Mexico, Liga MX great Tomas ‘El Jefe’ Boy dies at 70

Former Mexico captain and Liga MX great Tomás Boy has died at age 70. Cesar Gomez/Jam Media/Getty Images

Tomás Boy, who captained Mexico’s 1986 World Cup squad and coached numerous Liga MX sides after a lengthy playing career with Tigres UANL, has died at age 70.

The Mexican national team tweeted the news on Tuesday but did not reveal the cause of Boy’s death. He had been admitted to a Mexico City hospital for pulmonary thromboembolism earlier this week.

Boy, known as El Jefe (“The Boss”) for his command of the midfield and knack for goals, helped guide Mexico to the quarterfinals as hosts at the 1986 World Cup, the last time El Tri have reached that stage of the tournament.

At Tigres, where he played from 1975-88, Boy won two league titles and scored 104 goals across all competitions. Current Tigres star Andre-Pierre Gignac broke Boy’s franchise goals record in 2019.

After hanging up his boots, Boy became a manager for clubs such as Veracruz, Morelia, Atlas, Monterrey, Cruz Azul, Chivas, Puebla, and Queretaro. His last coaching stint was with Mazatlan from 2020-21. He never won a title as a coach.