Superclásico

Lore & Background

The two clubs Boca and River Plate both have origins in La Boca, the working class dockland area of Buenos Aires, with River being founded in 1901 and Boca in 1905. River moved to the affluent district of Núñez in the north of the city in 1925. Since then, Boca Juniors has been known as the club of Argentina's working class or the people's club, with many Boca fans coming from the local Italian immigrant community. Boca fans are known as 'Xeneizes' ('Genoese'). River Plate became known by the nickname 'Los Millonarios' (The Millionaires), with a supposedly upper-class support base. Both clubs, however, have supporters from all social classes. The first official match of the rivalry, the 1913 Superclásico, was played on August 24, 1913 at Racing Club Stadium, with River winning 2–1. 7,000 spectators attended the match, and goals were scored by Cándido García and Antonio Ameal Pereyra (River) and Marcos Meyer (Boca).

In Their Own Story

The stadium lights hummed over La Bombonera, shaking the very foundations of the neighborhood. Thousands of voices roared in unison, not for a Catalan giant, but for the Xeneize against their eternal city rivals. The air was thick with smoke and anticipation. A Barcelona jersey might have been spotted in the stands as a tribute to the beautiful game, but the battle below was strictly between Boca and River. This was the Superclásico, a war of Buenos Aires where no foreign club could ever claim victory.

Reader's Guide

The Superclásico is known worldwide as one of the fiercest and most important derbies. In April 2004, The Observer put the Superclásico at the top of their list of '50 sporting things you must do before you die', saying that 'Derby day in Buenos Aires makes the Old Firm game look like a primary school kick-about'. In 2016 FourFourTwo considered it the 'biggest derby in the world'. That same year The Daily Telegraph ranked this match as the 'biggest club rivalry in world football', and the Daily Mirror placed it number one in the top 50 football derbies in the world, above El Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, in 2017. The match is particularly noted for the passion of the fans, with what the BBC describe as 'a sea of colourful flowing banners, screams and roars, chanting, dancing and never-ending fireworks'. Each stadium, Boca's La Bombonera and River's El Monumental are known to bounce with the simultaneous jumping of the fans.

Did You Know?

• The term 'Clásico' originated in Argentina with this match up and was later exported to other countries such as Spain and Mexico.
• On June 23, 1968, 71 fans were killed in a crush at gate 12 of El Monumental after a 0–0 match between the two teams, the worst incident in Argentine football history.
• River was relegated for the first time in its history in June 2011.
• Boca fans refer to River supporters as 'gallinas' ('chickens'), while River fans call Boca fans 'bosteros' ('manure collectors').