Not everyone shines in the media spotlight; some fade into the shadows. Argentine football has had countless stars, from Di Stefano to Maradona, Mario Kempes to Messi. Yet, despite carrying the rich footballing heritage of Latin America, many Argentine players remain overlooked. Argentinians are deeply divided on almost everything—be it about clubs or footballing philosophies.
The society and culture of Argentina
From 1810 to 1816, Argentina fought for its independence, and after gaining freedom from Spain, a civil war ensued. Finally, in 1853, after numerous challenges and obstacles, a new constitution was established. Between 1870 and 1960, many Italian families migrated to Latin America, aspiring for a better quality of life. Today, out of Argentina’s 45 million people, many are still connected to Italian lifestyle influences. As a result, Argentine culture reflects a blend of Spanish and Italian traditions. While Spanish is the official language, the popularity of foods like pizza and burgers is noticeable in the country’s culinary habits. However, football arrived in this nation through the English, who introduced it while engaging in trade at Argentina’s ports.
Football is a sport that, upon reaching various continents, has adopted new forms within the economic, social, and cultural contexts of those regions. This is why, from the early days of football, we can observe conceptual differences in the perspectives of continents like Europe, Africa, and Latin America regarding the game.
Since its inception, football’s primary philosophical question has been, “How should the game be played?” When football arrived in Latin America, it gave rise to a distinct style characterised by individualism and exceptional personal skill.
Clash between two football philosophies
Argentine football is a fascinating blend of myths and facts. On the one hand, there are tales of players like Carlovich, whose name is still celebrated in Rosario despite the absence of any concrete evidence of his on-field exploits. On the other hand, Argentina’s football history bears witness to the clash between the philosophy of La Nuestra and anti-football ideologies.
In the early days of Argentine football, more importance was given to artistic ability than merely scoring goals. It wasn’t just about scoring; the goal had to be mesmerizing. This emphasis on artistry led to the prominence of captivating skills like Gambeta, One-touch Pass, Sombrero, and La Pause. These dribbling and playmaking skills set Latin American football apart from other continents and defined the unique style known in Argentina as La Nuestra.
The period from 1940 to 1950 is regarded as the golden age of La Nuestra football in Argentina. However, due to World War II and President Juan Perón’s foreign policies, this golden era remained largely unknown to the rest of the world.
After 1934, Argentina returned to the World Cup in 1958. However, in that tournament, they suffered a humiliating 6-1 defeat to Czechoslovakia. This loss raised significant doubts about the philosophy of La Nuestra or soloist football, and the focus in Argentina began to shift toward anti-football ideologies. Despite notable success in the Copa América, Argentina consistently faltered on the World Cup stage.
This period saw the rise of Carlos Lorenzo, a proponent of pragmatic football. A staunch supporter of the Catenaccio system, Lorenzo introduced a more defensive and systematic approach. When Argentine journalists once asked him, “How do you beat a team with great forwards?” Lorenzo replied with characteristic pragmatism: “Very simple. If you don’t want somebody to eat, you have to stop the food coming out of the kitchen. I don’t send somebody to mark the waiter; I have to worry about the chef.”
This metaphor highlighted his tactical focus on disrupting the source of attacks rather than merely marking players up front.
Importance of the Enganche in Argentine Football
Argentine football’s classic Number Ten, known as the Enganche, holds a special place in its tactical and cultural identity. The word Enganche comes from Spanish, meaning “The Hook.” In football, the Enganche is the player who acts as a bridge between midfield and attack, controlling the game from behind the forwards and creating space for others.
The role became particularly significant when Carlos Lorenzo, the pragmatic coach who initially adopted a Catenaccio system, evolved his tactics into what became the classic Argentine formation, the 4-3-1-2. The Enganche was pivotal in this system, and its variations (like 3-5-2 and 3-4-1-2) have been widely used in Argentine football, including during Carlos Bilardo’s World Cup-winning campaign in 1986.
