Before and after the match

Asado – Grilled meat. Asado can be fancy or cheap. Meat can be grilled on a nice expensive grill, on the ground, or in an old metal garbage can. All meats are consumed, various cuts of steak, chorizos, blood sausage, cow innards, etc.

Fernet – Extremely bitter alcoholic drink

Vino Toro – Argentine wine company. You can’t head to a match with a glass bottle of wine. Wine needs to be consumed directly from a box. Sometimes it is mixed in with other drinks, usually soda.

Fernando – Drink mixed with Fernet and Coke

Choripan – chorizo and bread. Usually eaten at the end of the match. Outside of stadiums are filled with Choripan vendors.

Futbol sin visitantes – Football without visitors. To this day, it is extremely uncommon for matches to have visiting fans.

Infiltrado – Infiltrator. A visiting fan who sneaks into a match to watch his team when visiting supporters are not allowed in.

 

Positions and People

El 5 – The number 5. Defensive midfielder. Javier Mascherano.

Doble Cinco – Double number five. Playing two defensive midfielders.

Enganche  – Hook. The number 10 player. Maradona and Messi

Crack – A really good player.

Jugador Rústico – Rustic Player. A player who is more known for his physicality on the pitch than his skills.

Bielista – Coaching similar to the style of Marcelo Bielsa.

Maradonista / Messista – Someone who identifies more with Maradona or Messi.

D10S – God in Spanish is Dios. When written with the number 10 in the middle, it most often refers to Maradona, but sometimes Messi too.

Maradona Specific Things:

• La Mano de Dios – The hand of god. Referring to the goal Maradona scored in the 86 world cup against England.

• La pelota no se mancha – The ball doesnt stain. A quote from Diego Maradona saying that essence or the aura of football should not be ruined.

• Vacunar – To Vaccinate. Maradona used this meaning “To Fuck” both a girl or the other team by scoring a goal.

• Cabeza de Termo – Thermos Head. Someone who is stupid.

• Se le escapó la tortuga – Let the turtle get away. Someone who reacts slowly and lets the ball get away.

Grondonista – A supporter of Julio Grondona. President of the AFA from 1979-2014 (when he died) and vice president of FIFA. Usually related to corruption and mafia. Not a popular figure in Argentine football.

Líbero – Defender who is free flowing is not assigned to a specific zone or person.

Zaguero – Centerback

Virgin – Team that has never won a championship

Velocista – A player who is fast

Cebollita – Little Onion. A player from the youth divisions

Cuarta Division – Fourth division. Sub 20

Quinta Division – Fifth division. Sub 18

Sexta Division – Sixth division. Sub 16

Septima Division – Seventh division. Sub 14.

Colgado – Hung Up. Player who the manager isn’t playing.

Bombero – Firefighter. A corrupt referee.

La mitad mas uno  – Half plus one. Used to describe Boca’s number of fans, saying that more than half the country are Boca fans.

Superclasico – Boca vs River

Los cinco grandes – The five big clubs in Argentina. Boca, River, Racing, Independiente, San Lorenzo.

Team	Nickname	Fan nickname
River	Millonarios (Millionaires)	Millonarios (Millionaires) Gallinas (Chickens)
Boca	Boquita	Bosteros (Manure / Cow Dung) Xeneizes (People from Genova)
Independiente	El Rojo (The Red) Diablos Rojos (Red Devils)	Diablos (Devils)
Racing	La Academia (The Academy)	Académicos (Academics)
San Lorenzo	El Ciclón (Cyclone)	Cuervos (Ravens)

Major Stadium Nicknames

Bombonera – Boca’s stadium. The most famous stadium in the country.

El Monumental – River’s stadium and most often used as the national team stadium.

El Cilindro – Racing Club’s stadium.

La Doble Visera de Cemento – Independiente’s stadium. Usually refers to the stadium before the rebuild.

El Nuevo Gasómetro – San Lorenzo’s Stadium.

El Palacio – Huracan stadium. Also the stadium featured in the Oscar award winning film The Secret in Their Eyes.

 

On the field

Acariciar la pelota – Caress the football.

Desequilibrante – Unbalanzing. Someone who stands out on the pitch. Plays end to end.

Hacer Agua – Make Water. Make a lot of mistakes

Jugada Rústica – Rustic play. Embarrassing moments on the pitch. Bloopers. A wide open goal and the ball is shot into the stands.

Chilena – Bicycle kick.

Sombrero – Hat. Kicking the ball over the defender’s head.

Palomita – Little Dove. A diving header.

Media Chilena / Tijera – Scissor kick.

Gambeta – A dance move. When the plays jukes out his defender.

Corazon del area – The heart of the box. Usually close to the penalty area.

Caño / cañazo – nutmeg. Kicking the ball through the legs.

