Superclásico

Roberto Mouzo (Boca) andRamón Díaz (River) during a Superclásico in 1981
Boca Juniors River Plate
Location	Buenos Aires,Argentina
First meeting	24 August 1913 Primera División River Plate 2–1 Boca Juniors[1][2][3][4]
Latest meeting	9 November 2025 Argentine Primera División Boca Juniors 2–0 River Plate
Stadiums	La Bombonera(Boca Juniors) Mâs Monumental(River Plate)
Statistics
Meetings total	265
Most wins	Boca Juniors (93)
Most player appearances	Reinaldo Merlo (42 matches)
Top scorer	Angel Labruna (16 goals)
All-time series	Boca Juniors: 93 Draw: 84 River Plate: 88
Largest victory	Boca Juniors 6–0 River Plate (23 December1928) River Plate 5–1 Boca Juniors (19 October1941)[5]

TheSuperclásico (Superderby) is thefootball match inArgentina betweenBuenos Aires rivalsBoca Juniors andRiver Plate. It derives from the Spanish usage of "clásico" to meanderby, with the prefix "super" used as the two clubs arethe most popular and successful clubs inArgentine football. In fact, the term 'Clásico' originated in Argentina, particularly with this match up and it was later exported to other countries such as Spain and Mexico.^[6] According to some statistics, they command more than 70% of all Argentine football fans between them.^[7]

The Superclásico is known worldwide as one of the fiercest andmost important derbies.^[8] In April 2004, the English newspaperThe Observer put the Superclásico at the top of their list of "50 sporting things you must do before you die", saying that "Derby day in Buenos Aires makes theOld Firm game look like a primary school kick-about",^[9] and in 2016 the British football magazineFourFourTwo considered it the "biggest derby in the world".^[10] That same yearThe Daily Telegraph ranked this match as the "biggest club rivalry in world football",^[11] and theDaily Mirror placed it number one in the top 50 football derbies in the world, aboveEl Clásico betweenBarcelona andReal Madrid, in 2017.^[12]

The two clubs Boca and River Plate both have origins inLa Boca, the working class dockland area of Buenos Aires, with River being founded in 1901 and Boca in 1905. River, however, moved to the affluent district ofNúñez in the north of the city in 1925. Since then, Boca Juniors has been known as the club of Argentina's working class or the people's club, with many Boca fans coming from the local Italian immigrant community. Boca fans are actually known as "Xeneizes" ("Genoese").^[13] By contrast, River Plate became known by the nickname,Los Millonarios (The Millionaires), with a supposedly upper-class support base.^[8] Both clubs, however, have supporters from all social classes.^[13]

By 1913, both clubs had their fields inLa Boca and had not won any league, being also far away from the popularity that would come after. The most known Argentine football rivalry until then had beenAlumni–Belgrano A.C. (both clubs fromBelgrano) until Alumni disbanded in 1911 and Belgrano disaffiliated from theAFA.Racing Club de Avellaneda became the first of theBig Five when that same year won the first of their seven consecutive league titles.^[14]

Before their first official match, Boca and River had played two friendlies (1908 and 1912). River Plate's nickname wasDarseneros (the most popularMillonarios came in 1931). The first official match of the rivalry, the1913 Superclásico, was played on August 24, 1913 atRacing Club Stadium, with River winning 2–1.^[1][2][3][4] 7,000 spectators attended the match,^[14] and goals were scored by Cándido García and Antonio Ameal Pereyra (River) and Marcos Meyer (Boca).^[15]

The Superclásico is particularly noted for the passion of the fans, with what theBBC describe as "a sea of colourful flowing banners, screams and roars, chanting, dancing and never-ending fireworks".^[8] Both sets of supporters sing passionate chants aimed at their rivals, often based on popularArgentine rock band tunes. Each stadium, Boca'sLa Bombonera and River'sEl Monumental are known to bounce with the simultaneous jumping of the fans. At times, the matches have been known to end in fights between the "barra brava" (violent factions) of both sides or with the police.^[16]

Boca fans refer to River supporters as "gallinas" ("chickens") claiming the lack of guts of River players. Despite the fact that their club traces back its roots to La Boca, River fans refer to their Boca rivals as "los chanchitos" ("little pigs") because they claim their stadium, located in the less affluent La Boca area, smells most of the time,^[8] as well as "bosteros" ("manure collectors"), a reference to the smell of a polluted river in La Boca.^[13] Another infamous slur, coined in the late 1990s over remarks of Boca's forwardDiego Latorre, is to brand Boca Juniors as "The Cabaret", due to the alleged aspiration of some players to steal the limelight.^[17]

