Tomás Juan Boy Espinoza (28 June 1951 – 8 March 2022) was a Mexican professional
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
and
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who played as an
attacking midfielder
A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As #Cent ...
.
Known for his technical skills and field vision, Boy is considered as one of the greatest Mexican players of all time. He played in the Mexican professional football League, now
Liga MX
The Liga MX, officially known as the Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football division in Mexico, holding 2 tournaments per year.
The league is considered the strongest in North America, and among the strongest in a ...
, between 1975 and 1988, and is arguably the best Mexican attacking midfielder of the late 1970s to mid-1980s. He spent most of his entire football playing career with
Tigres UANL
Club de Fútbol Tigres de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, simply known as Tigres UANL or Tigres, is a Mexican professional football club based in San Nicolás de los Garza, a city in the Monterrey metropolitan area, Nuevo León. Foun ...
, appearing in 413 games and scoring 104 goals in all competitions.
Boy was awarded the Mexican ''
Balón de Oro'' for the best attacking midfielder of the
1978–79 season. He played with the
Mexico national team
The Mexico national football team () represents Mexico in international football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation (). It competes as a member of CONCACAF.
Mexico has qualified to seventeen World Cups and has qualified conse ...
between 1979 and 1987 being named captain during the
1986 World Cup and surprisingly being left out for the
1978 edition. The 1986 squad is the last one ever to reach quarter-finals in a World Cup and was one of the greatest Mexican national squads. Boy earned the nickname "El Jefe" ("The Boss" in Spanish). On 12 November 2019, he was inducted into the in
Pachuca
Pachuca (; ote, Nju̱nthe), formally known as Pachuca de Soto, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Hidalgo. It is located in the south-central part of the state. Pachuca de Soto is also the name of the municipality of whic ...
.
Boy managed ten different teams in Mexico, reaching a final with
Morelia
Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid) is a city and municipal seat of the municipality of Morelia in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital and larg ...
in 2011 and saving several teams from relegation.
Early life
Boy was born in
La Condesa
Condesa or La Condesa is an area in the Cuauhtémoc Borough of Mexico City, south of Zona Rosa and 4 to 5 km west of the Zócalo, the city's main square. It is immediately west of Colonia Roma, together with which it is designated as ...
and raised in Bosques de Echegaray, a
Naucalpan
Naucalpan, officially Naucalpan de Juárez, is one of 125 municipalities located just northwest of Mexico City in the adjoining State of Mexico. The municipal seat is the city of Naucalpan de Juárez, which extends into the neighboring municipal ...
suburb, both in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
into a middle class
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
family. He is the eldest of eight children. Boy has acknowledged that his relationship with his father, an
accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy.
Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certifi ...
, was difficult and even violent. Encouraged by his mother, Boy left the house at seventeen to pursue a professional football career. About his personal life in his playing years, he stated that he was "more of a bohemian" that "liked to live". Boy is of German and Italian descent.
Club career
Boy started his career in the
Atlético Español
Atlético, Spanish for ''athletics'', or Athletico in English, may refer to:
Sports Teams Athletico
* Athletico SC (Lebanon), a Lebanese football academy
* Athletic Bilbao, or Atletico Bilbao, Basque students athletic club (also forming Athletic ...
in the 1971–72 season. After three years at Atlético Español, Boy went to Atletico Potosino. Boy moved to
Tigres UANL
Club de Fútbol Tigres de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, simply known as Tigres UANL or Tigres, is a Mexican professional football club based in San Nicolás de los Garza, a city in the Monterrey metropolitan area, Nuevo León. Foun ...
in 1975 where he made his professional debut on 2 March 1976 against
Club América
Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América or simply América, is a professional football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football ...
in a 1–0 loss.
Boy scored his first professional goal on 27 December 1975 in a 3–1 win against
C.D. Guadalajara
Club Deportivo Guadalajara (); often simply known as Guadalajara () and their nickname ''Chivas'' (), is a Mexican professional football club based in Zapopan, Jalisco. Guadalajara is one of the ten founding members of the Mexican First Divi ...
. Boy appeared in 36 matches (started 35) in the 1975–76 season.
In the 1976–77 season Boy had another well performed season, Boy appeared in 33 games and scored eight goals. Although Boy had a good season, Tigres lost to
Zacatepec in the 1977 playoffs.
