the stadium was being built win the nickname of La Bombonera and this was for the form that the stadium was getting. La Bombonera is a well know stadium in all parts of the world. Many teams from others countries say that playing in la Bombonera is different from playing in others fields and this is because for all the movement that is provide from the fans and here is when the stadium comes alive and its seems that there was an earthquake inside. A lot of players fear when they just get inside the field because the architecture and from the movement that is produce in the stadium.

Sponsors

In the year 2003 Boca present their own mark with, the one that have the mission of the merchandising of the Club. Boca logistics and Distribution is a company made to distribute products of Boca, with more than 1500 products of different items including food, toys, clothes and many more.

Important Links

• http://www.bocajuniors.com.ar/index.php (Official team site)
• http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boca_Juniors
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/21652800@N06/2099254231/
• http://www.futboldeprimera.com.ar/ (Official league site Spanish)
• http://www.bocajuniors.com.ar/2008/03/10/1503.php (Official ticket site)
• http://www.bocajuniors.com.ar/elclub_bombonera.php (Stadium home page)

References