Muchachos: The story behind Argentina’s favourite football anthem
Adapted by schoolteacher Fernando Romero after Diego Maradona's passing, the song has become a rallying cry and the ultimate anthem for Argentina's fanbase.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Public domain / Author: Carlo Fumagalli
‘Muchachos’ became the defining soundtrack of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup glory. More than just a chant, it is an emotional testament to heartbreak, the legacy of the late Diego Maradona, and Lionel Messi’s successful quest for football’s most prestigious title.
The song is an adaptation of a 2003 track by the band La Mosca Tse-Tse. It was rewritten by schoolteacher Fernando Romero following Maradona’s death in 2020 and Argentina’s Copa America success in 2021. Romero notes that the lyrics came to him in just ten minutes, driven by a desire to remind the nation that they belong to both of their legendary heroes.
The anthem is layered with deep cultural references. It invokes the memory of the veterans of the Falklands War, expresses the pain of years of near-misses in major finals, and culminates in a powerful chorus. In this chorus, fans sing that they can see Maradona watching from the skies alongside his parents, Don Diego and La Tota, supporting Lionel.
«On the day football does him justice and gives him that World Cup, the player who has been the best in the world throughout his career sings a song which came from my heart,» says Romero. «That’s totally unthinkable and unfathomable.»
While other versions have emerged since the 2022 tournament, the original remains deeply embedded in the national consciousness. Lead singer of La Mosca Tse-Tse, Guillermo Novellis, describes the song’s success as a «mystery» that cannot be premeditated. For the fans, ‘Muchachos’ is more than a melody; it is the «war cry of the Argentine fanbase» that symbolizes a newfound unity.