Shakira called: Dai Dai. So, see you in July 

Why is it goosebumps every time the ball rolls slow motion on wet grass? Why is it goosebumps every time the stadium erupts? We’ve seen these a thousand times, and yet, every time, it’s a thrill like no other. For a moment there, at Mexico City’s World Cup inauguration – the world was (deceptively) delightful. The beautiful life was full-on: Estadio Azteca stadium glittered and shimmied, boasting football heritage like no other, as it hosted the rare third World Cup. A trilogy of inaugurations this edition – US and Canada have their own ahead of the first match in their country and may put on spectacles too – but Azteca’s already Word. As Italian tenor Bocelli and singer EJAE sang: “It’s more than just a game, it’s our DNA” – of the three, only Mexico can claim that. And only World Cups turn emotional even before a single kick.

From Waka Waka in 2010 South Africa, to Dai Dai in Mexico, the years collapsed for World Cup queen Shakira, who hit the pitch with an electric performance. As a fan said: “I was 7 then, Shakira 22. I’m now 23, Shakira’s 22.” The powerhouse, of Lebanese and Catalan descent, raised in Colombia, who has said living in US as an immigrant means “living in constant fear”, epitomises football beyond the sport – a hard political epic of migration & movement, contests, collaboration, conquest. No one knew this better than the protesters (unpaid teachers and families of missing people) outside Azteca – heart in the game, feet on the ground. The fight is on.

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