Ricardo Gareca graduated from Boca's academy and made 130 appearances for them. The striker scored an impressive 64 goals between 1978 and 1984 before directly choosing to join River Plate in 1985. He played just 12 goals for River, scoring four goals.
After graduating from Boca Juniors' academy, Lucas Pratto made two senior appearances for them before joining Genoa in 2011. After decent stints across the world, he returned home to join River Plate in 2018, making 58 appearances and scoring nine goals for them.
Sergio Berti couldn't survive competition at Boca Juniors and left for River Plate in 1990 for the first of his three stints at the club. In his first stint, he scored 14 goals in 51 games before joining Parma in Italy for the 1992-93 season. In 1993, he returned to River for two seasons, scoring 16 goals in 55 games before then leaving for Zaragoza in Spain. In 1996, the midfielder rejoined River for three more seasons, scoring nine goals in 63 games.
Argentina forward Lucho Figueroa had a brief stint with River Plate in 2006, where he played seven games before joining Genoa in Italy. He was then loaned to Boca in 2008, where he scored seven goals in 17 games.
Penarol legend Gabriel Cedres featured for River Plate for two seasons between 1994 and 1996, making 72 appearances before joining Boca Juniors for the 1996-97 season. The Uruguayan striker played 28 games for Boca.
Gabriel Amato joined Boca for a season from Gimnasia in 1991. He joined Independiente in 1992 before joining Huracan in 1993 and then River Plate in 1994. The striker scored two goals in 27 games for Boca and 13 in 61 games for River.
While the majority of his playing career was spent in Italy, Abel Balbo played for River Plate before moving to Europe in 1989. The striker made 38 appearances for River, scoring 12 goals. Balbo returned to Argentina in 2002 with Boca Juniors and played four games for them.
Goalkeeper Carlos Barisio started his career at River Plate and made 26 appearances between 1968 and 1974. He joined other local clubs before arriving at Boca in 1983. Barisio made three appearances for them.
Nicolas Bertolo played for many clubs in Argentina. Among those were stints at Boca Juniors between 2006 and 2008 where he made 10 appearances. The winger joined River Plate in 2015 and played 15 times for them.
Claudio Cabrera started his career at River Plate and featured for their senior team for one season in 1982-83. After multiple other stints, the midfielder joined Boca in 1991 for a season.
Paraguayan defender Julio Cesar Caceres had a loan spell at River Plate in 2006 while playing for Nantes in France. He joined Boca Juniors in 2008 for a season.
Fernando Caceres played for River as part of Argentina's 1993 Copa America and 1994 World Cup squads between 1991 and 1993. He won a league title with River in his first season at the club. Cacares joined Boca in 1996.
Zolio Canavery played most of his career at Independiente, where he spent two tenures (1912–1918 and 1921–1928). The forward played in four of Argentina's "big five" clubs, Independiente, River Plate, Racing and Boca Juniors.
Argentina striker Ramon Centurion played most of his career at Union de Santa Fe, scoring 47 goals in 156 games before joining Boca Juniors in 1985. After making 19 appearances for Boca, he left for River Plate in 1986 and scored 14 goals in 50 matches in his four years there.
San Lorenzo legend Victorio Cocco undertook a new challenge in Spain with Deportivo La Coruna in 1975. However, he returned home a year later, joining River Plate. The central midfielder featured for them for just a year, making 14 appearances before joining Atlanta in Buenos Aires. A year later, Cocco joined Boca.
Argentina striker Hugo Coscia joined River Plate for a season in 1977. He then featured for San Lorenzo for a year before joining Boca Juniors in 1980 for a year. He made 39 appearances for River and seven appearances for Boca.
Ruben da Silva had two stints at River Plate, scoring 31 goals in 69 appearances before joining Boca Juniors in 1993. The striker stayed at Boca for two seasons, scoring 11 goals in 49 games.
Defender Roque Ditro joined River Plate in 1962, but left for Boca Juniors in 1965 and won the first division title in his only season at the club.
