In Buenos Aires there are many things to do but if you travel for a short time there is something
you cannot miss and that is to go see a soccer game. I am Australian and I have been living in Buenos Aires for six years and if there is something that fascinates me it is going to the field. The day that I am no longer in this city, what I will miss the most is going on weekends to watch soccer.
It is really crazy how people experience this sport in Argentina. It is very different from what we are used to seeing. The fans have a very strong passion for their team. I had the possibility of going to see several games and in different stadiums, but in each one soccer is lived in a different way, each club has its style.
If you are traveling to Buenos Aires or if you are a soccer lover, this note will help you learn more about the main Argentine clubs.
The five most important teams or as we say in other parts of the world: The "Big Teams" are: River, Boca, Independiente, Racing and San Lorenzo. Other teams that are also in Buenos Aires and are interesting to go see their games are, Estudiantes, Lanús, Vélez and Argentinos Juniors (It was the first team that Maradona played for).
Boca Juniors and River Plate are the two largest and most popular teams. The stadiums of these two teams are really incredible and worth
visiting: La Bombonera (Boca Juniors) and Monumental (River Plate). One is located in the La Boca neighborhood and the other in the Núñez neighborhood, both are close to the city and you can go by bus or taxi in a journey of less than an hour.
Club Atletico River Plate
Is known as the Millionaires or the chickens. The court is in the neighborhood of Bajo Belgrano/Nuñez. It is the team with the most titles at the Argentine level and one of the most South American titles. Their pride is based on having a quarry that produced players such as: Labruna, Distefano, Pedernera, Alonso, Carrizo, Ortega, Crespo, Gallardo, Aimar, Saviola and D´alessandro, among many world stars. They also played in River: Francescoli, Trezeget, Batistuta and Teo Gutierrez among a huge number of great players.
Club Atletico Boca Juniors
Is called the Xeneixes (It has to do with its origin and meaning: Genovés) or Bosteros (They were loaded by the smell that was in the field of mouth and surroundings in the past product of the highly contaminated stream and of a certain marginality that There were important figures in Argentine soccer such as Maradona, Tevez, Riquelme, Palermo, Rattin, Rojas and Gatti who passed through their ranks.In the first decade of the current century, it had an impressive raid of national and international titles, becoming the second owner of South American titles.
The clubs I just mentioned to you are very well known worldwide but I want you to know that the “other teams” are also well known, they have players and sporting achievements that made history:
San Lorenzo (the team of Pope Francis)
Nicknamed El Ciclón, it is located in Bajo Flores (a neighborhood on the outskirts of the city). San Lorenzo a few years ago became even more internationally known because Pope Francisco is a huge fan. Another follower of this club is the actor, Viggo Mortensen (he played Aragon in the Lord of the Rings) grew up in Argentina and has been wearing the colors of the club from a very young age.
San Lorenzo has one of the biggest and coolest fans, they are especially known for being very creative and passionate while their team plays. In 2014 they became the Copa Libertadores champions for the first time and ended the great ordeal of not being able to win an international title!
Independiente and Racing Club
Both are located in Avellaneda (A neighborhood in the province of Buenos Aires, one hour from the city). Racing vs. Independiente is the Avellaneda classic, the second largest derby in Argentina (the first is Boca Juniors vs River Plate).
A surprising fact about these two rivals is that their two stadiums are located just one block from each other: That is really crazy. Imagine the spectacle that is put together when they play!
Racing is nicknamed La Academia, it has very loyal followers in the world: They were the first Argentine team to become world champion in 1967, and they waited 34 years! to win a title again (and worse, in the middle they were relegated to the second division). But during all those years, the fans remained faithful and devoted to the club.
The Racing Club stadium is named after Presidente Perón and is also known as El Cilindro de Avellaneda. It is the second largest in Buenos Aires (the first is the River Plate) and it is really beautiful.
Independiente (nicknamed El Rojo de Avellaneda) is known as the King of Cups due to his great international achievements in the 1970s, in fact he is the largest holder of international titles in South America. Even more than Boca Juniors and River Plate!
Sergio, Kun Aguero (plays for Manchester City) is a great supporter of Independiente (it was the club he started playing for) he donated a lot of money to help with the renovation of the stadium that is named after Libertadores de América, also known like The Double Visor.
Last but not least:
Argentinos Juniors (Diego Maradona's first team)
Located Paternal (in the northwestern center of the city), it is a historic club known for producing great players and youth that are generally then sold to larger clubs. Diego Maradona started in Argentinos, and the stadium is named after him. The best thing about this stadium is that the feeling is different from going to see bigger clubs, it feels more private and exclusive. It is a good escape from the main tourist places, and it has a museum, that you can visit when you go to see a game.
To summarize, the most important thing to remember is that you cannot leave Argentina without going to see a soccer game: you will not regret it!