As soon as the referee blew the whistle to begin the match between Argentina and Australia, chants began in the stands and spread like an auditory tidal wave: “I was born in Argentina, the land of Diego and Lionel.”
The song “Muchachos”, which refers to the hopes of Messi, Maradona and Argentina, has exploded into a viral song since Messi himself said on a TV channel that it was one of his favorite football songs – he even sang a bit live.
During the World Cup in Qatar, videos of Messi and his teammates singing and jumping to the song after the match against Mexico went viral.
What is the origin of the song?
Originally titled “Muchachos, Esta Noche Me Emborracho” (“Guys, Tonight I’m Getting Drunk”), it was a melancholic heartbreak song written in 2003 by La Mosca singer Guillermo Novellis and Sergio Cairat.
How did that turn into a football fan anthem years later?
In July 2021, a football fan Fernando Romero wrote new lyrics to celebrate Argentina’s advance to the Copa America final. TyC Sports, an Argentinian sports channel, came across Romero and his friends singing the song, had them put it on the air, and it captured the public’s imagination.
It would fly into Messi’s ears and he would make it viral by singing it live on TV.
https://www.instagram.com/embed.js
How’s the text going?
It goes something like this: I was born in Argentina, the land of Diego and Lionel, of the children of Malvinas whom I will never forget; I can’t explain to you, because you won’t understand, the final we lost for so many years, I cried; but that came to an end because in the Maracaná the final with the ‘brazucas’ was won again by papa… guys now we feel like it again, I want to win the third, I want to be world champion, to Diego; from the air we can see him, with Don Diego and Doña Tota, cheering on Lionel.”
How did the original band La Mosca react?
When the song went viral after the Copa America, their manager persuaded them to make it an official version. They gave the fan Romero all the credit and released it.
“We recorded it and a few weeks before the World Cup they interviewed Messi and asked him what his favorite song was. He said ‘Muchachos’ and actually sang it. I mean it’s like arriving in Rome and being introduced to the Pope singer Guillermo Novellis told billboard.com.
https://www.instagram.com/embed.js
“It’s a song with a lot of tango in the lyrics and melody. But like all La Mosca’s songs, it is placed in a rhythmic, danceable context. About five or six years ago, a local Racing Club team adapted the text, and then other clubs did the same. But this version started with Copa América, and the new lyrics are really good. They have to do with our frustrations, our successes, our hopes, the Falklands, finals lost and finals won. And of course the hope to become champion again. Maybe that’s why it resonated so well with fans and players.”