Biggest rivalries in Football: River Plate vs Boca
Passion or obsession? Love or hate? Fanaticism or diagnosis? Football or politics?
The Superclassico is all that and more. The Argentine derby is unofficially the most passionate in the world. It is at the top of the list of football phenomena that should be experienced. River or Boca is the question of all questions in Argentina. Defeat in the derby is tantamount to a personal tragedy. Both clubs were founded in the poor port area of Buenos Aires.
River was created in 1901 by the merger of two local clubs. The founders found inspiration for the jerseys in the color of red and white cargo containers.
Boca was formed four years later mainly by Italian migrants, so they are nicknamed the Genoese.
According to legend, when the club’s colors were discussed, a Swedish ship sailed in with the national flag, which is why the jerseys are still blue and yellow. In 1925, River moved from the southern part of the city and settled in the richer northern part. Soon, River’s management began to allocate money for reinforcements, so they were called Millionaires.
The first derby was played in 1913, and River won 2:1.
On the same day, the rival flag was symbolically burned, and the fire metaphorically never stopped burning. Fans were initially divided by socio-economic status at the time, but that gap was later erased. However, Boca fans are proud that they have not changed their identity and remained true to their roots. The philosophy of River’s game boils down to the fact that their team should play extremely offensively and attractively to score more goals.
At the same time, Boca’s is based on a military approach and tactical operations in both game phases.
For many Argentines, the clashes between Boca and River reflect the struggle of the rich against the poor, the oppressed against the privileged.
Boca has Maradona, Riquelme, Tevez, River has Di Stefano, Mascherano, Falcao, Crespo, Marcel Gallardo… Boca has “La Bombonera,” the popular “avalanche,” which occurs when a goal is scored, and all the fans rush to the fence without caring about their health. River has “Monumental,” where “gauchos” conquered the world, prestige, and glamour. But, they have that incredible passion together with which football justifies the nickname of the most important (secondary) thing in the world.
Because on the day of the ‘superclassico,” the meteor strike becomes irrelevant news.
Matches between these two teams, which, like every derby, has its special name, “superclasico,” have been the occasion for some of the most spectacular football matches. However, one stood out in particular. A doubleheader in the battle for the Copa Libertadores, the South American Champions League, was played in 2018. The battle for prestige on the “green” continent turned into a hooligan feast that shook the whole of Argentina. After the first match (2:2), played at Boka’s “La Bombonera,” the rematch was supposed to be held at “Monumenta.”
However, rampage in the streets, stoning of the bus carrying Boca players, and concern for the safety of the participants prompted the organizers to move the second match of the super final to Madrid, where River won 3:1 and earned the right to tease the city rival until the end of the world.
How important that clash was to both of them is evidenced by the confession of one of the red and white fans, who said that he would sign without thinking that Boca would be the champion for the next 50 years if only for River to win the Copa Libertadores over the hump of the fierce rival.
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