 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Tomás Boy" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(March 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 Boy in 2009 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Tomás Juan Boy Espinoza | ||
| Date of birth | (1951-06-28)28 June 1951 | ||
| Place of birth | Mexico City, Mexico | ||
| Date of death | 8 March 2022(2022-03-08) (aged 70) | ||
| Place of death | Acapulco, Mexico | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1971–1974 | Atlético Español | ||
| 1974–1975 | Atletico Potosino | ||
| 1975–1988 | Tigres UANL | 413 | (98) |
| 1988 | San Jose Earthquakes | ||
| International career | |||
| 1979–1987 | Mexico | 52 | (9) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1988 | San Jose Earthquakes | ||
| 1989–1990 | Tampico Madero | ||
| 1991–1993 | Queretaro | ||
| 1995–1996 | Veracruz | ||
| 1996–1997 | Morelia | ||
| 1997–1998 | Monterrey | ||
| 1998–2000 | Morelia | ||
| 2002 | Puebla | ||
| 2004 | Veracruz | ||
| 2007 | Atlas | ||
| 2009–2012 | Morelia | ||
| 2012–2013 | Atlas | ||
| 2014–2015 | Atlas | ||
| 2015–2016 | Cruz Azul | ||
| 2019 | Guadalajara | ||
| 2020–2021 | Mazatlán | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Tomás Juan Boy Espinoza (28 June 1951 – 8 March 2022) was a Mexican professionalmanager andfootballer who played as anattacking midfielder.
Known for his technical skills and field vision, Boy is considered as one of the greatest Mexican players of all time.[1] He played in the Mexican professional football League, nowLiga MX, between 1975 and 1988, and is arguably the best Mexican attacking midfielder of the late 1970s to mid-1980s. He spent most of his entire football playing career withTigres UANL, appearing in 413 games and scoring 104 goals in all competitions.
Boy was awarded the MexicanBalón de Oro for the best attacking midfielder of the1978–79 season. He played with theMexico national team between 1979 and 1987 being named captain during the1986 World Cup and surprisingly being left out for the1978 edition. The 1986 squad is the last one ever to reach quarter-finals in a World Cup and was one of the greatest Mexican national squads. Boy earned the nickname "El Jefe" ("The Boss" in Spanish). On 12 November 2019, he was inducted into theFootball Hall of Fame [es] inPachuca.[2]
Boy managed ten different teams in Mexico, reaching a final withMorelia in 2011 and saving several teams from relegation.[3]
Boy was born inLa Condesa and raised in Bosques de Echegaray, aNaucalpan suburb, both inMexico City into a middle classCatholic family. He is the eldest of eight children. Boy has acknowledged that his relationship with his father, anaccountant, was difficult and even violent. Encouraged by his mother, Boy left the house at seventeen to pursue a professional football career. About his personal life in his playing years, he stated that he was "more of a bohemian" that "liked to live". Boy is of German and Italian descent.[4]
Boy started his career in theAtlético Español in the 1971–72 season. After three years at Atlético Español, Boy went to Atletico Potosino. Boy moved toTigres UANL in 1975 where he made his professional debut on 2 March 1976 againstClub América in a 1–0 loss.[5]
Boy scored his first professional goal on 27 December 1975 in a 3–1 win againstC.D. Guadalajara.[6] Boy appeared in 36 matches (started 35) in the 1975–76 season.[7]
In the 1976–77 season Boy had another well performed season, Boy appeared in 33 games and scored eight goals.[8] Although Boy had a good season, Tigres lost toZacatepec in the 1977 playoffs.[9]
The following season Boy and Tigres had a good season. Boy appearing in 33 games and scoring six goals helped Tigres qualify to the 1978 playoffs.[10] Boy scored two goals in Tigres six post season games, Boy helped Tigres win the 1977–78 title when Tigres defeatedUNAM Pumas 3–1 in aggregate score.[11] Boy appeared in 37 matches and scored ten goals in the 1978–79 season, helping Tigres make the playoffs again.[12]
The following season Boy appeared in 31 games, he scored six goals but got three red cards.[13] Boy appeared in eight games in the 1979 post season scoring one goal in the first match againstAmérica.[14] Tigres eventually ended up losing toCruz Azul in the 1980 final in a 4–3 aggregate score.[15] Boy had his best season statistically in 1980–81, scoring 15 goals in 38 matches.[16] Although Boy had a good season, Tigres did not make the 1981 playoffs.[17]
