Genoa CF have unveiled a special edition jersey in the colours of Boca Juniors. It is a tribute to celebrate the 120 years of history of the ‘Xeneize’ club under the slogan ‘Dall’Inizio, forever’.
What links Genoa with Boca Juniors?
Genoa and Buenos Aires are more than 11.000 kilometres apart, but there is one thing that unites them: Boca Juniors.
At the end of the 19th century, thousands of Italian immigrants left for Argentina to start a new life. Among the Genoese immigrants, five friends decided to found a football club. Esteban Baglieto, Alfredo Scarpatti, Santiago Sana and the brothers Teodoro and Juan Antonio Farenga decided to meet at Baglieto’s house on 3 April 1905 to discuss their project. As Baglieto’s house was very busy because of his parents’ visits, they had to go to a bench in Plaza Solís. There, the Club Atlético Boca Juniors was born.
At first, the friends thought the club’s colour would be red and white, in keeping with the flag of Genoa. But there was a problem; the other club in the neighbourhood, River Plate, wore those colours. They agreed that the team’s colours should match the colours of the flag of the first ship to pass through the port of La Boca. As luck would have it, a Swedish ship gave the colours to Boca Juniors.
The origin of the ‘Xeneizes’:
The fans of Club Atlético Boca Juniors are known by many names. But the most recognised nickname is the ‘Xeneizes’. This nickname is also linked to the Genoese origin of the club.
In Genoa, a dialect called Ligurian was spoken, a language spread throughout the Liguria region of northern Italy. In Ligurian, Genoa is referred to as ‘Zena’. The Zena’s gentilicism is ‘Zeneize’. It is not known how, but when immigrants arrived in Argentina, the term mutated to ‘Xeneize’. Today, Boca Juniors proudly wear this peculiar nickname on the back of the collar of their jerseys.
With this new shirt, Genoa wanted to give a nod to the Buenos Aires club and included the word ‘Zeneixi’, the original term for the word, on the collar of their jersey.
A friendship for history:
After 120 years, these two cities are still twinned and so are both football teams. In Argentina, the most important activity is undoubtedly football. It is therefore only natural that they are eternally grateful to the Genoese. Thanks to them, one of the most important teams in the country and in the world was born.
Main image: @GenoaCFC.
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