The rivalry between the two clubs can also affect players, particularly those who are transferred between the two clubs.Cataldo Spitale was the first to make the change, when he left Boca to sign for River in 1933.Oscar Ruggeri, who moved to River from Boca in 1985 said, "It's not easy I can tell you. One side looks on you as a traitor and the other doesn't really trust you. You need time to adapt and a lot of character to win people over." Some players have gone so far as to state that they would not play for the other club such as River's Uruguayan playerEnzo Francescoli whileDiego Maradona during his time playing forArgentinos Juniors, refused to even consider a move to El Monumental, stating that his dream was to play for Boca.^[18] In 1992,José Luis Villarreal won the league title with Boca, and left the following year to River. Although he was received very well by River fans, and won the 1993 and 1994 league titles there, Boca fans never forgave him, and he says he hasn't been to La Bombonera since then to avoid problems.^[18]

Recently, on March 21 in theClausura 2010 tournament, the two teams started playing in La Bombonera. In the ninth minute of play, the match was suspended because of heavy rainfall in Buenos Aires. The pitch was practically flooded, but in spite of this, refereeHéctor Baldassi stated that the match could be played.^[19] In the course of the match, the two teams were unable to keep possession because the ball became repeatedly bogged down. The match restarted four days later, on March 25, and was played with two halves of 41 minutes.^[19] This was the first Superclásico suspended in history.^[20]

On June 23, 1968, in El Monumental, after a 0–0 match between the two teams, 71 fans were killed in a crush at gate 12, with 150 fans left injured. The disaster was the worst incident in the history of Argentine football and the majority of the dead were teenagers and young adults; the average age of the victims was 19. There are various claims as to what exactly happened that day. Some claim that the disaster happened after Boca Juniors fans threw burning River flags from the upper tiers of the stadium, causing a stampede of their own fans in the lower tier.^[21]

Others claim that it happened after River fans arrived at the Boca section, causing the stampede of the visiting fans. Yet others claim that gate 12 was locked, or would not open at the time, and that the fans at the back did not hear the ones at the front telling them to stop coming in. William Kent, River's former president, claimed that the police were the culprits, as they began repressing Boca fans after they had thrownurine at them from the stands. Some witnesses claim that the turnstiles to the exit were blocked by a huge iron pole.^[22]

After three years of investigation, a government inquiry found no one guilty, much to the disappointment of the families of the victims. Since the tragedy, the gates at El Monumental have been identified by letters instead of numbers.^[23]

At the end of the 1968 season, the 68 football clubs in theArgentine Football Association collected 100,000pesos for the families of the deceased.

Since the turn of the century, the rivalry has intensified to different levels. A series of fierce meetings and violent events rekindled international attention to the derby.

Boca eliminated River in the2000 Copa Libertadores and2004 Copa Libertadores, winning the title in 2000, 2001 and 2003, and reaching the finals in 2004. Moreover, in June 2011, River was relegated for the first time in its history.

Since its promotion in 2012, River eliminated Boca in the2014 Copa Sudamericana,2015 Copa Libertadores,2017 Supercopa Argentina,2018 Copa Libertadores, and the2019 Copa Libertadores, lifting the trophy on all of those occasions, except the 2019 Copa Libertadores.

During the2015 Copa Libertadores Round of 16, River Plate players were attacked at half time by a Boca fan that used pepper spray as the players were entering the dressing rooms. As a result, the game was suspended and CONMEBOL opened disciplinary proceedings on Boca.^[24] At the time of the attack, River was winning the series 1–0. As a result of the incident, Boca were disqualified from competition in the tournament and were faced with sanctions imposed by from CONMEBOL.^[25] River Plate, on the other hand, advanced to the quarterfinals and would later go on to win the Copa Libertadores.

In the 2018 Copa Libertadores Finals, the bus carrying Boca's players to theEl Monumental was attacked by River fans who threw large objects after the police withdrew from the zone. The game was suspended and despite Boca's requests to have River disqualified, the game was moved toMadrid at theSantiago Bernabéu Stadium. After drawing 2–2 atLa Bombonera and losing its home field advantage, River famously won the game 3–1 after extra time (5–3 on aggregate). Through the series, Boca was always ahead until the extra time of the return leg. Given the rivalry and the stage, and the fact of having been played in Europe, the 2018 Copa Libertadores Finals gathered unusual attention outside South America.