The 1981–82 season did not start well for Boy, Boy missed the first eleven games of the season due to an injury. Although Boy missed 18 games, Tigres had a good season reaching the final.[18] Tigres eventually defeatedAtlante 6–2 in penalty kicks atEstadio Azteca, to win their second league title.[19][20] In the 1982–83 season, Boy missed the first two games but came back againstMonterrey in the third match.[21] Boy appeared in 32 matches and scored seven goals but Tigres did not reach the playoffs.[21] The following season, Boy and Tigres had a good season. Boy scored ten goals in 30 matches, this was the third time in his career that Boy scored in double digits. Boy and Tigres reached the playoffs but were eliminated in the first round byUNAM.[22] In the 1984–85 season, Boy missed the first two games of the season but came back in the third match against Cruz Azul. Boy scored nine games in 31 matches but Tigres did not make the playoffs.[23] Since theFIFA World Cup was in Mexico in 1986, there was no season in 1985–86 for Boy due to his national team duty.[24] Following the1986 FIFA World Cup, Boy and Tigres started the 1986–87 season with only one point in the first five matches.[25]
Eventually Tigres started to get points and made the playoffs but were eliminated in the first round byMorelia in a 4–3 aggregate score.[25] Boy appeared in 35 matches, his most since the 1980–81 season, and scored nine goals.[25] In 1987–88, Boy was injured most of the season and only appeared in 24 matches and scored five goals, his least since 1975–76.[26] Boy retired after the season with 104 goals in 413 matches in his career.[27] In 1988, he then played for theSan Jose Earthquakes of theWestern Soccer Alliance.[28] He was a First Team All Star that season.[29]
Towards the end of the 1970s, Boy was considered one of the top Mexican players, soMexico national team coachJosé Antonio Roca's decision not to call him up for the1978 FIFA World Cup surprised the media and the audience.[30] Boy made his international debut in a friendly match against theSoviet Union, which Mexico won 1–0 with a goal byHugo Sánchez.[31] He scored his first international goal on August 24, 1984, in a friendly match againstHungary inBudapest, Hungary.[31] In 1985 Boy made his most appearances and goals with Mexico, appearing in 20 matches and scoring seven goals.[31]
After being called up for the1986 FIFA World Cup, Boy made his World Cup debut againstBelgium. He played 90 minutes with Mexico winning 2–1 with goals byFernando Quirarte andHugo Sánchez.[32] In the second match againstParaguay, he started the match but was substituted in the 58th minute byMiguel España. Mexico drew with Paraguay 1–1 withLuis Flores scoring Mexico's only goal.[33] In the third match againstIraq he played the full 90 minutes, Mexico won 1–0 with a goal byFernando Quirarte.[34] After winning their group Mexico facedBulgaria in the Round of 16. Boy played 80 minutes until he was substituted byCarlos de los Cobos. Mexico won the match with goals byManuel Negrete andRaúl Servín.[35] Mexico facedWest Germany in the quarterfinals, Boy was substituted by Carlos de los Cobos again this time in the 32nd minute. Mexico eventually fell to West Germany in penalty kicks after going scoreless in 120 minutes.[36]
Boy played as a forward in his youth career, despite coaches who wanted to deploy him in defensive positions. He stated that his main influence as a footballer wasPelé. Developed into an attacking midfielder, most of his career in Tigres he functioned as an offensive-midfield playmaker, playing as a winger occasionally. On the Mexico national team, Boy played as a classic number 10. A right-footed set-piece specialist with a thin physique, he was renowned for his ball control, vision and his ability to set the pace in midfield and provide through-balls and assists for his teammates with both legs. Boy is considered by specialist as one of the greatest Mexican footballers ever. After his death, journalistJosé Ramón Fernández, ranked him as the third best Mexican footballer of all time, belowHugo Sánchez andRafael Márquez. In 2018, while broadcasting the2018 FIFA World Cup inRussia, Fernández also compared Boy with Italian iconRoberto Baggio. In the same broadcast,David Faitelson andJorge Ramos compared him withZico. About his style, Boy once stated "I had the style ofZidane, but I was faster."[37]
"[...] let's leaveHugo Sánchez,Rafa Márquez andChicharito Hernández out of the equation, the best, but they never had those characteristics [...] (Boy) should be listed powerfully in this list of the best, the most complete, the most intelligent, the fittest, the most exquisite Mexican footballer of all time [...]"
