Stay Tranquilo - Soccer Legend Fernando Fiore Gets Real About Messi, Argentina & Miami’s World Cup Hype

Episode Date: May 26, 2026

Soccer legend Fernando Fiore joins Cafecito y Croquetas presented by Stay Tranquilo and H&CO for an unforgettable conversation ahead of the FIFA World Cup ⚽☕ From growing up in Argentina, covering 10 World Cups, and becoming one of the most iconic voices in soccer broadcasting, Fernando shares incredible stories about: Watching Argentina win the 2022 World Cup 🇦🇷 The emotional Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo debate 👀 Inter Miami’s rise and the “Messi effect” in Miami 🌴 The origin of his legendary GOALLLL calls & vuvuzela 🎺 Working on True Lies with Arnold Schwarzenegger & James Cameron 🎬 Panini sticker memories, World Cup predictions, and more! This episode is full of passion, nostalgia, humor, and pure fútbol culture. Presented by Stay Tranquilo & H&CO. 👍 Like, Comment & Subscribe for more episodes of Cafecito y Croquetas. #FernandoFiore #lionelmessi #worldcup #intermiami #soccer #Football #argentina #CafecitoYCroquetas #StayTranquilo #mls #fifa #miami #worldcup2026 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I got an idea that it was completely Waco, and it was to, after the goal goes, Oh my God. Buenos days. Good morning. Good afternoon from wherever you are across the globe. Welcome back to another episode of the Stay Tranquilo podcast, segment of Caffecito and today we are joined by a soccer legend, Mr. Fernando Fiorre. Thank you so much for being here. Obviously, a lot of anticipations. around the World Cup, right? And what better person to talk to then than you, Fernando?

How are you? So I cannot stay tranquil because we are very much around the corner for the World Cup. It's going to be my 10 World Cup as a broadcaster. How do you want me to stay tranquil? It's out of my mind, man. It's a contradiction. I'm nothing but tranquil. That's awesome.

No, I agree. I agree. It is hard to stay tranquil when there is, much hype and anticipation around the World Cup. But, you know, maybe when your team wins and everything settles in, then we can go back to staying, staying tranquil. But there is no tranquil here. No, it's not, it's not, it's not tranquil. I love it. But I'm glad, I'm glad, and thank you for the invitation to stay tranquil. And I'm honored. I, you know, I have a, you know, a lot of people talking about, about your work. So I'm so, I'm so, I'm so. I'm so. I'm so,

happy to be here. The only thing I'm missing is the cafcito and the croquettas. Yes, I'm talking. But between this chat, I will probably go and get an alfajor from Argentina that I have in my, in my kitchen. I love it. I love it. Actually, well, we met, you know, maybe two months ago doing the FIFA Miami campaign, right? The Bainte de Cés Voses, and we had the privilege of having you included in as one of the Bainte de Cés Voses. And I remember you recommended a place across from your, from your apartment. And I did go there, by the way. It was delicious. The coffee was delicious. Oh my God.

The empanadas, it was richemissimo. Everything was great. Yes, the empanadas. They are delicious. It's called Gusto. And it's in Minorca Avenue, in Minorcaveno in Coral Gables, really, really close to Ponce de Leon.

And it's really delicious. The empanadas are great. The Milaneseas are fantastic too. And they have all kinds of sweets. So, you know, I go there very often with my friend Mariano. We talk football. We play cardas. I love it.

I love it. That's awesome. Well, Fernando, before we talk World Cup, before we get into the anticipation and, you know, the hype around what's coming here, not only in the States, but, you know, Miami specifically, I want to talk about you and your story. Tell me what it was like growing up in Argentina, right? Obviously, a huge soccer country. We got Leo Messi here now, which would definitely.

talk on that. But tell me what it was like growing up in Argentina. Yeah, well, it was a, it was a wonderful, wonderful experience of my childhood and my adolescence because I was really happy I have a small family in Buenos Aires because my mother that was Uruguayan, she crossed the river plate, the Rio de la Plata, and she went to live in Buenos Aires. There, she made. my father was Argentinian and they lived there and in 1960 I was born the same day of the independence of Argentina, July 9. The thing is that my father was an only child and my whole family from my mother was living in Uruguay. So I used to live nine months in Argentina, which was beautiful all the school season from March to November. And then December, January, February, I was going to

a Yuduai, which we have a beautiful little house by the beach, and my family is there, my cousin was there. The only problem, so I was very happy, I was a very happy kid. You know, like I said, only my father and my mom. I didn't have grandparents. So in Argentina, I didn't have cousins or uncles or anything. So it was just us. But across the river only, and, you know, six, seven hours by both, I would have my family and it was a great experience because, like I said, it was nine months of school in a wonderful city of Buenos Aires.

I used to live in a wonderful, beautiful still today neighborhood of Bergano and Palermo, very close from the Riverplay Stadium. And then the other three months in Uruguay, it was beautiful because we have a nice, comfy little house by the beach and I have a lot of friends from Uruguay the only problem that I have

and this is something that lately the people asking me and I said no way is when they asking me well when Argentina and Uruguay play each other I say no no no no no Argentina is on my heart

I love Uruguay if Uruguay plays with Senegal or Ghana or with you know Cabo Verde it's fine If it doesn't affect Argentina, I might root for Uruguay. But the problem was that I was born in 1960. So when I was a kid, and all the way to 1978, when I turned 18 years old, Argentina didn't win a World Cup, didn't win an Olympics in soccer.

