La Bombonera

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The stadium opened on May 25, 1940, with a friendly match between Boca and San Lorenzo, which the home side won 2–0 with both goals scored by Ricardo Alarcón. Due to the fact that the stadium did not have a lighting system, the game only lasted 70' (two halves of 35' each). The first official game at the new stadium was on June 2, 1940, when Boca Juniors beat Newell's Old Boys 2–0. Ricardo Alarcón (who had scored in the opening game v. San Lorenzo) scored the first official goal at the new venue. After the stadium was inaugurated, the club continued to introduce refurbishments to expand its capacity. As a result, on November 16, 1941, a second tier was opened on the north side of the stadium, near Casa Amarilla train station. The grandstand was named "Natalio Pescia" in honour of one of the key players in Boca Juniors' history. In 1949, the club decided to add a third tier, as well as a lighting system. All of those works were completed in 1953; this third tier gave the stadium its enduring nickname, La Bombonera. Boca Juniors celebrated with a friendly match vs. Yugoslav club NK Hajduk Split, which ended 1-1. Since then, La Bombonera was not remodeled until 1996 when the presidency of Mauricio Macri decided to expand its capacity to 57,500 spectators. This included the addition in 1996 of a fourth tier; and a wing housing a press area, VIP boxes, a museum, and offices. Works included the demolition of the lateral boxes on Del Valle Iberlucea street, replacing them by a small stand and new and modern boxes (with metallic structure) placed over there. The stadium's exterior was later decorated with works by painters Rómulo Macció and Pérez Celis. The "new" Bombonera was reinaugurated with a friendly match v. Universidad de Chile, against whom Boca Juniors won 3–1. An electronic screen was installed in 2008, making Boca Juniors' stadium the third venue in Argentina with this technology, after the stadiums of Vélez Sársfield and River Plate. At the beginning of 2012, more than 500 seats were replaced and other 500 were added, part of the building of four additional boxes. The stadium was named on April 20, 1986, by team President Antonio Alegre in honor of Camilo Cichero, a former team president under whose tenure work on La Bombonera began. It was renamed on December 27, 2000, by team President Mauricio Macri in honor of Alberto Armando, team president during its resurgence during the 1960s as well as a former business partner of his father Francisco Macri.

In Their Own Story

The stadium is notable for the artwork and murals both inside and around the stadium. One of the murals inside the stadium honors the different divisions within the club and many of the clubs legendary players and figures, including Diego Maradona. The mural is made of tile painted blue and yellow and metal busts and sculptures. Several murals outside the stadium depict the lives of residents of La Boca, usually dockworkers, and people wearing Boca Juniors jerseys and apparel. The stadium is noted for its tendency to shake with heavy fan activity during matches. According to writer Christopher Thomas Gaffney, “La Bombonera does not shake, it beats.” The stadium is also renowned for its location within La Boca, with spectators able to see the dockyards on the Atlantic coast from the highest reaches of the stadium. The stadium is one of many in the city proper of Buenos Aires, with football stadiums far outnumbering other sporting grounds, such as polo grounds and race tracks.

Reader's Guide

La Bombonera currently has a gross capacity of 58,305, which results in around 57,200 seats being available for games. The club's popularity makes tickets hard to get, especially for the Superclásico derby against River Plate. Out of its capacity of 49,000, there are 37,538 seats, 2,780 in boxes, and 8,682 standing. Both its interior and exterior are lined with a number of murals painted by the artist Pérez Celis depicting many of the club's legendary players and aspects of the district's culture, such as the lives of Italian immigrants. In 1996, a small stand was built on the fourth side, which had been largely open until then, except for some VIP boxes. Diego Maradona, who played for and supported Boca Juniors, had his own executive box at the stadium. There are three parking lots at the stadium for members. The Passion of Boca Juniors Museum (Spanish: Museo de la Pasión Boquense) was opened in 2001 during Mauricio Macri's administration. It is located within the stadium, just below the grandstands. The museum was built on two floors and chronicles the club's rise from 1905 (the year the club was established) to the pres

Did You Know?

• The stadium's nickname 'La Bombonera' (The Chocolate Box) came from architect Viktor Sulčič, who used a chocolate box to show colleagues the shape of the stadium during project meetings.
• The opening match on May 25, 1940, lasted only 70 minutes (two halves of 35 minutes each) because the stadium had no lighting system.
• The third tier, added in 1953, gave the stadium its enduring nickname La Bombonera.
• The stadium was renamed twice: first to 'Camilo Cichero' on April 20, 1986, and then to 'Alberto José Armando' on December 27, 2000.
• The stadium's exterior was decorated with works by painters Rómulo Macció and Pérez Celis after the 1996 remodel.