Former Mexico's coachMiguel Herrera stated that Tomás Boy "as a player, he is one of the greatest my eyes have ever seen."[39]Ricardo La Volpe wrote that Boy was a "spectacular midfielder in that time, an already modern player" and listed him in his historical ideal eleven of the Mexican League.[40][41] After Tigres' first League championship, he received offers to emigrate to ItalianSerie A but declined due to family issues. In 2019, Boy said that in his playing years he received a big plaque from the fans of the Estadio Universitario as he scored "the goal of the century, they call it, likeMaradona's, but he dribbled four (players), I dribbled eight."[42]
Considered by many as the greatest Tigres' player, he was the top goal scorer with 104 goals in over 13 years until French international strikerAndré-Pierre Gignac broke his record in August 2019. The historical Chilean midfielderCarlos Reinoso stated that "Tomás Boy is the greatest of (Tigres') history, a playmaker with goal."[43] In addition to his footballing skills, he was known for his strong temper and leadership, in Mexico he earned the nickname ofEl Jefe (Spanish for "TheBoss"). Boy was named captain of Mexico during the 1986 FIFA World Cup, overReal Madrid's starHugo Sánchez.
In 1988, theSan Jose Earthquakes of theWestern Soccer Alliance replaced head coachBarney Boyce with Boy. Boy lasted only a handful of games before being fired himself.[44] Two years after retiringTampico Madero signed Boy as their head coach in the thirteenth game of the season replacing Hugo Fernández.[45] Boy debuted with a loss toCorrecaminos 1–0 and after 26 matches Boy won seven drew eight and lost 11 matches.[3][46] In the 1991–92 season Boy was signed asQuerétaro head coach in the 21st match.[47] After winning 6, drawing five and losing seven, Boy came back for the following season.[3] In the first 29 matches of the 1992–93 season, Boy had eight wins, six draws, and fifteen losses. Boy was sacked and was replaced by Manuel Cerda.[48] After three years without coaching, Boy was assigned as the new manager ofVeracruz in the fifth game of the season.[49] After winning 48 percent of the matches, Veracruz qualified to the playoffs.[49] In the first round Veracruz facedAtlas, Veracruz won by away goals, with the aggregate score being 3–3.[50][51] Veracruz facedCelaya in the second round, Veracruz were defeated by Celaya with a 6–0 aggregate score.[52][53]
After not coming back as Veracruz coach for theInvierno 1996 season, Boy did not stay out of a job for long, he was hired asMorelia coach by the fifth match of the season.[54] In thirteen matches, Boys' team won three matches, drew two, and lost eight.[3] Morelia won five, drew seven and lost five in theVerano 1997 season and made a two-game playoff to qualify to the final phase.[55] In the two game playoff, Morelia facedTecos, Morelia won 4–2 in aggregate.[56][57]
In the quarterfinals Morelia facedAmérica with América having home field advantage. Morelia defeated América 1–0 atEstadio Morelos and 3–1 atEstadio Azteca.[58][59] Morelia advanced to the semifinals to faceGuadalajara. At Estadio Morelos, Morelia defeated Guadalajara 1–0 in the first leg. In the second leg, Guadalajara defeated Morelia 1–0 atEstadio Jalisco, Guadalajara advanced to the final because they were the higher seed.[60][61]
After a successful season with Morelia, Boy was hired asMonterrey new manager.[3] At Monterrey, Boys' team only won six matches, with four draws and seven losses Monterrey missed the playoffs.[62] Boys' second season in Monterrey was similar to the previous, Monterrey won four matches, drew six and lost seven.[63] Boy did not return to Monterrey and eventually returned to Morelia where he stayed for four tournaments.[3] Morelia was eliminated in the first round of all four tournaments that Boy was manager, fromInvierno1998 toVerano 2000.[3] Two years after Boy left Morelia he was hired asPuebla manager.[64]
