Boca Juniors Reserves and Academy

Boca Juniors Reserves and Academy are the reserve and youth academy teams of Boca Juniors. Boca Juniors reserve team plays in the "Primera División de Reserva", the reserve division of Primera División. Home matches are played at the "Boca Juniors Training Center", inaugurated in 2017 and sited in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires. The Boca Juniors reserves are the team with the most Torneo de Reserva championships with 20 titles,[2] since the squad was established in 1910.[3]

Boca Juniors
Full nameClub Atlético Boca Juniors
Nickname(s)Xeneizes (Genoese), Azul y Oro (Blue and Gold), La Mitad Más Uno (Half plus One)
Founded1910; 114 years ago (1910)
(Reserve teams)
GroundCentro de Entrenamiento Boca Juniors, Ezeiza
Capacity1,000
ChairmanJorge Amor Ameal
ManagerSilvio Rudman[1]
WebsiteClub website

Some of the most notable players from the youth divisions include Américo Tesoriere, Pedro Calomino, Alfredo Garasini, Ernesto Lazzatti, Natalio Pescia, Mario Boyé, Antonio Rattín, Ángel Clemente Rojas (regarded by many supporters as the greatest idol in club's history), Alberto Tarantini, Roberto Mouzo, Oscar Ruggeri, Diego Latorre, Fernando Gago, Carlos Tevez, and Leandro Paredes. On the other side, Sebastián Battaglia is the most winning player in club's history with 19 titles won (17 as player and 2 as manager).

According to the International Centre for Sports Studies, Boca Juniors is the club which trained the largest number of professional players worldwide, having trained 78 footballers. The statistic took 285 clubs from 15 different leagues.[4]

The Academy edit

Known as "The Boca Factory", Boca Juniors youth divisions contains teams from under-8 to under-20 level. They participate in Argentina's youth leagues organized by the Argentine Football Association. In 1996 Mauricio Macri (who had been elected president of the club one year later) stated that rather than buy players for huge money only to put too much expectation on them and watch them under-perform, they wanted to create their own stars. Therefore, Boca hired two very influential figures; one was Bernardo Griffa, a leading expert of youth in Argentina who had created a successful scouting network at Newell's Old Boys.[5] The second was Ramón Maddoni,[6] the king of 'baby football' (indoor six-a-side football for 5–12 year olds), who had a long career at Club Parque at the moment of being hired by Boca Juniors.[7][8]

Since then, Boca's academy has brought through, and also sold, more than 350 homegrown players from all age categories. From the list of the 350 players, more than 130 of the academy graduates would play around the world, including in Argentina, Spain, Italy, England and many others in places ranging from Germany and the Netherlands to China and Israel. More than 35 leagues contain players that were raised and developed by the Boca academy system. The players are taught the same formation (4–3–1–2) from early on to the first-team. This makes fitting into the first-team far easier for a young player. Boca's under-20 team were regular participants in the Under-20 Copa Libertadores and other international youth football tournaments.[9][10]

Boca Juniors won their first U-20 Copa Libertadores in 2023 after defeating Ecuadorian team Independiente del Valle 2–0 in the final at Estadio La Portada.[11]

Scouting edit

The scouting system is comprehensive. There is a Boca Juniors scout in every small town and close to every village. Nearly all are ordinary people, such as teachers, butchers or policemen, and the head of the youth system, Jorge Griffa, regularly travel around Argentina when he took over and listened to the watching crowd, hiring the most appropriate as a scout for the area.

Players edit

Current squad edit

As of 22 February 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK   ARG Sebastián Díaz Robles
GK   ARG Lucas Torlaschi
DF   ARG Lautaro Di Lollo
DF   ARG Mateo Mendía
DF   ARG Walter Molas
DF   ARG Tiago Simoni
DF   ARG Nicolás Stepanovich
DF   ARG Luciano Vallejo
MF   ARG Jerónimo Campos
MF   ARG Julián Ceballos
MF   ARG Santiago Dalmasso
MF   ARG Milton Delgado
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF   ARG Kevin Giménez
MF   ARG Juan Cruz Payal
MF   ARG Isaías Rodríguez
MF   ARG Román Rodríguez
MF   ARG Alejo Romero
MF   ARG Lucas Vázquez
FW   ARG Mauro Bustos
FW   ARG Yael Ramallo
FW   URU Ignacio Rodríguez
FW   ARG Valentino Simoni
FW   ARG Iker Zufiaurre