As of 9 November 2025^[update]. Only official matches are included.^[26]

Notes

Includes only matches in thePrimera División since their first official game in 1913.^[26]

Notes

Keys

The list below includes matches innational cup competitions. The club name in bold indicates a win. The score is given at full-time, in the goals columns the goal scorer and time when goal was scored is noted.

Notes

Keys

These are only matches in theCopa Libertadores, club name in bold indicate win. The score is given at full-time, in the goals columns the goal scorer and time when goal was scored is noted.

Notes

Keys

These are only matches in other international cups. The club name in bold indicates a win. The score is given at full-time, in the goals columns the goal scorer and time when goal was scored is noted.

Notes

Keys

List of all the non-official games played since their first match ever in 1908:^[26]

Notes

Keys

As of 2021, 21single eliminations between Boca Juniors and River Plate had been played, three of them tournament's finals. River holds the upper hand, with 13 wins over Boca.^[31]

1. 1915Copa Competencia: Boca 1–1 River; River 4–2 Boca (River won)^{[nb 1]}
2. 1918Copa Competencia: River 1–0 Boca (River won)^{[nb 2]}
3. 1937 Primera División: River 5–3 Boca (River won)^{[nb 3]}
4. 1942Copa Adrián C. Escobar semifinal: River 0–0 Boca (River won 3–2 on corner kicks)^{[nb 4]}
5. 1946Copa de Competencia Británica semi-final: Boca 2–0 River (Boca won)^{[nb 3]}
6. 1969 Metropolitano semifinal: River 0–0 Boca (River won)^{[nb 5]}
7. 1972 Nacional semifinal: River 3–2 Boca (River won)^{[nb 6]}
8. 1976 Nacional final: Boca 1–0 River (Boca won)^{[nb 5]}
9. 1989 Liguilla Pre-Libertadores requalifying final: River 0–0 Boca; Boca 0–0 River; Boca 1–2 River (River won)^{[nb 6]}
10. 1993 Copa Centenario: Boca 0–0 River; River 1–0 Boca (River won)^{[nb 7]}
11. 1994 Supercopa Libertadores: River 0–0 Boca; Boca 1–1 River (Boca won 5–4 by penalty shoot-out)
12. 2000 Copa Libertadores quarterfinals: River 2–1 Boca; Boca 3–0 River (Boca won)
13. 2004 Copa Libertadores semifinals: Boca 1–0 River; River 2–1 Boca (Boca won 5–4 by penalty shoot-out)
14. 2014 Copa Sudamericana semifinals: Boca 0–0 River; River 1–0 Boca (River won)
15. 2015 Copa Libertadores round of 16: River 1–0 Boca; Boca 0–0 River (River won)^{[nb 8]}
16. 2017 Supercopa Argentina final: Boca 0–2 River (River won)^{[nb 9]}
17. 2018 Copa Libertadores Finals: Boca 2–2 River; River 3–1 Boca (River won)^{[nb 10]}
18. 2019 Copa Libertadores semifinals: River 2–0 Boca; Boca 1–0 River (River won)
19. 2021 Copa de la Liga Profesional quarterfinals: Boca 1–1 River (Boca won 4–2 by penalty shoot-out)^{[nb 11]}
20. 2019–20 Copa Argentina round of 16: Boca 0–0 River (Boca won 4–1 by penalty shoot-out)^{[nb 12]}
21. 2024 Copa de la Liga Profesional quarterfinals: River 2–3 (Boca won)

Notes

List of 101 players who have played for Boca Juniors and River Plate

• Carlos Peucelle (youth career Boca Juniors, senior career River Plate)
• Ernesto Grillo (youth career River Plate, senior career Boca Juniors)
• Mariano Pavone (youth career Boca Juniors, senior career River Plate)
• Milan Borjan (youth career Boca Juniors, senior career River Plate)
• Nicolás Sánchez (youth career Boca Juniors, senior career River Plate)
• Matías Marchesini (youth career River Plate and Boca Juniors, senior career Boca Juniors)
• Facundo Colidio (youth career Boca Juniors, senior career River Plate)

• Renato Cesarini (also was a player of River Plate)
• Ferenc Plattkó
• José D'Amico
• Vladislao Cap (also was a player of River Plate)
• Néstor Rossi (also was a player of River Plate)
• Alfredo Di Stéfano (also was a player of River Plate)
• Ángel Cappa (assistant coach at Boca Juniors, manager at River Plate)
• José Varacka (also was a player of River Plate)
• Juan Carlos Lorenzo (also was a player of Boca Juniors)
• Héctor Veira
• César Luis Menotti (also was a player of Boca Juniors)