The following season Boy and Tigres had a good season. Boy appearing in 33 games and scoring six goals helped Tigres qualify to the 1978 playoffs. Boy scored two goals in Tigres six post season games, Boy helped Tigres win the 1977–78 title when Tigres defeated
UNAM Pumas
Club Universidad Nacional, A.C., commonly referred to as UNAM, is a professional football club based in Ciudad Universitaria of Mexico City, Mexico. The club competes in the Liga MX, the top division in the Mexican football league system. Found ...
3–1 in aggregate score. Boy appeared in 37 matches and scored ten goals in the 1978–79 season, helping Tigres make the playoffs again.
The following season Boy appeared in 31 games, he scored six goals but got three red cards. Boy appeared in eight games in the 1979 post season scoring one goal in the first match against
América. Tigres eventually ended up losing to
Cruz Azul
Club de Futbol Cruz Azul or simply Cruz Azul () is a professional football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in the Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. Because "azul" means "blue" in Spanish, the club has traditionally ...
in the 1980 final in a 4–3 aggregate score. Boy had his best season statistically in 1980–81, scoring 15 goals in 38 matches. Although Boy had a good season, Tigres did not make the 1981 playoffs.
The 1981–82 season did not start well for Boy, Boy missed the first eleven games of the season due to an injury. Although Boy missed 18 games, Tigres had a good season reaching the final. Tigres eventually defeated
Atlante 6–2 in penalty kicks at
Estadio Azteca
Estadio Azteca () is a multi-purpose stadium located in Mexico City. It is the official home of football clubs Club América and Cruz Azul as well as the Mexico national football team. The stadium sits at an altitude of above sea level. Wit ...
, to win their second league title. In the 1982–83 season, Boy missed the first two games but came back against
Monterrey
Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
in the third match.
Boy appeared in 32 matches and scored seven goals but Tigres did not reach the playoffs.
The following season, Boy and Tigres had a good season. Boy scored ten goals in 30 matches, this was the third time in his career that Boy scored in double digits. Boy and Tigres reached the playoffs but were eliminated in the first round by
UNAM
The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigges ...
. In the 1984–85 season, Boy missed the first two games of the season but came back in the third match against Cruz Azul. Boy scored nine games in 31 matches but Tigres did not make the playoffs. Since the
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
was in Mexico in 1986, there was no season in 1985–86 for Boy due to his national team duty. Following the
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia ha ...
, Boy and Tigres started the 1986–87 season with only one point in the first five matches.
Eventually Tigres started to get points and made the playoffs but were eliminated in the first round by
Morelia
Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid) is a city and municipal seat of the municipality of Morelia in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital and larg ...
in a 4–3 aggregate score.
Boy appeared in 35 matches, his most since the 1980–81 season, and scored nine goals.
In 1987–88, Boy was injured most of the season and only appeared in 24 matches and scored five goals, his least since 1975–76. Boy retired after the season with 104 goals in 413 matches in his career. In 1988, he then played for the
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...
of the
Western Soccer Alliance
Western Soccer Alliance was a professional soccer league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States and Western Canada. The league began in 1985 as the Western Alliance Challenge Series. In 1986, it became the Western Soccer Alli ...
. He was a First Team All Star that season.
International career
Towards the end of the 1970s, Boy was considered one of the top Mexican players, so
Mexico national team
The Mexico national football team () represents Mexico in international football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation (). It competes as a member of CONCACAF.
Mexico has qualified to seventeen World Cups and has qualified conse ...
coach
José Antonio Roca
José Antonio Roca García (24 May 1928 – 4 May 2007) was a Mexican football player and manager.
Life and career
Born in Mexico City, Roca played football for Asturias F.C., Club Necaxa, Zacatepec and Atlante F.C.
After he retired from pl ...
's decision not to call him up for the
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup was the 11th edition of the FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football world championship tournament among the men's senior national teams. It was held in Argentina between 1 and 25 June.
The Cup was won by t ...
surprised the media and the audience. Boy made his international debut in a friendly match against the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, which Mexico won 1–0 with a goal by
Hugo Sánchez
Hugo Sánchez Márquez (born 11 July 1958) is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager, who played as a forward. A prolific goalscorer known for his spectacular strikes and volleys, he is widely regarded as the greatest Mexican fo ...