Boy was let go after just managing to win one match out of thirteen.[3] Boy was hired before the eleventh week of theClausura 2004 season byVeracruz.[65] After winning three, drawing one, and losing five, Boy was not brought back for theApertura 2005.[3] Two and a half years after leaving Veracruz, Boy was hired byAtlas as their interim manager.[66] Even though Boy had a 43 percent winning percentage in eight matches, he was not brought back for theClausura 2008.[3] After Morelia firedLuis Fernando Tena on 19 February 2009, Boy was hired the next day as their new manager.[67][68] Although missing the playoffs, Boy had a successful season with Morelia, he was signed to a one-year extension.[69]
In the Clausura 2011, Boy led Morelia to the Liguilla where Monarcas beatAmérica in quarterfinals winning both home and away legs. In the semifinals they played againstCruz Azul, Morelia lost the first leg 2–0 away in theEstadio Azul. In the second leg at theEstadio Morelos, they beat Cruz Azul 3–0 to advance to his first Primera División final. Boy was suspended for five matches, including both final legs due to entering the field without authorization after a fan entered into the pitch and a fight broke out between Cruz Azul and Morelia players. In the final, Monarcas played againstUNAM, in the first leg in Morelia, the teams drew 1–1, and in the second leg in Mexico City, UNAM beat Morelia 2–1 to win championship 3–2 on aggregate.
After a 2011–2012 season where Morelia reached semifinals in the Apertura season and quarterfinals in the Clausura season, Boy resigned his position. After his tenure with Morelia, Boy served as an analyst forESPN Mexico showFútbol Picante and soccer matches but he left shortly when he was hired as Atlas manager for the second time in his career. Boy was unable to give Atlas a victory and ended 17th in the relegation table with 12 points, 5 overQuerétaro.
For Clausura 2013, Atlas would start their relegation fight once again. The media practically put Atlas as the team that would get relegated. In the Jornada 1 they started with a 1–1 draw vsPumas UNAM. They then won at home 2–0 againstPachuca. The defeat vs the leader Tigres gaveQuerétaro some hope. In the Jornada 4 Tomas Boys' team played their best game of the season vs the new leader which was undefeated at the moment. In half time they were down 0–1 in the 2nd half with a goal fromRodrigo Millar andOmar Bravo, they would win the game and end America's undefeated streak. A 2–2 draw vsSan Luis F.C. would be enough to stay in the Liga MX and practically sendQueretaro F.C. toAscenso MX. He left the team after the liguilla game against Santos Laguna.Atlas lost three games (one in away games against UANL, and two in home againstSantos Laguna andLeón) and having along with Santos Laguna the best defense in the tournament by allowing only 13 goals. This saved Atlas from relegation and pushed them to the Liguilla for the first time in six years after ending in the third position with 32 points. After the season Boy left the team and returned toFútbol Picante as an analyst.[citation needed]
After a poor season that Atlas had withOmar Asad,Grupo Salinas purchased Atlas to save them from their financial problems, they would hire Tomas once again to save the team once again from relegation this time against Atlante. In the2015 Copa Libertadores, Boy led Atlas to defeatAtletico Mineiro inBelo Horizonte by 0–1, breaking the Brazilians' 37-year unbeaten streak in home games in that competition.[70] On 18 May 2015, Boy was released from his contract after losing toGuadalajara 4-1 the day before on theLiga MX quarter-finals.
