TRIPPIN’ ON MOUNT NAKATA
Marcilo Agro FC are Simon & Garfunkel for the beautiful game, creating heartfelt songs from random football miscellany. Club captain Joao Maravilha talks us through their greatest hits
HIDETOSHI A moody ode to ex-perugia midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata. In Japanese. They have also sung in German, Spanish, Portuguese, and are trying Dutch – “our little gift for Louis van Gaal”.
The inspiration “We found this interview where Hidetoshi explains clearly what football means to him – that it’s the best thing to communicate with people. Acoustic football is the same for us.”
The video Psychedelic Japanese anime action, with Nakata’s head superimposed onto Mount Fuji. Trippy.
The lyric “Hidetoshi Nakata, your simplicity, you are my midfielder!” DON’T CALL LEICESTER A few lines from a British newspaper column about the Foxes helped create a ballad.
The inspiration “Everything that I read can become a song. Our guitarist Marco read a piece in The Guardian on a Sunday morning; that evening
we played the song for the first time. In Italy we’re very surprised about Leicester – more so because Claudio Ranieri [below] is the manager.”
The video Three laid-back Italians strum guitars on the floor while watching a TV show about Leicester City. As an added bonus, there’s a clip of Claudio spouting wisdom.
The lyric “Don’t call Leicester a fairytale, you will miss what they are doooo-ing.” IN THE BOX In the 1999 Champions League Final’s famous denouement, Peter Schmeichel (left) makes his way upfield, and Marcilo Agro FC make sweet music from Germany’s answer to Clive Tyldesley.
The inspiration “I found this three-minute video and started singing the subtitles. Only afterwards, I understood they were the words of the German commentator.”
The video Their harmonies add yet more drama to that famous footage – plus you can hear our own Clive’s commentary in the background. Quite the aural soundclash.
The lyric “Another situation, in the box, look at Schmeeeeei-chel!” 17 MINUTI DI DIEGO CAPEL A protest song. Marcilo Agro mock Genoa’s signing of Spanish winger Diego Capel – substituted 17 minutes into his debut – by singing Genoa president Enrico Preziosi’s quotes at the Spaniard’s unveiling. The inspiration “I’m a Genoa fan. When we signed Capel, I saw how absurd Preziosi’s words were, so I just started singing them.”
TheThe Agro video trio warble as the game plays on TV, winding down as Diego’s replaced.
The lyric “He could go to Saudi Arabia and earn much more; instead, he chose to come to Genoa.” PAOLO DI CANIO Paolo (below) invites the boys onto his TV show – cue an operatic version of a repetitive Upton Park favourite.
The inspiration “Acoustic football requires simplicity. This is a personal gift for Paolo. This is a beautiful chant.”
The video They croon over Di Canio’s suspiciously unchallenged solo effort in Mark Noble’s Hammers testimonial.
The “Paolo lyric Di Canio, Paolo Di Canio, [repeat Paoloto fade]”Di Canio...