Xeneize

Lore & Background

On 3 April 1905, a group of boys, who were the sons of Italian immigrants (more specifically from Genoa), met in order to find a club. The house where the meeting was arranged was Esteban Baglietto's and the other four people who attended were Alfredo Scarpatti, Santiago Sana and brothers Juan Farenga and Teodoro Farenga. Other important founding members include Arturo Penney, Marcelino Vergara, Luis Cerezo, Adolfo Taggio, Giovanelli, Donato Abbatángelo, and Bertolini. Before the club was officially established, Irish immigrant Patrick McCarthy taught the fundamentals and rules of the game to young local youths, including future club founders like Esteban Baglietto, so when these boys founded the club they asked the Irishman to be its first manager.

In Their Own Story

The air in La Boca hangs heavy with the brine of the Riachuelo and the acrid smoke of a thousand flares. Inside the cavernous belly of La Bombonera, the vibration begins in the soles of your feet before it cracks through your chest. A sea of blue and gold surges against the concrete walls, a rhythmic roar rising like a tidal wave: '¡Vamos Boca!'. In the upper tier, an old man sits with his face painted in the stripes of the flag, clutching a frayed scarf that has witnessed decades of glory. He stares down at the pitch where young players warm up, seeing not just athletes, but ghosts of legends who once wore the same blue and gold. When the whistle blows, there is no distinction between the player on the grass and the fan in the stands. They are one heartbeat, one voice, and one unyielding force that refuses to bow.

Reader's Guide

Boca Juniors has a fierce rivalry with River Plate, and matches between them are known as the Superclásico. It is the most heated rivalry in Argentina and one of the biggest in the world. Boca's home stadium is the Estadio Alberto J. Armando, better known colloquially as La Bombonera. The team has won 74 official titles, the most by any Argentine club. National titles include 35 Primera División championships and 17 domestic cups. Internationally, Boca Juniors has won 22 major titles, with 18 organised by CONMEBOL and the rest organised jointly by the Argentine and Uruguayan Associations.

Did You Know?

• Boca Juniors was named by the IFFHS as the top South American club of the first decade of the 21st century (2001–2010).
• The club's first known emblem dates from 1911, appearing on the club's letterhead papers.
• As of January 2023, Boca Juniors ranked first among the clubs with the most members in Argentina, with 315,879.