January 25 marked two months since the death of football legend Diego Maradona. And this song will be played every time he is remembered...
"La Mano de Dios" ("The Hand of God"), written by Alejandro Romero and sung by Rodrigo, who died at the age of 27 in a traffic accident. Rodrigo's music is part of a genre typical of the province of Córdoba, in the 
center of the country, called "cuarteto", born from the fusion of music and instruments of Italian and Spanish immigrants.
Cuarteto is an extremely popular genre, which was kind of underappreciated outside Córdoba until Rodrigo made it popular in the Capital in the late 90s. It is cheerful and upbeat, contrasting with its lyrics describing social exclusion or unfulfilled love.
"La mano de Dios" was, in Maradona's own words, the song in his honor that he liked and represented him the most. The tune talks about the poverty from which the idol emerged, his struggle with cocaine and the unique magic he displayed in the football fields of the planet.
The song's title makes reference to the second goal that the star scored in the match versus England, at the Mexico '86 World Cup, that Argentina, led by Maradona, won.
It was a controversial goal in a match marked by the rivalry between Argentina and the UK, just four years after the Malvinas War.
The goal, the idol, became a metaphor of David defeating Goliath. Maradona was then the face of a people that had been devastated by the 1976-1983 dictatorship, followed by a young democracy going through a deep economic crisis.
Maradona heard his song for the first time in 2000, during his stay in Cuba where he was undergoing drug rehabilitation treatment. Rodrigo travelled there to personally dedicate the song to him. The whole scene was captured on camera for an Argentine TV show called Versus.
Since then, the song has become an anthem.
In fact, the anecdote of that night of celebration tells that once Rodrigo finished singing, an excited Maradona approached him and said: "The song you just did for me... you son of a bitch". The most forceful and Maradonian way of accepting his tribute.
Let's listen to the complete song, this heathen hymn "La mano de Dios" (The hand of God).
Translation and VO: Fernando Farías
Production: Silvana Avellaneda
Edition: Fabián Panizzi