On May 8th 2026 a special event was organised by corazón de tango and the Germany Academy for Football Culture. A broadly cultural event held in Neurenberg, exploring how, perhaps, football makes music history and vice versa.
In this musical reading event, these two strongly felt Argentinian passions came together in text, music, and imagery. Journalist Oliver Fritsch read texts about soccer, homeland, myth, and power. Works by Eduardo Sacheri, for example, *The Hand of God* and other tangos: stories of young people on the soccer field asking their elders to dance. And, of course, about the namesake: Diego Armando Maradona—idol, luminary, and ever-present in Argentina. Also featured were works by Jorge Luis Borges and Martín Caparrós (Todo por la patria). Argentine pianist and composer Sebastián Volco and the two dancers Stefanie Stenzel and Petra Lutz provided the evening’s musical company. For this occasion, he curated specially selected music and video sequences that blend tango, contemporary sounds, and visual narratives. His music comments, contradicts, and deepens—opening emotional spaces beyond language. The result was an evening that straddled the line between reading and concert, between stadium and dance hall, between Buenos Aires and Europe. Afterward, the dance floor opened: the club hosted a milonga, and people danced tango late into the night.
Similarities
Tango and soccer have a lot in common. Both are popular forms of expression, but in very different ways: Soccer is a global phenomenon, understood everywhere, present everywhere. Tango, on the other hand, is deeply rooted in everyday life in Argentina—widespread, spanning generations—and at the same time alive in countless small communities around the globe. Tango is an expression of passion, melancholy, and pain. And Buenos Aires is considered the birthplace of tango. You practically grew up with it in Argentina’s capital. Both speak of identity, of bodies in motion, of community and competition, of triumph and failure. And both are far more than entertainment: they are canvases for longings, political interpretations, and personal memories.
Brief history of Tango
Tango emerged during the era of immigration in Buenos Aires. In the second half of the 19th century, people migrated to Argentina— from Spain, Italy, and Eastern Europe, among other places. Many of them ended up in the poor neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city. In this melting pot, new music emerged—influenced, among other things, by Andalusian folklore, folk songs of the Neapolitan immigrants, and local musical styles.
The period from 1865 to 1895 is considered the early days of the tango. The first tango whose title has been preserved is called “Dame la plata” (“Give Me the Money”) and dates from 1888.
At first, the tango was considered scandalous. The music spread through the brothels and on the outskirts of Buenos Aires—born of the poor population, reviled by the upper class. Around the turn of the century, the port district of La Boca was considered the center of the tango.
It was not until the beginning of the 20th century, after it had already begun its triumphant march in Paris, that the tango became socially acceptable in Argentina as well. New dance cafés, performance halls, and tango theaters were funded. And even in the cinema, tango orchestras provided the musical accompaniment for the silent films of the time.
Curiosity
The TANGO DURLAST ball—also known simply as the Tango—was first used at the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina and, with minor modifications, as the Tango Italia at the 1980 UEFA European Championship in Italy. It was also used as the Tango España at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, as the Tango Mundial at the 1984 European Championship in France, and as the Tango Europa at the 1988 European Championship in Germany.
Thinking points
Educators working with young people can use this article to discuss and reflection:
- Do you see some more similarities between tango and football?
- Do you know other countries, in which sports and other cultural phenomenons (like tango in Argentina) can be linked together?
- In what other ways are music and sport related?
Find Out More
Explore more on the history of the Tango Ball (Adidas) on WikiPedia or entertain yourself with this TV commercial on YouTube combining the dance and the game.
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