Despite his pragmatic tendencies, Lorenzo utilized the artistic brilliance of players like Onega as an attacking midfielder in the Enganche role, highlighting the balance between structured tactics and individual artistry.
The Enganche was not just a position but a symbol of the Argentine football philosophy that valued creativity, control, and artistry. The Enganche were tasked with orchestrating the attack, dictating the tempo, and unlocking defences with their vision and technical skills.
In modern football, the traditional Enganche role has somewhat diminished due to tactical changes emphasizing high pressing and defensive solidity. However, its influence remains deeply ingrained in Argentina’s footballing culture, symbolizing the nation’s unique approach to the beautiful game.
The debate over who perfected the role—Maradona, Riquelme, Messi, or others—may never have a definitive answer, but all these players embody the spirit of the Enganche in their own way.
Let’s first address Carlos Tevez. Tevez was not an Enganche because he primarily played as a supporting striker or winger. Similarly, Lionel Messi cannot be classified as an Enganche either, as his natural position is that of an inverted winger. While Messi was deployed as an Enganche in 2010, the team suffered due to an unbalanced midfield.
Diego Maradona is arguably the greatest Enganche Argentina has ever produced. His vision, dribbling, and creative genius perfectly encapsulated the essence of this role.
However, today’s discussion focuses on a less familiar face in the football world—someone who has deliberately stayed away from the limelight of the media. This player, though not widely celebrated, embodies the artistry and essence of the Enganche role, proving that brilliance often flourishes in the shadows.
The one who cannot go unmentioned is Ricardo Bochini. He was born in 1954 in the city of Zárate, Buenos Aires. Among Argentina’s major clubs, River Plate and Boca Juniors stand out, but he never played for either of them. Instead, he was the hero of Independiente. Over the years, every Number Nine who played alongside him became the top scorer of the Argentine league during those years. About him, journalist Hugo Asch once said, “a midget, ungainly, imperturbable, without a powerful shot, or header, or charisma.” Supporters often criticized coach Humberto Muschio for not including Bochini in the starting eleven.
Now the question arises: what was the magic in Bochini’s game that made the supporters ridicule the coach for not fielding him?
La Pausa is one of the most famous skills in Latin American football. It is difficult to explain this skill in words. Essentially, it is a special moment in a football match when the Number 10 player waits for the right moment for a fast player to reach the perfect spot and then, with precise imagination, delivers the ball to that player.
“La Pausa is the art of delaying your pass while you wait for the game to take shape around you. It’s a display of confidence, foresight, understanding, and an admirable arrogance that few players can pull off.”
In other words, to execute La Pausa, a player must be visionary. Without vision or imagination, executing this skill becomes difficult. And this imagination was the core strength of Bochini’s game.
Riquelme Playmaker – best passes
As Bochini’s successor, Riquelme took La Pausa to another level. A memorable example of La Pausa comes from the 1970 World Cup. In the final between Brazil and Italy, Brazil’s fourth goal was scored by Carlos Alberto. Just before this goal, after several passes, when the ball reached Pelé outside the penalty box, he paused for a moment, waiting for the quick right-back Carlos Alberto to get into position. Then, with his imagination, Pelé perfectly delivered the ball to Alberto for the goal. This moment is one of the best examples of La Pausa.
Carlos Alberto Goal – Brazil v Italy 1970 World Cup Final
Ricardo Bochini is considered the creator of the La Pausa skill or move. “La Pausa is thought to have originated from Argentine footballer Ricardo Bochini, who was known for having a natural knack in predicting the behaviour of his opponent.” However, Bochini didn’t learn this move on a football field. From a very young age, he honed this skill while playing on narrow, uneven streets.
In 1928, Argentina ranked eighth globally in GNP per capita. However, due to political instability, autocratic governance, massive corruption at the administrative level, and various other issues, the country’s economy gradually deteriorated. As a result, many people fell below the poverty line. Meanwhile, the growing population of the country also posed another significant problem. Around this time, the number of slums increased in areas like Buenos Aires, Cordoba, and Rosario. It was within the narrow streets of these slum areas that football began to take root, a form of the game known as street football in Latin America. Skills like La Pausa and Gambeta originated from this street football culture, which is known as potrero.