.
He scored his first international goal on August 24, 1984 in a friendly match against
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
in
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
, Hungary.
In 1985 Boy made his most appearances and goals with Mexico, appearing in 20 matches and scoring seven goals.
After being called up for the
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia ha ...
, Boy made his World Cup debut against
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. He played 90 minutes with Mexico winning 2–1 with goals by
Fernando Quirarte
Fernando Quirarte Gutiérrez (born 17 May 1956) is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager.
He played as a centre-back for the club Guadalajara from 1973 to 1987 and the Mexico national team, earning 45 caps and scoring 5 goals, ...
and
Hugo Sánchez
Hugo Sánchez Márquez (born 11 July 1958) is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager, who played as a forward. A prolific goalscorer known for his spectacular strikes and volleys, he is widely regarded as the greatest Mexican fo ...
. In the second match against
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
, he started the match but was substituted in the 58th minute by
Miguel España
Miguel España Garcés (born 31 January 1964) is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager. He was a player of UNAM Pumas, and took over as coach after Hugo Sánchez stepped down as coach, and he took them to the Copa Sudamericana 200 ...
. Mexico drew with Paraguay 1–1 with
Luis Flores scoring Mexico's only goal. In the third match against
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
he played the full 90 minutes, Mexico won 1–0 with a goal by
Fernando Quirarte
Fernando Quirarte Gutiérrez (born 17 May 1956) is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager.
He played as a centre-back for the club Guadalajara from 1973 to 1987 and the Mexico national team, earning 45 caps and scoring 5 goals, ...
. After winning their group Mexico faced
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
in the Round of 16. Boy played 80 minutes until he was substituted by
Carlos de los Cobos
Carlos de los Cobos Martínez (born 10 December 1958) is a Mexican former professional football player and manager who last managed El Salvador.
Playing career
As a player, de los Cobos spent the majority of his playing career in his native Me ...
. Mexico won the match with goals by
Manuel Negrete and
Raúl Servín. Mexico faced
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
in the quarterfinals, Boy was substituted by Carlos de los Cobos again this time in the 32nd minute. Mexico eventually fell to West Germany in penalty kicks after going scoreless in 120 minutes.
Style of play and legacy
Boy played as a forward in his youth career, despite coaches who wanted to deploy him in defensive positions. He stated that his main influence as a footballer was
Pelé
Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...
. Developed into an attacking midfielder, most of his career in Tigres he functioned as an offensive-midfield playmaker, playing as a winger occasionally. On the Mexico national team, Boy played as a classic number 10. A right-footed set-piece specialist with a thin physique, he was renowned for his ball control, vision and his ability to set the pace in midfield and provide through-balls and assists for his teammates with both legs. Boy is considered by specialist as one of the greatest Mexican footballers ever. After his death, journalist
José Ramón Fernández
José Ramón Fernández Álvarez (November 4, 1923 – January 6, 2019) was a Cuban Communist leader who was a vice-president of the Council of Ministers.
Pre-Revolution life
Fernández Alvarez was born in Santiago de Cuba, where he studied ...
, ranked him as the third best Mexican footballer of all time, below
Hugo Sánchez
Hugo Sánchez Márquez (born 11 July 1958) is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager, who played as a forward. A prolific goalscorer known for his spectacular strikes and volleys, he is widely regarded as the greatest Mexican fo ...
and
Rafael Márquez
Rafael Márquez Álvarez (; born 13 February 1979) is a Mexican former professional footballer and current head coach of Spanish team Barcelona Atlètic. Nicknamed '' El Káiser'', he is regarded as the best defender in Mexico's history and o ...
. About his style, Boy once stated "I had the style of
Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached Spanish club Real Madrid and is one of the mos ...
, but I was faster."
Former Mexico's coach
Miguel Herrera
Miguel Ernesto Herrera Aguirre (born 18 March 1968), popularly referred to by his nickname "Piojo" (Spanish for "louse"), is a Mexican former professional footballer and current manager. He is the head coach of Liga MX club Tijuana.
A former ...
stated that Tomás Boy "as a player, he is one of the greatest my eyes have ever seen."