• Rogelio Domínguez (River Plate as player, Boca Juniors as coach)
• Adolfo Pedernera (River Plate as player, Boca Juniors as coach)
• Miguel Ángel López (River Plate as player, Boca Juniors as coach)
• Claudio Borghi (River Plate as player, Boca Juniors as coach)
• José Manuel Moreno (River Plate and Boca Juniors as player, Boca Juniors as coach)
• Francisco Sá (River Plate and Boca Juniors as player, Boca Juniors as coach)
• J.J. López (River Plate and Boca Juniors as player, River Plate as coach)

• August 24, 1913: River won the first official Superclásico 2–1.
• October 19, 1941: The River team of the 1940s known as "La Máquina" beat Boca 5–1, their biggest win over Boca, on their way to theArgentine championship.
• July 19, 1942: River won 4–0, equaling their biggest win over Boca.
• November 8, 1942: River came back from 2–0 down to a 2–2 draw, clinching the championship of that year in the home of their archrivals for first time in history.
• December 8, 1955: River won the second championship at La Bombonera after a 2–1 victory over Boca.
• February 10, 1966: River won 2–1 at El Monumental in a match for the1966 Copa Libertadores, in the first ever meeting of the clubs in international competitions.
• October 15, 1972: River came back from 4–2 down to win 5–4 in the highest scoring Superclásico in history.
• November 9, 1977: River came back from 1–0 down in La Bombonera to win 2–1 with a last minute goal from a 40 meters dash ofPedro Alexis González, securing River's top position in the 1977Metropolitano championship, which they won in the next round.
• April 6, 1986: In a game remembered for being played with an orange ball, River won 2–0 at La Bombonera right after winning the1985–86 championship.
• July 27, 1989: River won 2–1 the re-qualifying final of the1989 Liguilla pre-Libertadores preventing Boca's qualification forCopa Libertadores 1990.
• July 18, 1993: River won 1–0 in José Amalfitani Stadium, with a Walter Silvani's golden goal, to eliminate Boca from the Copa Centenario, a tournament that was to commemorate AFA's 100 years since its foundation. It was the first and only Superclásico decided with agolden goal.
• December 11, 1994: River won 3–0 at La Bombonera, securing the1994 Apertura.
• March 23, 1997: River came back from 3–0 down to draw 3–3, costing Boca a famous win at El Monumental
• March 10, 2002: River won 3–0 at La Bombonera on their way to win the2002 Clausura.
• May 16, 2004: River won a decisive match at La Bombonera 1–0 with a goal fromFernando Cavenaghi, paving the way to win the2004 Clausura.
• October 8, 2006: River defeated Boca 3–1 at El Monumental, breaking Boca's 22 game undefeated streak
• October 7, 2007: River won 2–0 at home to prevent Boca from going top of the table and damaged their chances of winning the2007 Apertura.
• March 31, 2014: River defeated Boca 2–1 at La Bombonera with a goal from defenderRamiro Funes Mori after 10 years without winning at Boca's stadium. Later they clinched theFinal 2014 championship.
• November 27, 2014: River defeated Boca 1–0 at El Monumental in the second leg of the2014 Copa Sudamericanasemifinals with a goal from Leonardo Pisculichi. The game was also memorable for the fact that goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero saved a penalty in the opening minutes of the game. River won 1–0 on aggregate and advanced to thefinals for the first time since 2003. Boca were knocked out from an international competition by River for the first time in 28 years.
• May 7, 2015: River defeated Boca 1–0 at El Monumental in the first leg of the2015 Copa Libertadoresround of 16 with a goal fromCarlos Sánchez from the penalty spot. In the second leg, the game was abandoned at half-time after River players were attacked withpepper spray by Boca fans, with the score still 0–0. The match was terminated and Boca were disqualified from the tournament. River would go on to win the cup for the first time since 1996 and for the third time in club history.
• March 14, 2018: River took revenge of the 1976 defeat in theNacional championship final by beating Boca 2–0 to win the2017 Supercopa Argentina in theEstadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza. The match was the second ever final between the two adversaries.
• December 9, 2018: After drawing 2–2 at La Bombonera in the first leg of2018 Copa Libertadores Finals, the second leg was postponed due to River fans throwing objects at the Boca bus, injuring several players. CONMEBOL controversially decided to play the second leg at theSantiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, as Boca refused to play the second leg and River defended their right to play it at home. In Madrid, River would come back to win 3–1 in extra time in the first ever meeting between the two in an international competition final and Copa Libertadores finals.
• October 22, 2019: After winning 2–1 at El Monumental in the first leg of the2019 Copa Libertadores Semifinal, River was able to secure qualification to the finals with a 1–0 loss in La Bombonera, marking the fifth direct elimination of Boca by River in five years (2014 Copa Sudamericana Semifinal, 2015 Copa Libertadores Round of 16, 2017 Supercopa Argentina, 2018 Copa Libertadores Final, 2019 Copa Libertadores Semifinal).