On 2 October 2015,Cruz Azul announced Boy as new coach. On 22 October 2016, after the 14th game of the Apertura 2016 season, Boy resigned after being defeated byPuebla in theEstadio Azul by 1–2, leaving Cruz Azul in the 12th position of the table and with few chances of qualifying to playoffs. Boy coached Cruz Azul in three tournaments and in none managed to accede to playoffs.[citation needed]
On 10 April 2019, Boy was appointed new coach ofC.D. Guadalajara.[71] After negative results, Boy was fired on 26 September 2019.[citation needed]
On October 6, 2020, Boy was hired byMazatlán FC as head coach.[72] On 4 May 2021, the team's president announced that Boy would continue as head coach.
Boy and his former wife Rosa had three sons: Andrés, who works as football analyst forTelevisa Monterrey, Luis and Claudio, the last worked with him as assistant manager and is named after his late friend Claudio Lostanau. He lived most of the time in Mexico City andAcapulco.[citation needed]
Boy was an avidgolfer and a fan ofMotoGP beingValentino Rossi his favorite racer. He was a fan of singerElvis Presley and liked classical music such asChopin. Boy mentionedThe Art of War ofSun Tzu as his favorite book.[citation needed]
On 4 March 2022, Boy was hospitalized due to apulmonary thromboembolism inAcapulco. He died from complications of his condition on March 8, 2022, at the age of 70.[73][74] A private funeral service was held at theFrench cemetery in Mexico City the next day.[75] His death was widely covered by Mexican sports media.
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Tigres UANL | 1975–76 | Primera División | 36 | 4 | ? | 2 | 36 | 6 |
| 1976–77 | 33 | 8 | 35 | 4 | ||||
| 1977–78 | 39 | 9 | 39 | 9 | ||||
| 1978–79 | 43 | 11 | 43 | 11 | ||||
| 1979–80 | 39 | 7 | 39 | 7 | ||||
| 1980–81 | 38 | 15 | 38 | 15 | ||||
| 1981–82 | 26 | 6 | 26 | 6 | ||||
| 1982–83 | 32 | 7 | 32 | 7 | ||||
| 1983–84 | 30 | 10 | 30 | 10 | ||||
| 1984–85 | 31 | 9 | 31 | 9 | ||||
| 1985–86 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 1986–87 | 35 | 9 | 35 | 9 | ||||
| 1987–88 | 24 | 3 | 24 | 3 | ||||
| Career total | 413 | 98 | ? | 2 | 413 | 100 | ||
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 25, 1984 | Népstadion,Budapest, Hungary |  Hungary | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | October 9, 1984 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum,Los Angeles, United States |  Colombia | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | February 5, 1985 | Estadio Corregidora,Querétaro, Mexico |  Poland | 1–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 4 | August 27, 1985 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States |  Bulgaria | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 5 | October 22, 1985 | Sharjah Stadium,Sharjah, United Arab Emirates |  United Arab Emirates | 2–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 6 | November 14, 1985 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States |  Argentina | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | December 7, 1985 | Estadio Azteca,Mexico City, Mexico |  Algeria | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1986 Mexico Cup |
| 8 | December 10, 1985 | Estadio Jalisco,Guadalajara, Mexico |  South Korea | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1986 Mexico Cup |
| 9 | December 14, 1985 | Estadio Nemesio Díez,Toluca, Mexico | Hungary | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1986 Mexico Cup |
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(March 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Tigres UANL
Morelia
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
|  | |