Football is a sport full of unthinkable feats, and San Antonio Bulo Bulo has just starred in one. The Bolivian team was crowned champion in their country after defeating Universitario de Vinto in the final and qualified for the Copa Libertadores next year for the first time.
Founded in 1962, the club is based in Entre Ríos, a small town located in the plain of Cochabamba, and just this year reached the first division after the promotion achieved at the end of 2023. Two years ago, it was in the Primera A of the regional league, which is the third category of the country.
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One of the protagonists of this meteoric rise is the Brazilian Thiago Leitão, the team’s coach since last year. Born in the state of São Paulo, Leitão made his debut as a player at Ponte Preta, although he spent most of his professional career in Bolivia, with stints at the country’s big clubs like Jorge Wilstermann, Bolívar, and The Strongest.
He retired after wearing the Sport Boys jersey and began his coaching career in 2019, always in Bolivian football. In 2023, he joined the team that owes its name to Bulo Bulo, a town that has its economic center in an ammonia and urea plant of the state-owned oil company located on its outskirts.
The Brazilian presence in the institution is also provided by Daniel Passira, one of the top scorers in this campaign in which they were crowned champions. With a mainly Série D experience in Brazil, the striker scored nine goals in the tournament, including one in the first leg of the final that ended with a 3-2 overall score in favor of San Antonio, whose shield is very similar to that of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).
Another interesting fact is provided by the other great responsible for the title, the Argentine striker Felipe Pasadore. He joined the champion team after posting a publication on Facebook to offer his football services.
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
Binge the first four episodes available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel. Stay tuned for upcoming releases as we keep telling this legend’s life story.
