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This story is part of Billboard’s Global World Cup Series, a collection of 11 cover stories which pairs top soccer stars across the world competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with highly-touted musicians in accompanying countries.
This story spans cities scattered across the world and has three Argentine protagonists, all 25 years old and hungry for glory. Florencio Varela, in the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires, is a working-class neighborhood where cumbia and soccer share the same language. That’s where Tobías Medrano and Matías Rapen are from — the two halves of La T y La M, the duo that got its start during the 2020 pandemic and rose to prominence when the Argentine national team adopted their music as the locker room soundtrack. Around that same time, Enzo Fernández arrived in Varela: born in San Martín, in the northern suburbs of Buenos Aires, he was a talented prospect with no room at River Plate. Lent to Defensa y Justicia, he took over the midfield, showcasing his versatile style — panoramic vision, tactical intelligence, precision in the tackle and the pass. He was a key piece in the Copa Sudamericana 2020 and Recopa 2021 titles, trophies that opened the door to Europe: first Benfica, then Chelsea, who paid €121 million in one of the three most expensive transfers in Premier League history.
The same day Argentina kicked off Qatar 2022 with a shocking loss to Saudi Arabia, La T y La M released “Pa’ la Selección,” which would become the fans’ parallel anthem during the campaign that ended with Messi lifting the trophy. That tournament was also Enzo’s launchpad: at 21, he won the FIFA Young Player Award, honoring the best player at the event 21 years old or younger. For the duo, it was equally a turning point: they grew into regulars in the top 10 of the Billboard Argentina Hot 100, with “Amor de Vago” as their peak — 12 consecutive weeks at No. 1 in 2025.
Now, with the 2026 World Cup just around the corner — Argentina leads Group J and will face Algeria, Austria and Jordan — all three are facing new challenges. Enzo will arrive to defend the title fresh off the FA Cup final, amid rumors linking him away from Chelsea. La T y La M, meanwhile, will release Tierra de Campeones (Land of Champions), an EP inspired by the national team and the passion it ignites.
Billboard Argentina brought the three together in late April in Madrid. Enzo arrived with his trademark wide smile and a mate kit — the natural icebreaker for a conversation woven through music and soccer. Flipping through a print issue of the magazine, his musical tastes came to the surface: Daddy Yankee (“he came to London to see me, we hung out after the game”), Bad Bunny (“top, top, top — I’d love for him to do a cumbia with La T y La M”) and some Argentine rock: “I don’t know much, I won’t lie to you. But I love La Beriso and Callejeros.” The mate kept going around. So did the conversation.
Enzo: What do you admire most about soccer players?
Tobías: The consistency and discipline to compete at such a high level. We can get together for a drink, have a barbecue, laugh, do normal things … but you won’t even touch a soda! (Laughs.) That tells me everything about why things work out the way they do for you. It’s the consistency and discipline, beyond the talent.
Matías: This guy never loses focus. You set the bar high for us, man! (Laughs.)
Enzo: Fair enough. You guys have to keep me in check.
Tobías: And what do you admire about musicians?
Enzo: Great question. The talent — what they show when they have to perform in front of so many people. Because in the end, it’s just you up there. What I admire most is that personality, the way they carry music out into the world.
Enzo: What do you think soccer and music have in common?
Tobías: The funnel effect. In Argentina, you lift a rock and find someone who plays soccer — but only 1% ever make it. Same with music: how many people have talent, can sing, play instruments, but never break through?
Matías: Talent and discipline go hand in hand. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you’re not disciplined, you stay stuck.
Tobías: How do you think music enhances the soccer experience?
Enzo: For me, music is life. It helps you focus, takes the pressure off before a game, motivates you. I love listening to music on the team bus on the way to the stadium, and then in the locker room. It really helps you get your head somewhere else.
Tobías: Who controls the music in the locker room?
Enzo: On the bus, it’s Rodri [Rodrigo De Paul]. In the locker room, it’s Ota [Nicolás Otamendi]. We listen to everything, but mainly cumbia. A lot of La T y La M cumbia.
Matías: Let’s go!
Matías: What excites you most about the next World Cup?
Enzo: Getting to be with my teammates again and feeling that passion that Argentine fans bring. During the year we compete at a high level, but the World Cup is something else. The focus is different; we prepare mentally in a different way. It comes around every four years and you have to be at 100%.
Tobías: That’s everything.
Enzo: Forget that we’re friends and that you know some of the guys on the national team. As fans, what do you expect from our squad?
Tobías: The “three W’s”: win, wow and wallop. The truth is, with the relationship we have, you end up feeling closer to the players. But beyond that — they did everything Argentine people ever dreamed of. They made us forget our problems, our crises. I love watching them play, I love seeing the national team string 20 passes together and put it in the net. We won everything there was to win. And I say “we” because I’m a diehard fan and I feel like part of it. Nobody can ask anything more of them today. The people just want to see them happy, the same way they made us happy.
Enzo: You still have to demand things from us — that’s how we keep winning.
Tobías: Sure … next time we’ll give you hell. (Laughs.)
Matías: Son of a b–h, son of a b—h! (Laughs.)