Ricardo La Volpe
Ricardo Antonio La Volpe Guarchoni (; born 6 February 1952) is an Argentine former professional footballer and manager. He is a World Cup-winning goalkeeper who played for most of his career in Argentina and Mexico.
As a coach, La Volpe was in ...
wrote that Boy was a "spectacular midfielder in that time, an already modern player" and listed him in his historical ideal eleven of the Mexican League. After Tigres' first League championship, he received offers to emigrate to Italian
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...
but declined due to family issues. In 2019, Boy said that in his playing years he received a big plaque from the fans of the Estadio Universitario as he scored "the goal of the century, they call it, like
Maradona's, but he dribbled four (players), I dribbled eight."
Considered by many as the greatest Tigres' player, he was the top goal scorer with 104 goals in over 13 years until French international striker
André-Pierre Gignac
André-Pierre Christian Gignac (born 5 December 1985) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Liga MX club Tigres UANL. Gignac is described as a "powerful and dangerous" striker who is known for his "aerial presence". He ...
broke his record on August 2019. The historical Chilean midfielder
Carlos Reinoso stated that "Tomás Boy is the greatest of (Tigres') history, a playmaker with goal." In addition to his footballing skills, he was known for his strong temper and leadership, in Mexico he earned the nickname of ''El Jefe'' (
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
for "The
Boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, a ...
"). Boy was named captain of Mexico during the 1986 FIFA World Cup, over
Real Madrid's star
Hugo Sánchez
Hugo Sánchez Márquez (born 11 July 1958) is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager, who played as a forward. A prolific goalscorer known for his spectacular strikes and volleys, he is widely regarded as the greatest Mexican fo ...
.
Managerial career
Beginnings and playoffs
In 1988, the
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...
of the
Western Soccer Alliance
Western Soccer Alliance was a professional soccer league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States and Western Canada. The league began in 1985 as the Western Alliance Challenge Series. In 1986, it became the Western Soccer Alli ...
replaced head coach
Barney Boyce
Barney Boyce (born
November 2, 1960) is a retired American soccer player who played professionally in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League and Western Soccer Alliance. He coached the San Jose Earthquakes in the Wester ...
with Boy. Boy lasted only a handful of games before being fired himself. Two years after retiring
Tampico Madero signed Boy as their head coach in the thirteenth game of the season replacing Hugo Fernández. Boy debuted with a loss to
Correcaminos 1–0 and after 26 matches Boy won seven drew eight and lost 11 matches.
In the 1991–92 season Boy was signed as
Querétaro
Querétaro (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro, links=no; Otomi language, Otomi: ''Hyodi Ndämxei''), is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. I ...
head coach in the 21st match. After winning 6, drawing five and losing seven, Boy came back for the following season.
In the first 29 matches of the 1992–93 season, Boy had eight wins, six draws, and fifteen losses. Boy was sacked and was replaced by Manuel Cerda. After three years without coaching, Boy was assigned as the new manager of
Veracruz
Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
in the fifth game of the season.
After winning 48 percent of the matches, Veracruz qualified to the playoffs.
In the first round Veracruz faced
Atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth.
Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...
, Veracruz won by away goals, with the aggregate score being 3–3. Veracruz faced
Celaya
Celaya (; ) is a city and its surrounding municipalities of Mexico, municipality in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, located in the southeast quadrant of the state. It is the third most populous city in the state, with a 2005 census population of 3 ...
in the second round, Veracruz were defeated by Celaya with a 6–0 aggregate score.
After not coming back as Veracruz coach for the
Invierno 1996 season, Boy did not stay out of a job for long, he was hired as
Morelia
Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid) is a city and municipal seat of the municipality of Morelia in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital and larg ...
coach by the fifth match of the season. In thirteen matches, Boy's team won three matches, drew two, and lost eight.
Morelia won five, drew seven and lost five in the
Verano 1997 season and made a two-game playoff to qualify to the final phase. In the two game playoff, Morelia faced
Tecos, Morelia won 4–2 in aggregate.
