He played at a packed-out Old Trafford. He represented Argentina in the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ final. He experienced the grandeur of Sporting CP, the mystique of Estudiantes de La Plata and the fervour of Spartak Moscow supporters in Russia. And yet it is the CA Boca Juniors fans and the club as a whole that have left their 35-year-old captain Marcos Rojo in awe.
Rojo joined Boca back in February 2021, during Miguel Angel Russo’s second stint as coach – following Fernando Gago’s departure last month, Russo has just been reappointed for a third spell in charge. The defender went on to establish himself as a mainstay in a team always vying for the top and in constant pursuit of silverware, backed by millions of fans. The match-going contingent create a raucous atmosphere at the Bombonera and will be tasked with a similar mission in the United States at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™.
The Buenos Aires-based giants, who qualified for the competition through their CONMEBOL ranking, kicked off 2025 in turbulent fashion. The team failed to reach the CONMEBOL Libertadores group stage following a painful defeat to Alianza Lima on penalties, while a domestic loss at the hands of fierce rivals CA River Plate brought Gago’s six-month tenure in the dugout to a premature end. Despite all of that, a new energy seems to be pulsing among the Boca faithful and growing every day. The fans are certainly hungry for more.
Competing in Group C at the FIFA Club World Cup™ – against SL Benfica, Auckland City FC and FC Bayern München – is a perfect opportunity to give the Boca supporters something to shout about. Speaking to FIFA ahead of the global showpiece, Rojo sounds more than ready.
Rojo: It’ll be a wonderful experience to be part of the Club World Cup, which brings together players and clubs from all over the world. I’m thrilled to have the chance to be involved.
The atmosphere will be absolutely fantastic. We’ll get to play in Miami, where I believe there’s a huge Latin American community and the fans are so passionate. Leo [Messi] is playing there now, and our supporters can’t wait to get there and paint the city blue and yellow.
The atmosphere is going to be amazing there, both from opposition fans and our own. The Boca supporters are so passionate. I’ve been keeping up with the ticketing situation and how desperate the fans were to get their hands on tickets as soon as they could. I think the atmosphere will be incredible in the city, helped by the weather and the colour. I can’t wait.
We’re going to take it game by game. There are two other big names in our group, so we want to start strongly by winning against Benfica and see if we can get through the group stage. I think that’s our main target to begin with.
I believe passion is the difference between Boca and the clubs that you’re referring to. The passion among Boca supporters trumps the fanbase of every other club that I’ve played for. That’s the big difference when you don this jersey.