FIFA World Cup champions edit

Fltr: Marcelo Trobbiani, Alberto Tarantini, Omar Larrosa, Oscar Ruggeri, and Leandro Paredes, Boca Juniors' players that were World Cup winners with Argentina
Player Debut WC won
Alberto Tarantini 1973 1978
Omar Larrosa 1967 1978
Marcelo Trobbiani 1973 1986
Oscar Ruggeri 1980 1986
Leandro Paredes 2010 2022
Nahuel Molina 2016 2022

Notable graduates edit

Note: Player's career in Boca Juniors' senior squad is indicated in brackets:

Notes
  1. ^ Nordé spent four years (2008–11) with the reserve team but did not play in the senior squad.[12]

Notable managers edit

Other former club players that have coached the reserve teams include Rolando Schiavi, Sebastián Battaglia, Hugo Ibarra, and Mauricio Serna.[17]

Facilities edit

Boca Juniors Training Center edit

Boca Juniors reserves' main venue is the "Boca Juniors Training Center" (popularly known as "Boca Predio"), a sports complex in the city of Ezeiza, Buenos Aires that was inaugurated in 2017 under the presidence of Daniel Angelici. The complex was built on a land conceded by the Municipality of Ezeiza for sports activities exclusively and with an expiration time of 30 years (that may be renewed for a further 10 years). The club spent AR$60 million on works.[18]

The 60 hectares complex has 12 football fields, locker rooms, gymnasium, kitchen, and other facilities.[19]

Pedro Pompilio Complex edit

 
Pedro Pompilio complex, second venue of Boca Juniors reserve teams

Named after former vicepresident of the club, the complex is the second venue of Boca Juniors academies. It is located on Casa Amarilla lands in La Boca. The venue is also used by the women's football and basketball teams.

La Candela edit

The historic complex for the Boca Juniors academy, La Candela was acquired by the club in 1963 for mn$13 million, being operative until 1991.[20] The 4 hectares complex located in San Justo, Buenos Aires, had been acquired during the presidency of Alberto J. Armando. The first squad of the club also trained at La Candela, which entered into disuse under the presidency of Mauricio Macri, when the reserves teams moved their training sessions to Parque Presidente Sarmiento in Saavedra, Buenos Aires.[21] The complex was finally sold in 2005 to the "Centro de Entrenamiento para Futbolistas de Alto Rendimiento" (CEFAR) for US$350,000.[20][22] Nevertheless, Boca Juniors reacquired the complex at a cost of US$12 million in 2011.[21]

Boca Juniors used the complex until December 2016, when the club moved all the reserves' infrastructure to the new Boca Predio in Ezeiza.[23]

Honours edit

Titles edit

Type Competition Titles Winning years
National
(League)
Torneo de Reserva
de Primera División
20 1918, 1919, 1924, 1926, 1928, 1930, 1937, 1940, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1962, 1967, 1968, 1991–92, 1997–98, 2009–10, 2011–12,[3] 2021,[24] 2022[25]
División Intermedia 2 1922, 1923[26]
Segunda División[note 1] 1 1936 [27]
Segunda División
(fourth level)
1 1929 [28]
Tercera División
(fourth level)
3 1912, 1915, 1923 [28]
National
(Cups)
Trofeo de Campeones de Reserva 2 2021,[29] 2022[30]
Copa Bullrich 2 1918, 1934 [31]
International FIFA Youth Cup 3 2002,[32] 2010,[33] 2019
U-20 Copa Libertadores 1 2023[34]
Under-20 Intercontinental Cup 1 2023
Notes
  1. ^ Reserves and Second level teams were merged.

Other titles edit

Friendly

References edit

  1. ^ "El DT del Boca Sub-20 campeón de la Intercontinental ROMPIÓ el silencio: "Formamos..." - TyC Sports". www.tycsports.com (in Spanish). 11 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  2. ^ Olé, Diario Deportivo (2 November 2022). "La tabla del ranking de títulos de la Reserva, con Boca como líder". Olé (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Argentina - List of Champions of Reserves of First Division". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  4. ^ Boca Juniors es el mayor formador de jugadores sobre 286 clubes de 15 ligas profesionales analizadas por CIES by Marcelo Gantman on Bigdatasports
  5. ^ "Griffa: maestro del fútbol y la vida", Clarín, 19 Jan 2015
  6. ^ "El Apache: Tévez"
  7. ^ Ramón Maddoni: Fabricante de cracks on Fútbol Formativo
  8. ^ "Ramón Maddoni, maestro en descubrir talentos futbolísticos", Cadena 3, 12 Sep 2014
  9. ^ "The Boca Factory"
  10. ^ "Champions of the U-20!" on Boca Juniors website, 13 Jun 2011
  11. ^ Boca gana a lo grande! on As, 16 Jul 2023
  12. ^ Copa América: Sony Norde titular en la despedida de Haití by Joaquín Fernández, 12 Jun 2016
  13. ^ a b Gandulla fue crack y maestro de promesas, La Nación, 5 Aug 2011
  14. ^ RIMABA CON BRILLO: EL GRAN ERNESTO GRILLO on El Gráfico, 8 May 2018
  15. ^ "Nuestro trabajo cambió la historia de Boca" by Pablo Tomino, 21 Sep 2003
  16. ^ El día que Soldano se probó en Boca, Olé, 5 Oct 2020
  17. ^ Ibarra y Serna se harán cargo de la Reserva de Boca on TyC Sports, 17 Aug 2021
  18. ^ La historia del nuevo predio de Boca en Ezeiza que inauguró Macri on Diario Popular, 3 Apr 2017
  19. ^ Boca por dentro: 43 imágenes del "mejor predio de juveniles de América" al que se mudará el plantel profesional (image gallery) on Infobae.com
  20. ^ a b Boca vende La Candela at Infobae, 30 Sep 2005
  21. ^ a b La Candela volvió a ser de Boca by Nora Adámoli on DiarioNCO
  22. ^ Boca recupera la Candela
  23. ^ Se termina una etapa by Marcelo Guerrero on Clarín, 2 Dec 2016 (archived)
  24. ^ Olé, Diario Deportivo (4 December 2021). "Boca campeón en Reserva con un emotivo final". Olé (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  25. ^ Olé, Diario Deportivo (1 November 2022). "El uno por uno del Boca campeón de Reserva". Olé (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  26. ^ "AFA - Asociación del Futbol Argentino - Segunda División - Campeones". 13 August 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-08-13. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  27. ^ "Argentina Second Level 1936". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  28. ^ a b "AFA - Asociación del Futbol Argentino - AFA - Asociación del Futbol Argentino". 13 August 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-08-13. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  29. ^ "¡Boca tiene la corona! | Liga Profesional de Fútbol de AFA". ligaprofesional.ar (in Spanish). 31 December 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  30. ^ "Reserva: ¡Boca se quedó con el Trofeo de Campeones 2022! | Reserva". bocajuniors.com.ar (in Spanish). 11 January 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  31. ^ "CIHF: Historia - Campeones del Fútbol Argentino". 10 November 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-11-10. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  32. ^ "Blue Stars Youth Tournament (U 20) - FIFA Youth Cup 2002". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  33. ^ "Blue Stars Youth Tournament (U 20) - FIFA Youth Cup 2010". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  34. ^ Boca Juniors - Independiente del Valle Final on As by Juan Lopesino – 16 Jul 2023
  35. ^ "Boca se queda con la Copa". chivasdecorazon.com.mx (in Spanish). 14 January 2006. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  36. ^ "Reserva Campeona en China". cadenaxeneize.com (in Spanish). 4 August 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  37. ^ "Bicampeones en China". bocajuniors.com.ar (in Spanish). 6 August 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  38. ^ a b c d "Torneo Internazionale di Bellinzona". Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  39. ^ "Inferiores: ¡Boca derrotó a River y es campeón de la Copa Evo 2022! | Juveniles". bocajuniors.com.ar (in Spanish). 8 July 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  40. ^ a b c "Tokyo U-14 International Youth Football Tournament". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  41. ^ "Boca, otra vez campeón en Tokio". bocajuniors.com.ar (in Spanish). 7 May 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2023.

External links edit