In the quarterfinals Morelia faced
América with América having home field advantage. Morelia defeated América 1–0 at
Estadio Morelos
Estadio Morelos is a football stadium located along Periférico Independencia, in the Independencia sector, near the base of Cerro del Quinceo in northwest Morelia, Michoacán, México. It was the site of professional football teams, Monarcas M ...
and 3–1 at
Estadio Azteca
Estadio Azteca () is a multi-purpose stadium located in Mexico City. It is the official home of football clubs Club América and Cruz Azul as well as the Mexico national football team. The stadium sits at an altitude of above sea level. Wit ...
. Morelia advanced to the semifinals to face
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
. At Estadio Morelos, Morelia defeated Guadalajara 1–0 in the first leg. In the second leg, Guadalajara defeated Morelia 1–0 at
Estadio Jalisco
The Jalisco Stadium is a football stadium located in Guadalajara, Mexico. It is the third largest Mexican football stadium behind Estadio Azteca and Estadio Olímpico Universitario. The facility is located in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, 4 ...
, Guadalajara advanced to the final because they were the higher seed.
After a successful season with Morelia, Boy was hired as
Monterrey
Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
new manager.
At Monterrey, Boy's team only won six matches, with four draws and seven losses Monterrey missed the playoffs. Boy's second season in Monterrey was similar to the previous, Monterrey won four matches, drew six and lost seven. Boy did not return to Monterrey and eventually returned to Morelia where he stayed for four tournaments.
Morelia was eliminated in the first round of all four tournaments that Boy was manager, from
Invierno1998 to
Verano 2000.
Two years after Boy left Morelia he was hired as
Puebla
Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...
manager.
Boy was let go after just managing to win one match out of thirteen.
Boy was hired before the eleventh week of the
Clausura 2004 season by
Veracruz
Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
. After winning three, drawing one, and losing five, Boy was not brought back for the
Apertura 2005.
Two and a half years after leaving Veracruz, Boy was hired by
Atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth.
Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...
as their interim manager. Even though Boy had a 43 percent winning percentage in eight matches, he was not brought back for the
Clausura 2008.
After Morelia fired
Luis Fernando Tena
Luis Fernando Tena Garduño (born 20 January 1958) is a Mexican professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of the Guatemala national team.
Coaching career
After retiring as a player, Tena began his coaching career in ...
on 19 February 2009, Boy was hired the next day as their new manager. Although missing the playoffs, Boy had a successful season with Morelia, he was signed to a one-year extension.
Runner-up with Morelia
In the Clausura 2011, Boy led Morelia to the Liguilla where Monarcas beat
América in quarterfinals winning both home and away legs. In the semifinals they played against
Cruz Azul
Club de Futbol Cruz Azul or simply Cruz Azul () is a professional football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in the Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. Because "azul" means "blue" in Spanish, the club has traditionally ...
, Morelia lost the first leg 2–0 away in the
Estadio Azul
Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes (English: “Sports City Stadium”; formerly Estadio Azul) is a 33,000-seat stadium located in Ciudad de los Deportes, Mexico City. This sports facility is used for association football matches and for American fo ...
. In the second leg at the
Estadio Morelos
Estadio Morelos is a football stadium located along Periférico Independencia, in the Independencia sector, near the base of Cerro del Quinceo in northwest Morelia, Michoacán, México. It was the site of professional football teams, Monarcas M ...
, they beat Cruz Azul 3–0 to advance to his first Primera División final. Boy was suspended for five matches, including both final legs due to entering the field without authorization after a fan entered into the pitch and a fight broke out between Cruz Azul and Morelia players. In the final, Monarcas played against
UNAM
The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigges ...
, in the first leg in Morelia, the teams drew 1–1, and in the second leg in Mexico City, UNAM beat Morelia 2–1 to win championship 3–2 on aggregate.
After a 2011–2012 season where Morelia reached semifinals in the Apertura season and quarterfinals in the Clausura season, Boy resigned his position. After his tenure with Morelia, Boy served as an analyst for
ESPN Mexico
ESPN Latin America (on-air as ESPN) is the Latin American division of ESPN Inc., and broadcasts sports-related programming for the region in Spanish. It was launched on 31 March 1989. Its programming is adapted to the likes of viewers, who tend ...
show ''
Fútbol Picante'' and soccer matches but he left shortly when he was hired as Atlas manager for the second time in his career. Boy was unable to give Atlas a victory and ended 17th in the relegation table with 12 points, 5 over
Querétaro
Querétaro (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro, links=no; Otomi language, Otomi: ''Hyodi Ndämxei''), is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. I ...
