The real drivers of Boca Juniors and River Plate also play a separate classic

They are the drivers of Boca and River, of course not on the court. They are responsible for moving the two “biggest” teams in Argentina. They are also part of the Superclassic. The first to arrive is Luis Alfredo Borges with his blue and yellow umbrella next to the characteristic Boca Juniors shield. “This was given to me when we were champions of the Argentine Cup,” says the driver proudly of one of the many memories he treasures. A little further back is followed by Néstor Fabián Senos, usual driver of River Plate, with a challenging phrase for his teammate: “Ah, we started like this! Don't make me go get my things because I beat you...!”

This is how these two friends joke united by their craft and that for years they have fulfilled the dream of thousands of fans, to be very close to the biggest protagonists of football. A few hours after a new edition of the Superclassic, Infobae brought them together to share their experiences. “Sometimes we don't take dimension of where we are. Being on the other side of the fence, inside hotels and even sharing meals with the players is something I would never have imagined. If my old fan, who passed away a few years ago, would see where I am, he would be crazy,” says Luis, in charge of transporting the Xeneize squad.

The distribution in the seats is planned and everyone knows where it should be located. “The whole coaching staff goes down, the players up. But Gallardo goes alone in seats 60 and 61 next to the window. He doesn't have anyone on his right, he's empty,” Néstor details about the Millionaire. On the other side of the sidewalk, Boca has a slightly different cast: “I enjoy this since I start preparing at home. I get out of bed and the first thing I think is 'today Boca is playing'. The people who turn around when they see us go by, honk at us and once we get to look for the whole delegation the cabals begin: nothing can be broken. Everything has to be perfect. The first seats upstairs are among the most capos: Izquierdoz, Javi García, Rossi and Marcos Rojo. Battaglia goes down with Krupoviesa, in the first two.”

Each stadium of Argentine football has its own peculiarities, but both agree that there is a common denominator. “There is no stadium that has a quiet entrance. I think it is also a bit malicious for the visitor, everyone has an obstacle in the entrances. In Banfield there is a pole, in Unión it touched the ceiling although now they refurbished it and in Velez before too, but now they scraped the floor to get it in. I think he intends to bother the visitor a little bit,” explains one of them.

But when it comes to talking about the difficulty of entering the Monumental or the Bombonera, the access areas and the location of the courts mark a clear winner. “The one in Boca, without a doubt, is difficult. The streets are narrower. When you go through Aristobulo del Valle and you see all the people hanging on the trees, the balconies. Everywhere they're waiting for you. You enter with tremendous adrenaline and you are terribly eager for the match to start”, explains Senos before the watchful eye of his colleague.

In addition to driving, drivers must take into account certain directives. “For example, in Boca with the squad above it is forbidden to turn back. Everything forward. Nothing about you getting to a stadium and it doesn't give you the width to enter the mirror and put reverse. From the start it has to be perfect”, explains Luis to which Néstor adds: “That happens in both clubs. It's even automated. Maybe if you're thinking 'uy I can't go backward' it's for the worse. We have a lot of experience. The pressures of football are the players, but we also understand professionally that everything must go round.”

In privacy, everyone earned special treatment based on their hard work and professionalism. “I on campus am popularly known as Parasbrilla. Because I am from Misiones and since we have the border with Paraguay I am “almost umbrella”. So, Parasol. The one who gave me the nickname was La Roca (NdR: Diego Moreno, in charge of security of the campus). And what am I going to say to the Rock? If an arm of him is my leg,” says Funny Breasts. On Luis's side, the treatment is more formal: “In my case I don't have a definite nickname. It depends on who I cross paths with: Colombians call me corduroy or crack, Zambrano uncle and Cascini, old man.”

Borges takes his cell phone for a few seconds and trumpets begin to sound from a video. “This is when we were champions of the Argentine Cup. I got on and Izquierdoz grabbed me and threw me in the middle of everyone who was singing. It's exciting for me that I'm a Boca fan. We share many beautiful moments and today they even make us a place to have lunch with all the staff. We are part of the day-to-day life”, says the chauffeur of the Xeneize side. The competition is lived even in the smallest details, so Néstor also automatically picked up his phone in search of evidence: “Look, the day we won the Super Cup in Santiago del Estero against Colón. In the locker room there was Gallardo with the umbrella and Milton with the bass drum. The one who is always the coolest is Nico De La Cruz, he is joking all the time.”

In the case of Borges, their relationship does not only stay with the Primera squad. “Then I also take the Senior, to the veterans. That is a trip for graduates because of the good vibes they transmit. With them we went to La Rioja, Corrientes and Tucumán. They chat with me in the cabin, the pressure is different not to say that it does not exist. Delgado, Cascini, Bermudez, Ledesma, Barijho, Clemente Rodriguez, Donnet, Pompei. Riquelme plays, but at home, he was never with us outside,” he added about one of his many experiences with the colors of Boca.

With no bets in between, a new Superclassic will bring the two drivers together again at the Monumental stadium this Sunday at 7pm. The heavy task will fall on the side of Luis who, five minutes before leaving the Intercontinental Hotel, will have orders from the security officers on the route that Boca will follow to arrive in time to Núñez in what will be the match that will focus the attention of the country and beyond.

KEEP READING: