The Big Five of Argentine football
Encyclopedia
The Big Five is a coined term to reference the main five teams of Argentine association football. In alphabetical order, they are Boca Juniors
, Independiente
, Racing
, River Plate
and San Lorenzo.
The term was coined in the 1930 decade, with the establishment of the Argentine Football Association
(AFA). The AFA arranged a system of proportional representation
for the involved sport clubs: the vote of the clubs with either 15.000 members and at least 20 years playing the tournament and 2 or more championships would weight threefold, the vote of clubs with 20 years playing the tournament and 10.000 to 15.000 members or 1 championship would weight twofold, and the vote of the others would have the standard value. Boca, Independiente, Racing, River and San Lorenzo were the only five clubs who qualified for the threefold vote. The five teams would have a leading role in Argentine football since then, and during the first 35 years of the AFA no team outside the five got the championship. The first one to do so was Estudiantes de la Plata
, in 1967.
The term is currently used as a jargon
within the Argentine football, rather than with an actual definition; and sympathizers of other teams propose the idea of a "Sixth Big". The group has no defined order either.
There are two derbies
among the Big Five: the Superclásico
between Boca and River, and the Avellaneda derby
between Independiente and Racing. San Lorenzo's derby is with Huracán, which is not popularily considered among the Big Five, but achieved the threefold vote in 1946.
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
, Independiente
Club Atlético Independiente
Club Atlético Independiente is an Argentine athletic, sports and social club, which has its headquarters and stadium in the city of Avellaneda, Buenos Aires Province. The club is best known for its football team, that plays in the Argentine Primera División....
, Racing
Racing Club de Avellaneda
Racing Club is an Argentine professional football club from Avellaneda, a suburb of Greater Buenos Aires. Founded in 1903, Racing has been historically considered one of the "big five" clubs of Argentine football...
, River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football....
and San Lorenzo.
The term was coined in the 1930 decade, with the establishment of the Argentine Football Association
Argentine Football Association
The Argentine Football Association is the governing body of football in Argentina. It organises the Argentine football league and the Argentina national football team. It is based in Buenos Aires...
(AFA). The AFA arranged a system of proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
for the involved sport clubs: the vote of the clubs with either 15.000 members and at least 20 years playing the tournament and 2 or more championships would weight threefold, the vote of clubs with 20 years playing the tournament and 10.000 to 15.000 members or 1 championship would weight twofold, and the vote of the others would have the standard value. Boca, Independiente, Racing, River and San Lorenzo were the only five clubs who qualified for the threefold vote. The five teams would have a leading role in Argentine football since then, and during the first 35 years of the AFA no team outside the five got the championship. The first one to do so was Estudiantes de la Plata
Estudiantes de La Plata
Club Estudiantes de La Plata , simply referred to as Estudiantes, is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Plata. The club's football team currently competes in the Primera División, where it has spent most of its history....
, in 1967.
The term is currently used as a jargon
Jargon
Jargon is terminology which is especially defined in relationship to a specific activity, profession, group, or event. The philosophe Condillac observed in 1782 that "Every science requires a special language because every science has its own ideas." As a rationalist member of the Enlightenment he...
within the Argentine football, rather than with an actual definition; and sympathizers of other teams propose the idea of a "Sixth Big". The group has no defined order either.
There are two derbies
Local derby
In many countries the term local derby, or simply just derby means a sporting fixture between two, generally local, rivals, particularly in association football...
among the Big Five: the Superclásico
Superclásico
Superclásico is the name used to describe the football match in Argentina between Buenos Aires rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate. It derives from the Spanish usage of "clásico" to mean derby, with the prefix "super" used as the two clubs are the most popular and successful clubs in Argentine...
between Boca and River, and the Avellaneda derby
Avellaneda derby
The Avellaneda derby is the second most important rivalry in Argentine football. It is contested between Club Atlético Independiente and Racing Club, the 3rd and 4th most successful teams in terms of the total number of league championships won...
between Independiente and Racing. San Lorenzo's derby is with Huracán, which is not popularily considered among the Big Five, but achieved the threefold vote in 1946.