.
Saving Atlas from relegation, failure with Cruz Azul and Guadalajara
For Clausura 2013, Atlas would start their relegation fight once again. The media practically put Atlas as the team that would get relegated. In the Jornada 1 they started with a 1-1 draw vs
Pumas UNAM
Club Universidad Nacional, A.C., commonly referred to as UNAM, is a professional football club based in Ciudad Universitaria of Mexico City, Mexico. The club competes in the Liga MX, the top division in the Mexican football league system. Fo ...
. They then won at home 2-0 against
Pachuca
Pachuca (; ote, Nju̱nthe), formally known as Pachuca de Soto, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Hidalgo. It is located in the south-central part of the state. Pachuca de Soto is also the name of the municipality of whic ...
. The defeat vs the leader Tigres gave
Querétaro
Querétaro (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro, links=no; Otomi language, Otomi: ''Hyodi Ndämxei''), is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. I ...
some hope. In the Jornada 4 Tomas Boy's team played their best game of the season vs the new leader which was undefeated at the moment. In half time they were down 0-1 in the 2nd half with a goal from
Rodrigo Millar
Rodrigo Javier Millar Carvajal (born 3 November 1981) is a Chilean footballer who last played as a midfielder for Primera B de Chile club Coquimbo Unido. He played for Chile in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He also holds Mexican citizenship.
Clu ...
and
Omar Bravo
Omar Bravo Tordecillas (born 4 March 1980) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is Guadalajara's all-time leading scorer in all matches.
Club career Club Deportivo Guadalajara
Omar Bravo has scored 132 goals ...
, they would win the game and end America's undefeated streak. A 2-2 draw vs
San Luis F.C. would be enough to stay in the Liga MX and practically send
Queretaro F.C. to
Ascenso MX
Ascenso MX was the second tier of professional football in Mexico of the Mexican football league system. The champion of the competition was promoted to Liga MX (top-flight tier). The bottom team was relegated to Liga Premier (the third tier). ...
. He left the team after the liguilla game against Santos Laguna.
Atlas lost three games (one in away games against UANL, and two in home against
Santos Laguna
Club Santos Laguna S.A. de C.V. (), commonly known as Santos Laguna or Santos, is a Mexican professional football club that competes in the Liga MX. It is located in northern Mexico and represents the urban area of La Comarca Lagunera, made up o ...
and
León) and having along with Santos Laguna the best defense in the tournament by allowing only 13 goals. This saved Atlas from relegation and pushed them to the Liguilla for the first time in six years after ending in the third position with 32 points. After the season Boy left the team and returned to ''
Fútbol Picante'' as an analyst.
After a poor season that Atlas had with
Omar Asad
Omar Andrés Asad (born 9 April 1971) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a forward.
As a player, Asad spent all of his career in Vélez Sársfield, winning 8 titles with the club (including both the Copa Liberta ...
,
Grupo Salinas
Grupo Salinas is a corporate conglomerate formed in 2001 by several Mexican companies. The group consists of:
* TV Azteca - television and radio network
* Grupo Elektra - products include finance, home appliances, consumer electronics, furnitur ...
purchased Atlas to save them from their financial problems, they would hire Tomas once again to save the team once again from relegation this time against Atlante. In the
2015 Copa Libertadores
The 2015 Copa Libertadores de América (officially the 2015 Copa Bridgestone Libertadores for sponsorship reasons) was the 56th edition of the Copa Libertadores de América, South America's premier club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL ...
, Boy led Atlas to defeat
Atletico Mineiro in
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte (, ; ) is the sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population around 2.7 million and with a metropolitan area of 6 million people. It is the 13th-largest city in South America and the 18th-largest in the Americas. The metropol ...
by 0-1, breaking the Brazilians' 37-year unbeaten streak in home games in that competition. On 18 May 2015, Boy was released from his contract after losing to
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
4-1 the day before on the
Liga MX
The Liga MX, officially known as the Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football division in Mexico, holding 2 tournaments per year.
The league is considered the strongest in North America, and among the strongest in a ...
quarter-finals.
