Futbol y Rumba – Scoring On The Field and In the Studio

In the United States, we’re not entirely surprised when a star athlete decides to try music. Kobe Bryant, Shaq, and Damian Lillard are some easy examples that come to mind. In the Latin world, the same phenomenon occurs with soccer players and music.

While it’s not a comprehensive list, let’s go over the top 3 Latin Soccer Stars turned singers.

1. Julio Iglesias

While younger audiences might more easily recognize Julio’s son Enrique, Julio has dominated Latin music for the better part of 50 years now. He is considered the highest selling artist in Latin music history. He’s sold over 100 million records in 14 languages. He has also released 80 albums. I could go through every music record that Iglesias holds but we would be here all day.

Iglesias grew up playing soccer and eventually rose through the ranks to play for Real Madrid’s B team, Real Madrid Castilla. Iglesias played goalkeeper for Real Madrid Castilla and was a part of the organization for about 4 years. Just before his 20th birthday, Iglesias was involved a very severe car accident that rendered him unable to walk for about two years. While recovering in the hospital a nurse gave Julio a guitar to work on his dexterity. The rest is history.

2. Maluma

The Colombian superstar faced a major decision in his teenage years, pursue playing soccer for his native Colombia or pursue a career in music. This decision is dramatized in his 2017 short film X (embedded below).

Based on his massive success and superstardom in music, I would venture to say that Maluma made the right choice. Maluma has released 6 studio albums and a deluge of singles and collaborations over his musical career. He has risen to the highest ranks of Latin music in recent years. Soccer has played a predominant role in a number of Maluma’s music videos, including those below. He’s currently slated to appear in Jennifer Lopez’s new movie Marry Me, due out May 2021.

(You can read our review of Maluma’s latest album here).

3. Antonio Banderas

Okay so this isn’t necessarily a musical artist and he hasn’t had a musical career per se, but the Spanish actor has released a handful of songs in Spanish. He has also had a number of singing roles on Broadway and in film. Banderas’s soccer career ended relatively early, when he was a teenager, but his love for soccer has continued throughout his life. He is now the owner of Malaga, his hometown soccer club that has faced major financial hardships over the last few years.

Many of Banderas’s musical roles have come from appearances in films such as Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, Desperado, and even Shrek 2.

Honorable Mention: Jese Rodriguez

The former Real Madrid midfielder has released a handful of singles under the name Jey M. I haven’t gone through his entire discography but his debut single Yo Sabia (remixed with De La Ghetto, Alexis & Fido, and Carlitos Rossy) is pretty solid.

Rodriguez won two Champions League titles with Real Madrid. Recently, he joined Las Palmas after stints with Paris St Germain, Real Betis, and Sporting CP. Rodriguez has been criticized for his play at PSG and other clubs over the last few years. Hopefully the Spanish native can return to form at Las Palmas.

Sorry for the lack of blogs lately, we’ll be back up to speed soon!