Jorge Hugo Fernandez was an attacking midfielder by trait who joined River Plate in 1961. However, he couldn't make a single appearance for them, thus moving to Atlanta Buenos Aires. Fernandez joined Boca Juniors in 1968 and played there for a season before returning to Atlanta Buenos Aires.
Estudiantes legend Ruben Horacio Galletti had spells with Boca Juniors and River Plate in his career. The winger started his pro career at Boca in 1971 before joining Estudiantes a year later. He then joined River after leaving Estudiantes in 1978.
Fernando Gamboa was a revelation at Newell's Old Boys, which saw River Plate sign him in 1993. However, he could played just one season there before joining Boca Juniors in 1994. The defender made 54 appearances for Boca over two seasons.
Alfredo Garasini spent most of his career at Boca Juniors. The forward won 13 titles with them between 1916 and 1920 and also went on to become their manager in the future. He joined River Plate in 1920 and stayed there for a brief period. Garasini returned to Boca in 1921 and played there until his career ended in 1928.
Father of Gonzalo Higuain, Jorge Higuain joined Boca from San Lorenzo in 1985 and played there for a season. The defender then had a stint in France with Brest for two years before returning to Argentina, this time with River Plate. He made 131 appearances for River.
Nestor Isella played for Boca for a year in 1960 and featured for River, again for just a year, in 1962.
Agustin Lanata started his career at Independiente but went on to feature for both River Plate and Boca Juniors. He joined River in 1912 and played there for four years. In 1918, the defender made some appearances for Boca.
After failing to make the cut at Barcelona in Spain, Miguel Angel Loayza joined Boca in 1961. He made 24 appearances in two seasons before leaving to join Rosario Central in 1964 and Huracan in 1965. In 1966, he joined River for a year and scored 17 goals. He returned to Huracan in 1967.
In 1952, Juan Francesco Lombardo arrived at Boca Juniors from Newell's Old Boys. The defender stayed at Boca until 1960, making 196 appearances and winning one league title before joining River Plate in 1960.
Alfredo Martin played for two seasons at River Plate before joining Tigre in 1916. In 1918, he joined Boca Juniors. The striker won 9 titles in his career, 1 with River Plate and 8 with Boca Juniors, where he played 77 games, scoring 30 goals.
Jorge Martinez enjoyed one-season spells at River and Boca in 1998 and 2001, respectively.
In 1972, Ernesto Mastrangelojoined River Plate but never won any titles during his time with the club. He joined Union de Santa Fe in 1975 and stayed there for a year before joining Boca Juniors. The striker scored 56 goals in 134 games for them, winning several titles with the club, including three league titles and two consecutive Copa Libertadores championships.
A direct transfer between Boca Juniors and River Plate, Milton Melgar made 92 appearances for Boca over three years before joining River in 1988. However, the midfielder couldn't survive beyond one season at his new club before returning to his homeland and joining Bolivian club Bolivar.
Central midfielder Jesus Mendez joined River Plate in 2004 and made 20 appearances in two seasons. In 2010, he was signed by Boca Juniors where he made just 36 appearances in three years.
Argentina forward Norberto Menendez started his career with his local club River Plate. Between 1954 and 1960, he scored 57 goals in 127 games for them before joining Buenos Aires-based club Huracan for a season. Boca signed him in 1962 and Menendez went on to score 21 goals in 98 appearances for them.
Carlos Morete graduated from River's academy and scored 103 goals in 195 appearances for them in five years. He joined Las Palmas in Spain in 1975 and Sevilla in 1980 before returning to Argentina, this time with Boca. Morete made 18 appearances for them and left for Independiente later.
After scoring 44 goals in just 77 games at Banfield, River Plate signed Juan Jose Pizzuti in 1951. He stayed there for one season before leaving for Racing Club. He achieved legendary status at Racing and left for Boca Juniors in 1955. After making 20 appearances for Boca, Pizzuti returned to Racing in 1956 and played there for another six years. He ended his career, reuniting with Boca in the 1962-63 season.
