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Boca Juniors was officially born on 3 April 1905, but the idea came together a few days earlier. A group of about 30 Italian immigrants – mostly from Genoa, but also from Basilicata and Campania – met in houses and in the square in the La Boca neighbourhood. They wanted to create a club that would bring their community together, give young people something to do, and make life a little brighter in a poor, working-class area.

The five official founders were all sons of Italian emigrants. Their names were Farenga, Scarpati, Baglietto, Sana, and Farenga again – two brothers. At first, they thought of calling the team Hijos de Italia (Sons of Italy) or Estrella de Italia (Star of Italy). But in the end, they chose Jóvenes de la Boca – which one of them, who spoke English, translated as “Boca Junior’s”. The apostrophe later disappeared, and that’s how we got Boca Juniors.

Right from the start, the club was about belonging. It wasn’t about being rich or fancy. It was about working-class pride. And that identity has never really changed.

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