Ryan Paton was one of many Scousers who made the journey to South America to watch Boca Juniors vs River Plate at La Bombonera
Inside La Bombonera ahead of Boca Juniors vs River Plate
“La Bombonera doesn’t shake, it beats.” The famous saying is used to describe the legendary atmosphere inside the Boca Juniors stadium where the intensity generated by the Xeneize support is enough to make the ground move.
A trip to see the iconic blue and yellow strip in the flesh and feel the passion from La Mitad Más Uno is the stuff of romance and a bucket list experience for anyone who loves football. It was during lockdown after a Zoom quiz (remember those?) when a drunken conversation with my friend on our shared love for Diego Maradona inspired us to begin plotting a pilgrimage to the football icon’s home city to see the team he supported and sample the football culture that forged him.
While many people used the lockdown period to reflect on huge personal and professional life changes, we returned to normality with a much more trivial mission that felt like the perfect way to commemorate our 30th birthdays, which we celebrated this year. After some discussion with our forgiving girlfriends, it became clear the only feasible time for us to make our Buenos Aires trip a reality would be during the week of the Superclasico (actually a coincidence) last month, when Boca took on their fierce rivals, River Plate.
The derby is renowned as one of the biggest and most hostile games in world football and tickets came at an eye-watering premium to try and secure our place in the ground. The dream football trip wouldn’t be the same without the people who inspired our love for the game so we both recruited our dads to join us on the 6,920 mile footballing odyssey to the Southern hemisphere.
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While travelling so far for football may have raised eyebrows in some quarters, it soon emerged our trip was not as out of the ordinary as first thought as we weren’t the only group embarking on the long journey from Merseyside. Before we headed out, we kept hearing from different people how they also knew someone travelling to the Argentine capital for the match.
The trend became a talking point on social media with people taking to X to comment on how so many people from Liverpool seemed to be sharing updates from the La Boca region in the lead up to the Superclasico. One viral post joked how going to watch Boca Juniors play a game was swiftly becoming the “new Glastonbury“, such was the Scouse presence.
I started to wonder if the Liverpudlian takeover of the Argentine capital was going to turn into a reality when I spotted a lad wearing a Montirex top in San Telmo market on the day before the game. It turned out the Crosby native had actually been living in Buenos Aires for a few months, but had heard similar rumours about a Scouse Armada arriving to sample La Bombonera at its most passionate.
The social media hype was, of course, exaggerated as the lad in the Montirex top proved to be the only other person from Liverpool we encountered during our stay in Buenos Aires. However, it’s not so surprising that people from Liverpool would feel compelled to venture to Argentina to experience football as the identities and attitudes to the game formed in the ports of Buenos Aires shares many similarities with the docks of Liverpool.
Football is a huge source of pride and has been integral to uniting the identity in these two cultural melting pot cities, which is why the game means so much and inspires such a fervent emotional support. This parallel was something pointed out by Liverpool FC star, Alexis Mac Allister, who played for Boca Juniors before joining Brighton.
When he signed for the Reds, the Argentinian World Cup winner said: “I had to play twice at Anfield and any player you talk to tells you that it’s crazy how people encourage. Within England, [it] is the closest thing to the people of Boca. That’s why I said that Liverpool is the Boca [Juniors] of England. I can’t wait to play there.”
However, it’s not just the red half of Merseyside that would feel this affinity with Boca Juniors. My friend is an Everton FC season ticket holder and was amazed at how much the outside of La Bombonera resembled Goodison Park. Even I had to admit that if you took away the strips of yellow paint on one side of the ground, you could be mistaken that you were walking down Goodison Road.
However, it is more the attitude to football and the way the club is the lifeblood of the community that would particularly stand out and connect with Merseyside visitors. La Bombonera is the beating heart of La Boca as the whole community is centred around the stadium, in the same way Anfield and Goodison Park feel so important to their surrounding communities.
The tifo display from the supporters as the players entered the pitch for the start of the game is one of the most spectacular things I have ever laid eyes on and will live with me forever. Amongst the many banners on show from the Boca Juniors faithful, one that particularly stood out was the team’s slogan: Aguante Boca. The literal translation of this means to “endure” and “resist” – and this stance of defiance is something that particularly resonates with the two Merseyside Premier League sides, whose modern identity was shaped in the 1980s by triumphing in the face of adversity.
The breath-taking welcome onto the pitch was the highlight of the day as the match soon become a scrappy affair that was not up to the standards set by the crowd. Boca put in a tame display and were easily downed by Marcelo Gallardo’s side 1 – 0, which was an indication of why the team are currently languishing in midtable in the Primera Division.
Argentinian football fans shout “burro” whenever a player misplaces a pass or puts in a bad performance. However, the sad truth of the matter is this could have been levelled at all 11 Boca Juniors players during the game as the team is currently a mish-mash of promising young players and former stars at the end of their careers.
The lifeless performance wasn’t befitting the famous shirt or their fervent support – and it’s no surprise that manager, Diego Martinez, has since stepped down after overseeing three consecutive losses. Despite the underwhelming showing on the pitch, we still got to see what the ground was like in full flow when Milton Gimenez bundled the ball into the back of the net in the dying moments of the game.
The stadium erupted and, true to the famous saying, the earth did indeed shake with the celebrations. However, the jubilant scenes were cut short when VAR intervened and disallowed the goal due to handball. The disappointing finish provided an insight into the negative aspects of Argentinian football when the intense passion for the game can be channelled in the wrong manner.
Argentinian football is by no means perfect as crowd violence meant away fans have been banned from attending games since 2013. Unsavoury scenes after the goal was ruled out saw goalkeeper Sergio Romero jumping into the stands to clash with fans in heated scenes after the final whistle, which has resulted in the former Manchester United goalkeeper serving a two match ban from the club.
Although the game ended on a sour note, the mood quickly cooled and gave us the chance to reflect on the privilege of being able to attend such an occasion at one of football’s great temples. The Superclasico was one of four Argentinian football matches we attended during our stay – and the passion and dedication for the game in South America is truly intoxicating.
Buenos Aires has certainly left its mark on me since returning back to the UK as I can’t stop humming the tunes of their catchy football chants, my waistline has vastly expanded on account of all the red wine and steak – and I’m also one of those insufferable people who now drinks from a gourd. The footballing odyssey was everything I wanted it to be and it was incredible to sample one of the world’s great cities that shares a love and passion for football that reminded me so much of home.
The only downside is I just wish I’d have been able to see Boca win a game. Oh well, that can wait for the 40th birthday trip.