Inter signed Sebastien Rambert from Independiente in 1995 before loaning him to Real Zaragoza in Spain and then to Boca Juniors in the 1996-97 season. The striker scored 10 goals in 28 games at Boca which saw River Plate sign him the following season.
One of the few direct transfers between River Plate and Boca Juniors, Gerardo Reinoso initially arrived at River Plate from Independiente in 1988. The midfielder made just 20 appearances for River before being signed by Boca Juniors in 1991. However, his spell at Boca was just limited to two games.
Jorge Rinaldi made close to 200 appearances for his local club San Lorenzo before moving abroad to Spain with Gijon in 1985. A year later, the striker was signed by Boca Juniors. Rinaldi scored 18 goals in 53 appearances for Boca before joining River Plate in 1988. He stayed there for just one season.
After several stints in Spain, Alfredo Rojas arrived in Argentina and made just three appearances for River Plate. The striker joined Gimnasia de La Planta in 1962 and stayed there for two seasons before Boca Juniors signed him in 1964. Rojas scored 46 goals in 102 appearances for Boca.
Juan Amador Sanchez started his career at Huracan, making over 100 appearances before joining Boca Juniors in 1986. After making 14 appearances, he left for Platense in the same year. In 1990, the defender arrived at River Plate and made 37 appearances in his two-year spell at the club.
Defender Cataldo Spitale joined Boca Juniors from Newell's Old Boys in 1931. He made 19 appearances for them before joining Argentinos Juniors in 1932 and then River Plate in 1933.
Fabio Talarico played for River Plate until 1990, making 22 appearances before leaving for French club Cannes for a brief period. He then joined Union de Santa Fe in 1991 and joined Boca Juniors two years later. He made just one appearance for the Blue and Gold.
Alfredo Di Stefano signed Carlos Daniel Tapia for River Plate in 1980. The attacking midfielder made 105 appearances for them, scoring 14 goals before joining Boca Juniors in 1985. Tapia is the only player in the history of Boca Juniors to have had four different spells with the club. In his last spell with Boca, he helped them to win the Apertura 1992 championship, their first league title in 11 years, and the Copa Oro in 1993.
Midfielder Julio Cesar Toresani enjoyed decent spells at Union de Santa Fe before arriving at River Plate in 1991. He made 89 appearances and scored seven goals before joining Colon de Santa Fe in 1995 for a season. Boca signed him in 1996, and he made 47 appearances for them before leaving for Independiente in 1998. Toresani was among the few players to have played for three of the biggest teams in Argentina, River Plate, Boca Juniors and Independiente.
After starting his career at Boca Juniors, Victor Trossero made seven appearances for them in 1972 before joining Racing Club. He played for Union de Santa Fe, Nantes, Monaco and Montpellier before joining River Plate in 1982. Trossero passed away at just 30 from a cerebral aneurysm that he suffered in the locker room after a match for River against Rosario Central in October 1983.
Rosario-born midfielder Juan Vairo left his local club Rosario Central to join Boca Juniors in 1953. He stayed there for just one season, scoring nine goals in 21 games before joining Juventus in 1995. In 1957, he joined River Plate for a season, making 12 appearances.
Jose Luis Villarreal joined Boca Juniors in 1987 and made 102 appearances. The central midfielder won the 1992 league title with Boca before joining Atletico Madrid. However, his stint in Spain was cut to just five appearances before he decided to return to Argentina, this time joining River Plate in 1993. However, he made just 12 appearances for them in two years.
You might remember him as the assistant manager at Atletico Madrid under Diego Simeone. Still, Nelson Vivas is one of the players who played for both Boca and River in his career. The right-back made 86 appearances for Boca between 1994 and 1997. Later in his career, in 2003, he joined River Plate for a season.
Argentina midfielder Hugo Zarich started his career at River Plate in 1958, playing just four games before leaving for Atlanta in 1964. A season later, he joined Boca Juniors and made 32 appearances over two years.
Bruno Urribarri made 10 appearances for Boca at the start of his senior professional career in 2006. The left-back joined River Plate in 2014, playing just three games.