On 2 October 2015,
Cruz Azul
Club de Futbol Cruz Azul or simply Cruz Azul () is a professional football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in the Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. Because "azul" means "blue" in Spanish, the club has traditionally ...
announced Boy as new coach. On 22 October 2016, after the 14th game of the Apertura 2016 season, Boy resigned after being defeated by
Puebla
Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...
in the
Estadio Azul
Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes (English: “Sports City Stadium”; formerly Estadio Azul) is a 33,000-seat stadium located in Ciudad de los Deportes, Mexico City. This sports facility is used for association football matches and for American fo ...
by 1-2, leaving Cruz Azul in the 12th position of the table and with few chances of qualifying to playoffs. Boy coached Cruz Azul in three tournaments and in none managed to accede to playoffs.
On 10 April 2019, Boy was appointed new coach of
C.D. Guadalajara
Club Deportivo Guadalajara (); often simply known as Guadalajara () and their nickname ''Chivas'' (), is a Mexican professional football club based in Zapopan, Jalisco. Guadalajara is one of the ten founding members of the Mexican First Divi ...
. After negative results, Boy was fired on 26 September 2019.
Mazatlán Fútbol Club
On October 6, 2020, Boy was hired by
Mazatlán FC as head coach. On 4 May 2021, the team's President announced that Boy wouldn't continue as head coach. Tomás left with 8 wins, 3 ties and 10 defeats, saving the team from relegation positions.
Personal life
Boy and his former wife Rosa had three sons: Andrés, who works as football analyst for
Televisa Monterrey, Luis and Claudio, the last worked with him as assistant manager and is named after his late friend Claudio Lostanau. He lived most of the time in Mexico City and
Acapulco
Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has bee ...
.
Boy was an avid
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
er and a fan of
MotoGP
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...
being
Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi (; ; born 16 February 1979) is an Italian former professional motorcycle road racer and nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. Nicknamed ''The Doctor'', he is widely considered to be one of the greatest motorcyc ...
his favorite racer. He was a fan of singer
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
and liked classical music such as
Chopin. Boy mentioned ''
The Art of War
''The Art of War'' () is an ancient Chinese military treatise dating from the Late Spring and Autumn Period (roughly 5th century BC). The work, which is attributed to the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu ("Master Sun"), is com ...
'' of
Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu ( ; zh, t=孫子, s=孙子, first= t, p=Sūnzǐ) was a Chinese military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer who lived during the Eastern Zhou period of 771 to 256 BCE. Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of ''The ...
as his favorite book.
Death
On 4 March 2022, Boy was hospitalized due to a
pulmonary thromboembolism in
Acapulco
Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has bee ...
. He died from complications of his condition on March 8, 2022 at the age of 70. A private funeral service was held at the
French cemetery in Mexico City the next day.
His death was widely covered by Mexican sports media.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list Mexico's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Boy goal.''
Honours
Player
Tigres UANL
*
Mexican Primera División
The Liga MX, officially known as the Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football division in Mexico, holding 2 tournaments per year.
The league is considered the strongest in North America, and among the strongest in al ...
:
1977–78,
1981–82
*
Copa México
The Copa MX (formerly called Copa Tower Monterrey, Copa Eliminatoria, Copa México and Copa Corona (beer), Corona MX (for sponsorship reasons)) was a Mexican association football, football cup competition that was established in 1907 in association ...
: 1975–76
Manager
Morelia
*
North American SuperLiga
The SuperLiga was an official North American association football competition between teams from the Liga MX of Mexico and Major League Soccer of the United States and Canada, the top divisions in each country. The competition was sanctioned by C ...
:
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boy, Tomas
1951 births
2022 deaths
Footballers from Mexico City
Association football midfielders
Mexican footballers
Mexico international footballers
1986 FIFA World Cup players
Atlético Español footballers
Atlético Potosino footballers
Tigres UANL footballers
San Jose Earthquakes (1974–1988) players
Liga MX players
Western Soccer Alliance players
Mexican expatriate footballers
Expatriate soccer players in the United States
Mexican expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Mexican football managers
Querétaro F.C. managers
C.D. Veracruz managers
Atlético Morelia managers
C.F. Monterrey managers
Club Puebla managers
Atlas F.C. managers
Cruz Azul managers
San Jose Earthquakes (1974–1988) coaches
Western Soccer Alliance coaches
Deaths from pulmonary embolism