Pedro Calomino

The first idol of Boca Juniors and inventor of the step over.

Bleo Pedro Fournol, known as Pedro Calomino and nicknamed Calumín, was an Argentine right winger born 13 March 1892 and died 12 January 1950. He played almost his entire career for Boca Juniors and also appeared in 37 matches for Argentina, scoring five goals. Calomino is credited with inventing the step over move and is considered Boca Juniors’ first idol, winning nine titles with the club. He is also regarded as one of Argentina’s finest right wingers. With the national team, he captained Argentina to victory in the 1921 South American Championship, the country’s first official title, and is the earliest known player to use the stepover.

A Boca Juniors scout spotted Calomino playing on a field in Retiro and persuaded him to join the club. He made his debut in the third division against River Plate. Strong performances earned him a promotion, and he debuted for the senior squad in 1911, when Boca was still in the Segunda División. In 1912, he moved to Argentino de Quilmes, where he quickly became recognized as the best right winger in Argentina.

He had brief returns to Boca (1913) and Argentino de Quilmes (1914), also playing for Hispano Argentino until 1915, when he returned to Boca for the remainder of his career, retiring in 1924. In total, Calomino played 222 games for Boca, scoring 96 goals. He was the club’s top scorer in six seasons (1913, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, and 1919), a record later surpassed only by Martín Palermo, who achieved it eight times. On May 25, 1940, during the inauguration of La Bombonera, Calomino was chosen to raise the Argentine flag.

Calomino debuted for Argentina on 15 August 1917 against Uruguay. He played in four South American Championships (1917, 1919, 1920, and 1921), captaining the team to its title in his final tournament. His honors include four Primera División titles (1919, 1920, 1923, 1924), the Copa Competencia Jockey Club (1919), two Copa Ibarguren titles (1919, 1923), the Tie Cup (1919), and the Copa de Honor Cousenier (1920) with Boca, plus the 1921 Copa América with Argentina.