Anthropologist Eduardo Archetti once stated: “That is characteristic of the Argentine game, which was set up for various economic, cultural, and historical reasons, in opposition to the British game, where the British game was learned in school and relied on a good diet. The Argentine game was wild, spontaneous, based on streetwiseness and learned in the potreros, the increasingly rare vacant lots on the back streets of Buenos Aires.”
The rise of Bochini
In 1972, Ricardo Bochini made his debut in the Argentine Premier Division against River Plate, playing for Independiente. In that same year, Independiente won the Copa Libertadores (which is equivalent to today’s UEFA Champions League). Soon after, Independiente faced Johan Cruyff’s Ajax in the Intercontinental Cup. However, Independiente was defeated 3-0 in that match, and Bochini was not part of the team for that game.
It was in 1973 that Bochini’s talent truly came to the forefront. During this time, Daniel Bertoni joined Independiente from Quilmes. Bertoni, a fast winger, was known for his ability to cut inside and break through the opponent’s defence. Thanks to the partnership between Bochini and Bertoni, Independiente won their second Copa Libertadores.
Later, in the final of the Intercontinental Cup, held at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Independiente faced European champions Juventus. In the second half of the match, Juventus’ Antonello Cuccureddu was awarded a penalty, but he missed it with a powerful shot. With just 10 minutes left in regulation time, Bertoni received the ball from about 35 yards out and passed it to Bochini. Bochini, with a quick turn, dribbled past Claudio Gentile, then played a one-two with Bertoni, entered the box, and before the opposing players Salvadore and Silvio Longobuccu could close in, Bochini took a pause. He then scooped the ball over goalkeeper Dinozoff’s head into the net. This was the only goal of the match, which led Independiente to their third Intercontinental Cup victory.
Independiente 1 Juventus 0) (Relato Jose Maria Muñoz) Intercontinental 1973 Golazo de Bochini
As an Argentine club, Independiente became the Intercontinental Champion three times. Through this achievement, Independiente emerged as one of the greatest forces in world football, and Ricardo Bochini was the key figure behind the team’s success.
This goal later became legendary. The reason for its mythical status is that the Argentine Broadcasting Authority lost the video footage of the match. As a result, fans began referring to the goal as ‘El Gol Invisible’ (The Invisible Goal). Finally, in 2009, a group of supporters travelled to Italy and managed to recover a copy of the footage from the Rai Broadcast.
Independiente went on to win the Copa Libertadores again the following year. Bochini won the Copa Libertadores four times with Independiente. In 1981, Jorge Burruchaga joined Independiente, forming a new partnership with Bochini. It was this partnership that helped Independiente win the Copa Libertadores once again in 1984. Additionally, they defeated Liverpool 1-0 to become Intercontinental Cup champions for the second time.
Although Bochini achieved much success with his club, he had very few opportunities to play for the national team. In his long career, he played only 10 minutes in the World Cup, which is quite surprising. In the 1978 World Cup, Argentina’s coach was César Luis Menotti, who revived La Nuestra football in Argentina. However, Menotti chose Norberto Alonso over Bochini. During the 1982 World Cup, it is likely that Bochini was overlooked due to the rise of Diego Maradona.
Later, Carlos Bilardo became the coach of Argentina. Bilardo was a staunch supporter of anti-football, which was in direct opposition to Menotti’s philosophy. These two World Cup-winning coaches created two distinct footballing philosophies in Argentina: Menottismo and Bilardismo. In the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, at Maradona’s request, Coach Bilardo gave Bochini the chance to play for the national team. Bochini was brought on in the 80th minute during the semi-final against Belgium. When Bochini entered the field, Maradona approached him, shook his hand, and said, “Maestro, we have been waiting for you.”
On May 5, 1991, Bochini played his final match for Independiente against Estudiantes de La Plata, marking his retirement from professional football.
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