• August 2, 1908: Boca won the first Superclásico on record 2–1.^[35]
• December 23, 1928: Boca defeated River 6–0, the biggest win in Superclásico history, with two goals fromDomingo Tarasconi,Roberto Cherro and Esteban Kuko.
• May 19, 1959: After 18 years Boca avenged their 5–1 defeat by River with a 5–1 win at La Bombonera with two goals fromJose Yudica.
• December 9, 1962: Boca defeated River 1–0 at La Bombonera to secure the top position of1962 championship, which they won in the next round. This match is well remembered by Boca's fans, becauseAntonio Roma stopped apenalty kick byDelem in the final minutes of the match.
• December 14, 1969: Despite River's recovery from a 0–2 down, Boca won the national championship in the home of their arch-rivals after a 2–2 drawn.
• February 3, 1974:Carlos García Cambón scored four goals on his Boca debut in a 5–2 win, the most goals scored by a single player in the Superclásico. It was also Boca's second successive 5–2 win.
• December 22, 1976: Boca won the first ever final between the two clubs 1–0 to claim the 1976 Nacional championship.^[36]
• April 10, 1981: Boca won 3–0 on their way to winning the 1981Metropolitano championship, with a famous goal scored byMaradona againstUbaldo Fillol.
• March 7, 1982: Boca won 5–1 at El Monumental, in the 1982Nacional championship, the biggest away win in the history of the Superclásico. Due to a contractual conflict, River played the match with youth players.
• February 27, 1991: Boca came back from 3–1 down to win 4–3 in the highest scoring Superclásico inCopa Libertadores history.
• March 31, 1991: Boca won its fifth consecutive derby of the year 1–0 at La Bombonera.
• July 14, 1996: Claudio Caniggia scored a hat-trick to help Boca win 4–1 at La Bombonera, barely a month after River won the1996 Copa Libertadores.
• September 29, 1996: Boca won 3–2 at La Bombonera, with a neck goal from Hugo Romeo Guerra in injury time.
• May 24, 2000: Having lost the first leg of the2000 Copa Libertadoresquarter-final 2–1 at El Monumental, Boca won 3–0 at home to progress to the semi-final and later go on to win the competition and theIntercontinental Cup. Boca's third goal was scored by substituteMartín Palermo after a six-month injury.
• November 9, 2003: Boca, then champions of the 2003 Copa Libertadores, won 2–0 at El Monumental with goals scored by Brazilian strikerIarley andSebastián Battaglia on their way to lift the Apertura 2003 title.
• June 17, 2004: Having won the first leg of the2004 Copa Libertadoressemi-final 1–0 at La Bombonera, Boca went to El Monumental, where River scored first. With just five minutes leftCarlos Tevez scored to level the score 1–1 and so give Boca a 2–1 aggregate lead. However, a last-minute goal byCristián Nasuti for River took the match to penalties. Boca then won thepenalty shootout 5–4.
• May 4, 2008: Boca won 1–0 at La Bombonera with a goal by Sebastián Battaglia.
• October 18, 2008: Ten-man Boca won 1–0 at El Monumental on their way to winning the2008 Apertura.
• January 31, 2015: At a friendly match in Mendoza, Boca won 5–0 and three River Plate players were red carded, being it the biggest win in the professional football era of the Superclásico.
• December 11, 2016: Boca came back from 2–1 down in the half-time to win 4–2 at El Monumental with two goals scored by returning idol Carlos Tevez.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toBoca Juniors-River Plate rivalry.

• Buenos Aires Derby by Pablo Ciullini at theRSSSF
• River Plate — Boca Juniors: la Batalla del Río de la Plata on Pablo Geraldes blog (29 Aug 2019)(in Spanish)
• Super-classic! An inside look at one of the game's most wild rivalries on South American Futbol.com (archived)

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