BUENOS AIRES: Carlos Tevez captained his boyhood club Boca Juniors to the Argentine Primera Division title on Sunday, the eighth league crown of the former Juventus and Pemier League striker’s career.
Tevez, who played for Boca when they won their last national crown in 2003 before moving to Europe, returned to the Buenos Aires side in July.
“I came back to feel this again” the 31-year-old said after former Lyon defender Fabian Monzon’s 42nd minute goal earned Boca a 1-0 win over Tigre and their 31st title with a game to spare.
Boca are six points clear at the top of the table of San Lorenzo, the side supported by Pope Francis, and eight points ahead of Rosario Central.
For Boca the title is a welcome boost after a year when they had to sit and suffer as arch rivals River Plate scooped up the league title, Copa Sudamericana, Copa Libertadores and South American SuperCup.
Tevez arrived back at Boca after helping Juventus into last season’s Champions League final.
On his return the star known as “Apache” after the district he comes from in the Argentine capital told his fans: “I want to give back to Boca what the club’s given to me.”
After Tevez had helped Boca claim the 2003 title and after a spell with Corinthians he had a high profile move to Premier League side West Ham, before moving on to Manchester United, Manchester City, and then Juve.
With United he won two league titles and the Champions League, and a third Premier League crown with City, and helped Juve lift the 2013 and 2014 Scudetto in Serie A.