It is certainly the football legends who have walked on its pitch who have made its worldwide reputation. The most illustrious of all is none other than Diego Armando Maradona. But it is “the 12th player”, in this case its fanatically loyal fans, who make the heart of La Bombonera beat.
This stadium was inaugurated in 1940 in the picturesque and colorful neighborhood of La Boca, which was the residential area of the dockers of the port of Buenos Aires, mostly Italian immigrants.
Officially, the stadium is named after a former Boca Junior manager, Alberto J. Armando, but few commentators, sports journalists or tourists remember this name. Everyone refers to this monument as “La Bombonera”. But where does this enigmatic name come from?
Legend has it that when the project architect Viktor Sulcic, a Slovenian naturalized Argentinian, was drawing the first curves of the stadium, he received as a birthday present a box of chocolates that resembled his own design of the stadium. His colleagues immediately noticed the resemblance between the future stadium and the candy box received as a gift from their boss.
Little by little, the Bombonera has become the symbol of the construction site. The reference has stood the test of time and has been passed down from generation to generation by supporters.
The stands, designed on three superimposed platforms with a steep angle of inclination, can accommodate 54,000 spectators, a record for the post-war era.
For many fans, it is a mythical place, with its own personality, where fans come to express their passion for Boca. A sort of “second home”, where they watch the matches and share unique moments.
Even for Argentines who are not fans of La Boca, La Bombonera is undoubtedly a “national monument”, with its own mystique where the footballing spirit of the legends who brought glory to the club and its stadium still floats.
Being in the middle of a boiling volcano crater! This is what it’s like for some to watch a match at La Bombonera. The excitement is obviously at its peak when it comes to the Argentinian classic that pits Boca against its rivals from the north of the city, River Plate.
The crater sensation is obviously accentuated by the unique design of the stands.
Its compact and compact design is due to the fact that the stadium had to be built on the same cramped site occupied by the old, much smaller wooden stadium.
For the Slovenian-born architect, building a large stadium on a cramped site presented the challenge of building close-spaced stands, which, according to fans and many players, creates a special and vibrant atmosphere.
The few meters that separate the pitch from the stands allow for great proximity between spectators and players, making the experience of the pressure that the former exert on the latter to give the best of themselves unique.
In the era of selfies and live broadcasts, it is not surprising that in these conditions, the colorful videos of Boca Juniors supporters influence fans around the world.
The international press is full of praise for this temple of football. It considers that watching a match between Boca Juniors and River Plate in the Bombonera is “the most intense sporting experience in the world” and that the Buenos Aires classico is “one of the 50 sporting events to see before you die”!
La Bombonera is also one of the few football stadiums that will have a feature film dedicated to its glory, which will be released in the coming months. The one-minute trailer available on the web gives a fairly precise idea of the history of the stadium. It shows different historical figures of the Boca club.
In the trailer, the image of Maradona at the height of his glory comes back as a leitmotif. The deceased was known for the great affection he had for his original club.
The most moving moment is undoubtedly the one in which the voice-over, his throat tight with emotion, says: “maybe you want to come back (to the Bombonera) to say goodbye to someone”, in allusion to Maradona.
2024-09-17 02:12:32