Scaloni’s love for Boca: his idol and a historic night at La Bombonera | OneFootball

It's no surprise that Lionel Scaloni was a fervent Boca fan. Every now and then, old statements of his surface on social media, showcasing his passionate support for Boca. Although his long journey in football and his current role with the Argentine National Team seem to have dulled his intense passion for one club, in his official biography, he recalled the beginning of his love for the blue and gold.

In one of the passages of the book written by journalist Diego Borinsky, the world champion and two-time America champion coach delved into who was responsible for him looking at Boca with different eyes during his childhood in Pujato: "With Mauro, we became Boca fans because of Grandpa Deolindo, with whom we lived."

This must have been hard to digest for Don Ángel, who was on the opposite side: "My dad is a River fan, and my mom chose Rosario Central because they had the same colors as her dad's team." Despite being historical rivals, on several occasions, he took them to Buenos Aires, and they always managed to get into the stands: "My dad took us to see Boca even though he was a River fan because if he saw us happy, he was happy too. Although he wasn't a fanatic either. Sometimes Barulich bought us the tickets, and other times we sneaked in thanks to a friend my dad had at the entrance to the popular section of the Riachuelo. He let us in."

Scaloni was present at one of the most important matches for Boca in the '90s. In the 1-1 draw against San Martín de Tucumán, which allowed Óscar Tabárez's team to celebrate with their fans after eleven years without a title: "I was at La Bombonera the day of Benetti's goal when Boca became champions in '92."

That time, La 12 cheered their hearts and hands out to recognize one of their great leaders and Scaloni's childhood idol: "My idol as a kid was Giunta because I ran and tackled like crazy. All my life, I would slide tackle; it was a typical move of mine. And at that time, Giunta was a symbol." He also mentioned following another tough midfielder closely: "Fabián Carrizo also tackled like crazy. I admired them both."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.