Argentina’s men’s national team and its fans have had plenty to sing about in Qatar. They’ve booked a place in Sunday’s World Cup final, and the spirit surrounding La Albiceleste has been vigorous throughout the competition, as they go in search of their first World Cup title since 1986 and their third overall.
A rallying cry has followed the players and fans wherever they’ve gone, and if you’ve watched any Argentina match or looked for footage from the stands at the stadiums, you’ve undoubtedly caught wind of “Muchachos,” the song that has become the team’s soundtrack.
It originated from Argentine band La Mosca Tsé–Tsé’s “Muchachos, Esta Noche Me Emborracho” (Boys, Tonight I’ll Get Drunk) and evolved into “Muchachos, Ahora Nos Volvimos a Ilusionar” (Boys, Now We’re Excited Again) after being reworked and reworded for La Albiceleste by a fan named Fernando Romero in July 2021 as Argentina embarked on a run to the Copa América title in Brazil. La Mosca lead singer Guillermo Novellis re-recorded the song with Romero’s lyrics just before the World Cup, according to an interview he gave to Billboard, and it’s taken off from there. Argentina players have been videoed celebrating by singing the song and dancing to it in the locker room and on the field after a victory, and during Tuesday’s semifinal against Croatia, players on the bench joined the chorus of fans in Lusail in belting it out as Argentina put the finishing touches on its elimination of Croatia.
