Boca vs Riveristhe most important derby in the Argentine league and one of the most famous clashes in soccer. Both are the most recognizedteams in the country, and have a long history of rivalry between them. Everytime they face each other there isa lot of excitement and, whateverthe round, whoever gets the victory feelsasatisfaction similar to that ofliftinga trophy.
Boca and River will face each other in a new edition of the Superclásico next Sunday, in the fifth round of the Argentine Copa de la Liga Profesional 2021, at La Bombonera. The match will be broadcasted in the US by Fanatiz.
The Superclásico is one of the highlights of every season, and there’s plenty to talk about before and after each duel. Needless to say, it isthemost antagonistic match in Argentina. Fans can’t even image to be supporting the opponent, and also enjoy their rivals’ misfortunesas much as their own team’s triumphs.
However, there were many players that wore both jerseys. Playing with both is not only an achievement, as it isn’t easy to land at such teams, but also a brave decision. Here, we are going to take a look at some of the most famous players that featured for bothBoca and River.
Hugo Gatti
The so-called ‘Loco’ is an icon in Argentine soccer. River signed him when he was a young goalkeeper in Atlanta, but his best days came when he moved toLa Boca. Gatti became a legend at the Xeneize and won multiple trophies,local and international.
Oscar Ruggeri
Oscar Ruggeri built an amazing career and became an Argentina legend (Getty).
One of the most important defenders of Argentina, Oscar Ruggeri made his first steps at Boca Juniors, where he even lifted his first trophy. However, he left the club being in conflict with the board of directors and went directly to River Plate. From that moment on, his career was full of success. The ‘Cabezón’ won local and international titles with the Millonario, and he also lifted the World Cup with Argentina while atRiver.
Gabriel Omar Batistuta
Batistuta did well with Boca before succeeding at Europe (Conmebol.com).
‘Batigol’ also wore both shirts. He first played for River, although his spell at Núñez wasn’t very good. Things improved for him after signing for Boca, where he scored more goals, but only for a short time before moving to Europe, where he became a world-class striker.
Ricardo Gareca
Gareca is the current manager of the Peruvian National Team (Getty).
Current Peruvian National Team’s manager, Ricardo Gareca was a top goalscorer for Boca Juniors, but his move to River Plate was very painful for the Xeneize fans. He went to the Millonario along with Oscar Ruggeri, but their paths took different directions as the striker couldn’t thrive like the defender did.
Juan José López
‘JJ’ was an important midfielder at River, where he played more than 400 matches and won six titles. But some years after leaving the Millonario, he went to Boca in a shocking move. Anyways, he couldn’t perform as well as he did at River.
Claudio Cannigia
Cannigia was a fantastic Argentina international player (Getty).
Cannigia is a beloved player in Argentina who formed agreat duo with Diego Maradonafor both the national team and Boca. However, ‘The son of the wind’ first played for Riverbefore succeding in Europe. He came back to Argentine soccer to play at La Bombonera in a top team that featured Diego, among others.
Lucas Pratto
Pratto scored an important goal in the first leg of the Libertadores 2018 final (Getty).
The ‘Oso’ has barely played for Boca Juniors long before spendingan incredible stint at River Plate under Marcelo Gallardo. Unlike his poor spell withthe Xeneize, Pratto achieved great things with the Millonario, such as the Copa Libertadores 2018 title, where he scored two goals against Boca in the finals.
Jonatan Maidana
Maidana became a hero in River (Getty).
The defender who later became a River legend first wore Boca’s jersey. He wasn’t a regular starter, though, as he was young, but the squad he belonged to had a lot of success. His history at Núñez had some ups and downs at the beginning, as he first scored a goal in the Superclasico and then suffered the relegation, but then ‘Jony’ turned into an essential player for Gallardo’s triumphant years.
