Any Argentine grandmother is already the “abuela la la la la la la”. And that instills joy in them, fills them with pride because, suddenly, they become protagonists, they receive homage from the youth that, proud, does not skimp on cheering. At least now, once again, they have been put in their rightful place as part of a brief but potent euphoria.
The person, the group, the crowd that warns them while they support their team in a street, in front of the door of the building or on a balcony reciprocates the loyalty and enthusiasm for the selection of these women and men (there have been several examples) of a way between tender and exciting.
The GRANDMA LALALA cycle closes pic.twitter.com/pICxQFTCwz
—Real Time ? (@RealTimeRating) December 19, 2022
To the extent that the possibility of the Argentine team winning the Cup became real, the chant was spreading in these parts until it became the hit that has been on Twitter; it might even prove inevitable success, for it is sure to become the new cabal.
GRANDPA LA LA LA LA LA in Ramos Mejía!!!! ♥️♥️♥️ #Argentina #Messi? #Qatar2022 #RamosMejia #grandmother pic.twitter.com/MRTl4Vdl8s
— Pachi ✨?? (@pachiitacarp) December 14, 2022
Hundreds of thousands of people have shouted it, and not only in Argentina. He reached the most remote places, where different languages are spoken and possibly people have no idea what he says, much less how he invented it.
“Grandma, la la la la la!”, “Grandma, la la la la la!” and a proud grandmother always appears that joy is lavished on her because of her presence. She may be on her feet or in a wheelchair. She can retain 50 exquisite years or 103 dignified and very well lived. It doesn’t matter. She becomes the center. And the palms and the jumps come. And everyone sings.
Just today, in the midst of the apotheosis that Buenos Aires has experienced due to the arrival of its champions, some “la la la la grandmas” have been seen. On the bed of a truck, walking the sidewalks, lying on the grass or waiting in vain for the bus to pass, because the crowds clogged the roads and Messi, Di María, Julián Álvarez, El “Dibu” Martínez and the others ended up waving from two helicopters, and “bye”.
But, “grandma la la la la” there is only one… at least there is the first one, inspiration.
Her name is Cristina, she is 76 years old and lives in La República, an area of Liniers, which is a sector located about thirteen kilometers from the center of Buenos Aires. We learned of her existence through Twitter and the Tik Tok videos, through which she herself and her family learned that Cristina went viral after being caught in the middle of some celebrations in the early days of this historic world cup
The “grandmother la la la la la”, or this one that gave rise to the song, Cristina, saw all the matches of the national team. The first, in the Group Phase, brought defeat against Saudi Arabia. However, during the third game —now past Mexico— that she was watching alone at home, a gesture made her connect her joy with that of the boys who were celebrating a few meters from her home, from where she told this, as can be seen in the Instagram profilewhich he has today thanks to his nephews.
The Albiceleste’s victory against Poland secured their place in the round of 16 and she went out into the street armed with a little flag, once again celebrating with the boys. She then returned to the theme that had been born a hit. “I am not a grandmother, because I do not have children. I am an aunt ”, she recounted on a television program. She had thus warned those boys with whom she is seen jumping, but she did not care. Dominated by euphoria, the boys were already shouting the famous refrain.
When Argentina also left Australia on the road, Cristina is seen walking with her flag to where a group was celebrating. Someone was recording it. Some hugged her while they continued with the same thing. “Grandma la la la la la la.”
The atmosphere of madness is already present after the quarterfinals. Argentina managed to leave the Netherlands on the road and in Villa Luro, as in the whole country, there is a real “quilombo”. In the center of a group, Cristina, the grandmother who is her aunt, now cheered by a crowd that reveres her as the best cabal of hers for the finals.
Last Sunday the scene was repeated, with the only difference that the crowd was still larger and that the chant had not stayed in Liniers, but had spread throughout the world thanks to the internet. At the door of her house, for some journalists from Washington and Paris, Cristina, always with her mask on as a precaution, share the story.
A fan of Messi and Boca, he now has an Instagram account, it has been replicated as a doll that may be available in some markets and the phrase invented by those boys is on t-shirts and stores.
And you don’t have to be sad if you don’t know him in person, if you were far from Liniers or Argentina; Being the inspiration, “grandmothers la la la la la” and “grandfathers la la la la” there will be more and more: on the streets, in a nursing home, in a house that is supposed to be empty. All it takes is an enthusiastic crowd, many hearts like those of these guys from Luro and a soul that, like hers, is willing to spare no spirits.
