The place of memories - Boca Juniors 1981

July 15, 2021

Club history

Club Atlético Boca Juniors was founded on April 3, 1905 by five Italian immigrants who lived in the La Boca neighborhood. Without even imagining it, these five young people wrote the first paragraphs of the history of the most popular club in Argentina.

Boca Juniors played in the local league and in the second division of amateur soccer, until they were promoted to the first division in 1913. They won six amateur championships in 1919, 1923, 1924, 1926 and 1930. After the professionalization of soccer in Argentina, Boca won the first title in 1931.

Its historical rival is Club Atlético River Plate, with whom it plays the famous Superclásico, an event that, according to the English newspaper The Observer, when played in the Bombonera, is among the 50 sporting events that must be seen before dying.

Boca Juniors won 18 international titles, including 6 Copa Libertadores, 4 South American Cup Winners' Cups, 3 Intercontinental Cups, 2 South American Cups, 1 Gold Cup, 1 South American Super Cup and 1 Masters Super Cup, in addition to 23 local titles.

The fans and the club have several nicknames:

Los Xeneixes: this nickname is due to the large Genoese colony that lived in the La Boca neighborhood when the club was founded. Translated it means, precisely, “Genoese”.
The 12: refers to the "player number twelve". The nickname was born during the 1925 European tour, in which the team was accompanied by Victoriano Caffarena, a fan from Boca. During the tour, Caffarena helped the team in any way he could. For this reason, the players named him the “number twelve player”. A few years later, the journalist Pablo Rojas Paz declared that the Boca fans are "player number twelve" for their unconditional dedication and commitment. Currently, the nickname "La 12" is used to refer to the brava bar.
Half plus one: Due to the popularity of the club, Boca fans have defined themselves as “half plus one” (although according to surveys, Boca fans do not exceed half of the population of Argentina) .

Club Atlético Boca Juniors always occupies a position in the IFFHS Club World Ranking and came to occupy the number one position 6 times.