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Juanes, The World Cup And Seven Great Soccer Songs

Download The Full Interview With Juanes In Spanish

Like many Latin Americans who live in the U.S., I often find myself struggling to explain my passion for soccer. It's difficult to explain to those who are not fans the depths of this all-consuming passion.

For me, It's not a pastime. And don't say it's just a game: It's a way of life. In fact, it is life itself.

Music and soccer are joined at the hip, and fortunately, many great rock songs have been written about the beautiful game. They range from odes to team loyalty to complaints about annoying girlfriends who don't want to watch soccer matches. Here are a few of my favorites. --Jasmine Garsd

Today's theme song is "El Milagro Ruso" by the Argentine band La Cosa Mostra. For more about the band, click here. Please leave your thoughts on soccer, music, soccer-themed music, Juanes and the first-ever episode of Alt.Latino in the comments section below.

Below you'll find the full versions of the songs featured in today's show

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Jasmine Garsd
Jasmine Garsd is an Argentine-American journalist living in New York. She is currently NPR's Criminal Justice correspondent and the host of The Last Cup. She started her career as the co-host of Alt.Latino, an NPR show about Latin music. Throughout her reporting career she's focused extensively on women's issues and immigrant communities in America. She's currently writing a book of stories about women she's met throughout her travels.
Felix Contreras
Felix Contreras is co-creator and co-host of Alt.Latino, NPR's pioneering radio show and podcast celebrating Latin music and culture since 2010.

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