Tomás Boy, who captained Mexico’s World Cup squad in 1986 and managed several Liga MX teams following a long-playing career with Tigres UANL, died at the age of 70 about 2 weeks ago on 8th March 2022.
The Mexican national team announced the news on Twitter on Tuesday but did not specify the cause of Boy’s death. He had been hospitalized at a hospital in Mexico City earlier this week for pulmonary thromboembolism.
El Jefe (“The Boss”) for his mastery of the midfield and flair for goals, Boy led Mexico to reach the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup as hosts, the last time El Tri reached that stage of the tournament.
After the news broke, Liga MX clubs, the Mexico National Team, and everyone engaged in the soccer industry wished him farewell, as he was one of the most well-known figures in Mexican soccer due to his long career as both a player and a coach.
With many achievements to the great man’s name here is his story!
Professional playing career
Tomás Boy made his debut in Mexican soccer with Atlético Espaol, a now-defunct club based in Mexico City.
He stayed there for four years, from 1970 to 1974, despite making his Liga MX debut in 1972, before being transferred to Atlético Potosino, an antecessor of Atlético San Luis.
He only stayed in San Luis for a year before moving on to Tigres, where he spent the majority of his career and became a fan favorite and Los Felinos legend, winning the Copa MX the season he arrived and then Liga MX twice, first in 1977-78 and then again in 1981-82.
After 12 seasons with Tigres, he retired in 1988.
A coach for decades
He also began coaching with the San José Earthquakes the same year, though he left after only a few games. In 1990, he took over Tampico Madero, kicking off a long career in Mexican soccer that saw him lead 10 different clubs over the course of 31 years.
During his coaching career, “El Jefe” Boy coached 629 games, winning 237, tying 161, and losing the remaining 231. Despite having a long career and assisting a few teams to avoid relegation, he was unable to win a Liga MX title as a coach.
Boy assisted teams such as Atlas in avoiding relegation and competing in the Copa Libertadores, and he was able to play in 2011 final with Monarcas Morelia.
