Boca's coach grinder: who has managed Xeneize in recent years
Gago is the ninth coach in 10 years
porEditorial Team
Argentina
Xeneize can't find a coach to return it to the glory of past times
Gago's brief stay at Boca, lasting only 192 days since his official presentation in October, is the shortest since Riquelme got involved in the club's politics. The dance of coaches at Xeneize has been going on for a long time and, besides Pintita, it has had 8 other different coaches in the last decade.
In 2014, after Bianchi's disastrous third cycle, Vasco Arruabarrena would take over, lasting a year and a half in the position and suffering two direct eliminations at the hands of River in international tournaments (2014 Sudamericana Semifinals and 2015 Libertadores Round of 16).
El Vasco estuvo 546 días en el cargo
At the beginning of 2016, Guillermo Barros Schelotto would take the reins of the team, and he would be the longest-serving coach in the last 10 years and the fifth in the club's history. His cycle began in March 2016 and ended in December 2018, after the historic defeat against Millonario in that year's Libertadores final.
Guillermo estuvo 1033 días en el cargo
The successor of Mellizo was Gustavo Alfaro, who would lead Boca to a new Libertadores semifinal, where he would face River again and where he would also lose again.
"The hunter of impossible utopias" lasted just a year at the helm of the first team and his cycle would start the multiple coaching changes since Riquelme took charge of the club's management.
Alfaro estuvo 361 días en el cargo
Boca needed to return to its winning ways, which is why they would rehire someone who had achieved several important titles at Xeneize: Miguel Ángel Russo.
The coach who won Boca's last Libertadores would win the Superliga and the 2020 Maradona Cup, and he would reach the Libertadores semifinals that same year. However, due to his poor results in the first half of the following year, he ended up being dismissed.
El segundo ciclo de Russo duró 594 días
The next on the list of coaches was another homegrown man: Sebastián Battaglia. The most decorated player in the club's history would have his first experience as a head coach after working as an assistant at Banfield and being the reserve team coach at Xeneize.
Although he won two titles (2021 Argentine Cup and 2022 League Cup), his elimination in the Libertadores Round of 16 against Corinthians on penalties at La Bombonera sealed his fate.
Battaglia estuvo en el cargo 323 días
Another Boca idol would take charge of the team, this time Negro Ibarra. Like Battaglia, the former right-back would also take his first steps as the first team's coach.
His cycle would have two major achievements, the Professional League and the Super Cup, both in 2022, but his results, lack of leadership, and poor connection with the squad led to his dismissal at the beginning of 2023.
Hugo Ibarra estuvo 260 días en el cargo
After a series of coaches with a glorious past at Xeneize, Riquelme would bet on a new face who had already made his mark at another Argentine team.
Jorge Almirón would take charge of Boca and, despite a conservative play style and multiple draws, he ended up leading them to a new Libertadores final, where they would lose 2-1 to Fluminense. This new disappointment would be his last match in charge of the club.
Almirón estuvo 209 días en el cargo
After a new interim period by Mariano Herrón, the club from La Rivera would opt for a coach who had no connection with the club: Diego Martínez.
With apromotion in his record, and his chaotic departure from Huracán, Martínez seemed to find the team to achieve great things, but his defeat against Cruzeiro in the Sudamericana Round of 16, and his losses to River at La Bombonera and Belgrano in Córdoba ended his short cycle.