- Seb Sternik
- 15 July 2023
Gimnasia L.P. vs Boca Juniors tips: I Genovesi to continue cautious approach in La Plata
Boca Juniors travel to La Plata as they take on Gimnasia in their latest Argentine Primera Division outing.
Boca Juniors are a sports club from the Boca neighbourhood of Buenos Aires predominantly known for their soccer team. They play in the Argentine Primera Division and are one of the most successful clubs in the league's history alongside city rivals River Plate.
Boca are famous for their iconic former players, including Carlos Tevez, Juan Roman Riquelme and, most notably, the late, great Diego Maradona.
Maradona played for Boca from 1981-1982 and again from 1995-1997. Most of his heyday was spent on the books of Italian side Napoli, as well as to a lesser extent Spain's Barcelona, but Maradona was never forgotten among the Boca Juniors faithful.
Boca have won 34 Argentine top-flight titles and six Copa Libertadores crowns. They are a club traditionally associated with Argentina's working class and an industrious approach to the game.
They play their home matches at the 54,000-capacity La Bombonero.
Boca Juniors' early history
Club Atletico Boca Juniors were founded in 1905 in the La Boca neighbourhood. In 1913, Boca won promotion to the Argentine top flight and they have remained there ever since.
Boca Juniors embarked on a famous tour of Europe in 1925. They played 19 friendly matches from March to June in Spain, Germany and France. Boca won 15 of those matches, drew one and lost three. Manuel Seonae was Boca's top scorer on the tour, netting 12 of their 40 goals during their time in Europe.
The 1925 tour was the first time an Argentine side played in Europe and the AFA (Argentine Football Association) awarded them an honorary championship title for their success abroad.
Primera Division success
Boca Juniors have been competitive in Argentina for more than 100 years, winning the first of their 34 Primera Division titles in 1919. They followed that up with titles in 1920, 1923, 1924 and 1926.
They managed to win a further seven league titles between 1930 and 1944.
Boca then went through 10 years without winning the title as River Plate enjoyed a highly successful spell. However, Boca were back on top in 1954.
After another drought - this time lasting eight years - Boca claimed four league titles in the 1960s.
Success continued in the 1970s but Boca then endured a barren spell between 1981 and 1992. However, in the late 90s, they played under the guidance of a man who remains their most successful head coach.
Carlos Bianchi was in charge from 1998-2001 and again from 2003-2004 and 2013-2014. A young Riquelme was involved in their success under Bianchi, who won nine trophies with Boca.
Former Boca Juniors manager Carlos Bianchi.
Oscar Tabarez was another notable figure to manage the club and he later went on to have tremendous success in charge of the Uruguay national team.
However, no Boca Juniors hero has ever been greater than Diego Maradona, who donned the club's colours in their 1981 triumph.
Boca Juniors on the international scene
Boca Juniors have won 22 international titles, including six Copa Libertadores triumphs.
Boca's first Copa Libertadores came in a 1977 final victory over Brazil's Cruzeiro. They followed that up in 1978 by thrashing Deportivo Cali 4-0.
In 2000, Boca beat Palmeiras in the final on penalties after a 2-2 aggregate tie. Rodolfo Martin Arruabarrena had scored both of Boca's goals in regulation time during a 2-2 first-leg draw, with the second leg goalless.
Boca claimed another penalty shootout win in the final the following year as they edged out Cruz Azul following a 1-1 aggregate draw.
In 2003, Boca beat Santos 5-1 on aggregate in the final of a tournament which saw Carlos Tevez claim the Best Player award.
Boca's most recent Copa Libertadores victory was in 2007, when they beat Gremio 5-0 on aggregate in the final.
Boca Juniors and the Superclasico
The Superclasico against River Plate is Boca Juniors' most fiercely contested rivalry. The clubs were both founded in La Boca, but River Plate moved to Nunez, which became a more affluent area.
The perception has always existed that Boca are a working class club and River Plate a wealthier side. Both teams have supporters from all walks of life, but that did not stop Boca from making their working class roots central to their identity as a soccer institution.
Boca's clashes with River Plate have often produced fan violence and fierce confrontations between players. In 2018, the second leg of their Copa Libertadores final was moved to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, in part after River Plate supporters ambushed the Boca team bus. That final was ultimately won by River Plate.
One rare example of Boca Juniors and River Plate fans coming together was to mourn the passing of Maradona. Boca and River fans were pictured embracing as they reflected on the life of one of Argentine soccer's finest sons.
Boca Juniors and their fanbase
Boca Juniors claim to be the most widely supported club in Argentina with 193,000 members. This figure is disputed, as River Plate also claim to be Argentina's best supported side.
Boca fans rejoiced when River Plate were relegated from Argentina's top flight in 2011. So deep is the hatred that they even made a song to celebrate it.
River Plate won promotion back up to the top flight a year later.
Boca Juniors fans
Boca Juniors and finances
Statista listed Boca Juniors as the fourth most valuable club at the 2020 Copa Libertadores with a value of $93.2million.
The club president is Jorge Amar Ameal, a gastronomic entrepreneur by trade. He won Boca's presidential election in 2019.
It has been widely reported in recent years that Boca Juniors' transfer budget dwarfs that of their Argentinian rivals, allowing them to have the pick of the domestic talent while also hanging on to their best players.
