River v Boca – inside the world’s fiercest rivalry

When it comes to football derbies, very little comes close to matching the passion, intensity and cultural significance of Argentina’s Superclasico between River Plate and Boca Juniors.

The Superclasico has it all: superstar players, devoted fans, consistent doses of drama, and the sinister side of the game.

On matchday 15 of the first half of the Argentine top-flight season, River’s 85, 000-capacity Mas Monumental stadium will host the 264th Superclasico.

Boca are looking to avenge a 1-0 home defeat in September and clinch top spot in Apertura Zone A, while River need to build momentum before the knockout rounds after a mixed start to the season.

Not only are River and Boca local rivals in Buenos Aires, they are the two biggest clubs in Argentina and indeed two of the superpowers in South America. One of the two clubs is supported by up to 80% of Argentines.

Their popularity matches their trophy-crowned cabinets.

River have 38 top-flight titles and four Copas Libertadores to their name, while Boca have won the league title on 35 occasions and the Libertadores on six, with three of those triumphs coming during a golden age between 2000 and 2003.

Both organizations have included some of the greatest players who have ever lived.

Alfredo di Stefano, Enzo Francescoli, and Daniel Passarella are among the River’s alumni, and Diego Maradona, a former player, has hailed from Boca fans.

There is naturally a lot at stake on derby day – Boca fans take great pride in the fact they lead River 92 wins to 87 in the overall Superclasico record. The conflict extends far beyond 90 minutes on a football field, though.

Santi Bauza, an Argentine journalist covering football, tells BBC Sport that “it is rooted in their origins, or rather their respective foundational myths.”

The close geographical proximity of the clubs when they were founded – River in 1901 and Boca four years later – created tension.

A Superclasico in 1931 was postponed after 31 minutes due to widespread fighting, while one fan is said to have burned the opposition’s flag during one early meeting.

River Plate and their rivals moved to the well-to-do La Boca neighborhood up the road, then further north to Nunez, where they currently reside.

Deserting their working class home and spending big on players – the 35, 000 pesos (£1, 350) fee paid for Bernabe Ferreyra in 1932 set an Argentine transfer record that stood for 20 years – led to River becoming known as ‘ Los Millonarios’. The Millionaires .

Boca have, in contrast, always resided in the infamous La Bombonera stadium, which appears to have been cut off from the city’s “barrio,” a high-poverty district.

Both playing styles and full-blooded encounters show how different the clubs are on the pitch.

“River have traditionally favoured a more aesthetic brand of football, with their more demanding fans barely even celebrating hard-fought or undeserved wins”, explains Bauza.

Gustar (to play well), Ganar (to win) and Golear (to score a lot of goals) are frequently mentioned by River fans.

Our club is known for its “beautiful style of play, excellent ball control, an attacking mindset, and a philosophy that views attacking the opposition’s goal as the best form of defense,” says River club president Jorge Brito.

That mentality is juxtaposed by the popular Boca motto ‘ transpira a la camiseta’, which means to ‘ make the shirt sweat’. Both a fight and a fight are non-negotiable.

“Boca pride themselves on being a win-at-all-costs kind of side,” says Bauza.

“Over the years they have both become so massive and ubiquitous in Argentine society that the rich-poor narrative doesn’t hold up as much now, but they are still largely identified by those footballing philosophies”.

Insultastic culture in Argentina has produced some incredibly minor nicknames.

Boca fans have referred to River as “gallinas” or “little chickens” ever since losing a half-time lead to Penarol in the 1966 Copa Libertadores final.

In a 2004 Superclasico, Boca striker Carlos Tevez was sent off for performing a chicken dance in celebration.

It should come as no surprise that Argentina’s two biggest clubs’ meetings are violent because the country is a football-obsessed nation.

According to Bauza, “The Superclasico stops the nation in its tracks.”

“Regardless of their form or success, it’s always a game that defines the mood of players, managers, pundits and fans alike.

Depending on what happens, stories can emerge or change overnight.

What actually happens in the stands as opposed to the pitch is one of the highlights of the Superclasico.

Giant tifos and choreographed displays are common, singing is non-stop and the atmosphere is spine-tingling.

The most intense derby in history has a dark side, though.

Although they bring the noise and passion that makes Argentine football so special, their intrinsic links to organised crime, violence and homicide can make stadiums dangerous places.

The players were locked inside the dressing room for three hours while supporters rioted and burned portions of El Monumental when River were first elected to the second division in their history in 2011.

When the River squad emerged for the second half spraying themselves with pepper spray in 2015, Boca were expelled from the Libertadores.

The second leg of the 2018 Libertadores final – the highest-profile Superclasico ever – was postponed after police tear gas, used to disperse River fans who had smashed windows on the Boca bus with projectiles as it sped towards Mas Monumental, affected the Boca players.

While River are assured a place in the last 16 of the Apertura and top their Libertadores group, a mixture of pre-season squad upheaval and injuries have contributed to an inconsistent start to the year.

But if Boca wins on Sunday, the outcome will be even rosier.

It’s always unique, they say. This game is the one you wait for, and nothing else matters when it comes to how it feels to win or lose against them, “says journalist and River fan Andres Bruckner.

River flew more than six hours to Ecuador for a 2-2 draw with Independiente del Valle on Wednesday despite having a week to prepare.

“I always believe we will win,” Bruckner asserts, “but playing Libertadores in the middle of the week makes things difficult.”

” In moments like these, with so many doubts, a defeat would put a great question mark over all the players, and supporters will show anger. “

The pressure to win has never been greater with 85, 000 fans now crammed into the recently expanded Mas Monumental.

If we win on Sunday, “I wouldn’t mind losing five games in a row,” declares broadcaster and River fan Juan Igal.

The moves of Julian Alvarez and Claudio Echeverri to Manchester City exemplify the struggle of Argentine clubs to keep their best young talent, according to manager Marcelo Gallardo, who has placed a lot of faith in 17-year-old starlet Franco Mastantuono. Many of the players responsible for River’s success in recent years have since moved on.

Boca had a bad start to the season, winning just one of their first four Apertura games and being eliminated from the Libertadores qualifiers, but nine victories in their final ten league games have lifted them three points clear of the leader.

Carlos Palacios and Kevin Zenon have stood out for Boca this season, while the likes of Edinson Cavani and Luis Advincula provide experience and relative calm.

“Boca fans die every game, but we adore Copa Libertadores nights and Superclasicos.” Rodrigo Azurmendi, a fan of the Boca in English podcast and co-host of the Boca in English podcast, claims that this game is unlike any other.

” Winning means going all out on the jokes, the memes and the folklore against our friends on the other side. Working on Monday means skipping work.

Some people find Sunday’s demise too difficult.