Lírico / Lujo – Musical / Luxury. A very nice play. Something like a nutmeg or fancy dribbling.

Gol Olimpico – Olympic goal. Scored directly off a corner kick.

Comba – A ball that bends.

Comer – Eat. Used referring to another player. Kinda like, “go kick that players ass” you might say “Go eat that player.”

Comer el culo – Eat the ass. What you say when you need a defender to stay on his man.

Morfón – A big eater. A player that doesn’t pass the football.

Dormir – To sleep. A player who losing concentration on the pitch.

Cortina – Curtains. When one player blocks the vision of another player, usually on a free kick to free up a player for a header.

Cuero – Leather. The football.

Hacer Tiempo – Make time. Wasting time to try and make the match end as early as possible.

Descontar – To discount. When losing by two or more goals, the losing team gets one goal back.

Dibujar – To draw. A player who is very tactical and good with the ball at his feet. Often showing off his skills on the pitch.

Donde tejen las arañas – Where the spiders weave. The upper corners of the goal.

Mandar un jugador a las duchas – send a player to the showers. When a referee shows a player a red card.

Dividir la pelota – Divide the ball. A bad pass. Giving the ball away or leaving it behind to the other team.

Una de más – One additional. A player who makes an unnecessary play, usually because they are trying to show off.

Quebrar la cintura – Burn the belt. A player who quickly changes directions.

Tener los pies redondos – Have round feet. Kick the ball really poorly.

Pescar – Fishing. A player who stands around the goal waiting for his moment to score.

Martín – Referring to Martin Palermo, famous Boca player who scored a lot of goals by balls falling to his feet.

Promoción – A playoff match to win promotion into the next division.

Masita – Little dough. Hitting the ball with very little power behind it directly at the keeper.

No jugar a nada – Not playing for anything. A team that has no plan.

Golazo – Very nice goal.

Golazonón – An incredible goal.

Partido Liquidado – Liquidated match. When a team has a big enough lead that the match is over.

 

Things fans say / Things related to fans

Three levels of fans

• Simpatizante – Sympathizer. Supporter but not much more.

• Hincha – True fan. Cares a lot about the team.

• Socio – Club member and usually a season ticket holder.

Filial / Peña – Supporters group.

Cargada – Usually friendly insults. Making fun of another.

Puteada – Insults directed towards a player in a mean or hurtful way.

Boludo / Pelotudo – Both can be used in friendly terms or as an insult. Literally translate into “Big Balls”

Culiado – Similar to boludo but used in the province of Cordoba. Literally translates into “Butt Fucker”

[Insert team or player] La concha de tu Madre – Your mom’s vagina. Something fans yell at players or other teams. Very common insult. Better translates to something like “You suck” or “Screw You” but obviously a little stronger.

[Insert team or player] Andate a cagar – Go and take a shit. Another common insult at a team or players.

Aguante – To put up with or endure. Usually speaking to being a fan of a team. “Aguante [Instert team name]

Cerrar el orto – Shut the asshole. Used when referring to shutting another fanbase up. Or if a team scores a game winning goal, they closed that butthole.

Cierren el estado, apaguen las luces – Close the stadium and turn off the lights. When a player scores such an amazing goal, might as well just shut it down.

Sos de la B – You’re from the B. You’re a second division team.

Amargos – Bitters. Fans who don’t keep cheering when things get tough.

Clavarla en un ángulo – hit it into the top corner

Copar – Surround. When a group of visiting fans travels to a city or an area.

Dia del Club – Day of the Club. A day where the club charges an additional fee to their fans.

Duelo de Hinchadas – Fan Duel. The match is more focused on the hatred of the fans than on the actual match on the pitch.

Trapo – Rag or Cloth. Tifo / Flag. Sign or something that fans hang up at the match.

Gritar un gol antes – Yelling a goal before. When someone celebrates a goal before it is scored. Something that REALLY pisses off the other fans.

No lo cante, no lo grite, no se abrace – Dont sing, no celebrate, dont hug. When it looked like it was gonna be a goal but the shot missed.

“Cantalo, cantalo, cantalo” – Sing it, sing it, sing it. Phrase from announcer Sebastian Vignolo to celebrate a goal.

“Cinco Cuatro Tres Dos Uno… gol gol gol gol gol gol” – Phrase from announcer Rodolfo De Paoli to celebrate a goal.

“Genio, genio, genio, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, GOOOOOOOOOOL” – Famous call from Victor Hugo Morales just before Maradona scored his goal against England in the 86 world cup.

Fart related phrases

• Ganar de Pedo: Win by a fart. Winning with luck.

• Estar en pedo: To be in farts. To be drunk. After a match, a fan might spend that night ‘in farts’ (wasted).

• Cagar a pedos: To shit farts. To berate someone. A coach berating a player. Fans berating a player or coach.