La Bombonera

Affectionately known as La Bombonera (the Chocolate Box, due to its rectangular shape), the Estadio Alberto J. Armando is home to one of Argentina’s most famous football clubs Boca Juniors. It is located in the La Boca district of Buenos Aires.

La Bombonera is renowned for its vibrating when fans start to jump in rhythm, and visiting teams are said to be intimidated by the stadium’s acoustics.

Of its 57,395 capacity, there are 37,538 seats, 2780 boxes and the other 17,077 are standing room only. Both its interior and exterior are lined with many murals painted by artist Pérez Célis depicting many of the club’s legendary players and many aspects of the district’s culture. The stadium also contains a museum celebrating the club’s history, opened in 2001. A visit to this museum is included in the Football Adventures tour.

History

The stadium was first used for a friendly match between Boca and San Lorenzo on May 25, 1940. (Archrivals River Plate also inaugurated their stadium on 25 May, but two years earlier, on 1938). It underwent a major renovation in 1995-96, raising its capacity to 57,395, and was given its current official name on 27 December 2000. The stadium is named after a former club president who promised a major renovation of La Bombonera upon his election in 1975, but his plans were delayed by the country’s political and economic situation.

Click here to read about other famous football stadiums in Argentina and Brazil

Source: Wikipedia On-line Encyclopedia