So all my cousins, my uncles, my friends in Uruguay, they were always bullying me. Which is the word bully, it wasn't common those days. But me cargabban and me molestablan. Hey, little Argentina, and you never want a war cup. Hey, you never won an Olympic game. So it was bad, man. It was sad, and I was really, really into soccer all my life, and it was difficult.

And on top of that, my club team Riverplay also didn't win a championship until 1975, when it was a 15-year-old. So it was also difficult because my father, showed me how great river play was, but the last championship was in 1957, and then we have to wait 17 and a half years. So all my grammar school, I was bullying by the kids of the other teams. So soccer was difficult in the beginning. Until 1975 and then 1978, and then, well, the rest is history. Exactly. Well, now you can play a little bit of bully back, right? Because Argentina now has the World Cup. I'm doing it.

You got to throw it back at them. Of course, especially because you're Hawaiian, because you're the Uwaians' titles, they were from the time that none of my friends were alive because the last one was in 1950. So now, you know, yeah, they were very proud back then. But even back then, all my cousins didn't see them alive because all my cousins were my age.

So you can imagine. Now they really cannot touch this. Yeah. I was not going to ask you the question of who would you choose between Argentina and Uruguay because I knew the answer already to that. Yes, you know. It was Argentina and that was an easy, easy answer. And nothing behind.

Exactly. But if Urugu, like to your point, but if Uruguay is playing somebody else that's not Argentina, then maybe you could justify going for Uruguay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. If it's, like I said, if it's in a championship that we are not in, which hopefully we are always in. Exactly. No, but if it's a result that they would allow Uruguay, you know, to beat, for example, here in Miami, if they can beat Cabo Verde or Saudi Arabia, it's fine with me.

I'm going to go for the Saudis or for the Cabonians. Glad. No, I don't know how to. I actually have to look at how do you call the people from Cabo Verde. But especially if it doesn't affect the outcome, you know, to go against Argentina. Actually, actually, to take the truth, I don't care much. I don't care much if they win or not. It's all about Argentina, 100%.

Because when it goes to the national thing, it's only one for me. Exactly, which that's how it should be. Then again, then again, I love Uruguay and I love Uruguayan people. Of course. And I love the country of my mother and my cousins and I'm still going there. I love it. That's awesome. No, Uruguay, beautiful place, Argentina, Buenos Aires. us that area is beautiful. And as, you know, we mentioned big, big soccer town, right? And now with your

line of work, it's a full circle moment for you, absolutely, right? But talk to me how you even got into this space, right? You had kind of a little bit of different jobs in Adhantino, right? Maybe not a full vision that you would be doing this today. So talk to me about that path into getting into the world of soccer. Yeah, well, I'm turning, I'm turning 66 years old this next July 9. So I'm going to make a brief and condensed situation of what was like. But I was very fortunate, I said, a small family. We were having a nice life when I was a kid, and I was a university, and then I have to do the, I'm a veteran in Argentina because I had to go to the Air Force for a year

that it was mandatory back then. And then my family was living my cousins and uncles. They were living in Hoboken, New Jersey, for many years. They had a house there. And my mother decided to come and try her lot. She was a wonderful clothing designer. And she was brilliant in what she was doing. And he didn't the US.

She couldn't develop her whole craft. But she was making good money living here for a while. And she decided to stay here for a couple of years. And then I decided to join her and come back. My parents were divorced. So I came to the United States and it was difficult. I left a lot of friends behind. You know, I was a people's person and, you know, and I had a, you know, I was really happy there.

But I thought a future, it might be here with my family. And I want to be an actor, which was very difficult there and much more difficult here. but then I came to US I started to work in different jobs very odd jobs that I didn't think of it I was a chauffeur I was painting fire escapes in New York in wintertime then I was lucky enough to to get into tourism

and I was a you know I went to business school and I went to university and I studied tourism and I studied psychology and I graduated in tourism So I was a tour guy and a tour planner for eight years. And I was studying theater in New York with Puerto Rican traveling theater. And I was trying to break into communication, but it wasn't easy until by chance, a friend of mine, we were doing a lot of theater plays in University, in Montclair State in New Jersey, Montclair State University now, Montclair State College back then.

And a friend of mine called me from here from Miami. says, hey, listen, dude, you know, you always wanted to break into TV, and they are, you know, I have a friend of mine that is a producer in Telemundo, and they are looking for a reporter. Why don't, when you don't try, she used to go to university with us. So to make their own story short, I came from New Jersey, I audition, they didn't give me a lot of, a lot of hope. They said that it was eight people in front of me. But I was persistent, and just by chance, I got the job.

Wow. So I started, it really was a very unique situation because usually people start to work on a TV stations, a local TV stations or local radio stations and try to climb up. I started in a brand new network that he was doing waves. It was much smaller than Univision back then. Nobody knew how big and amazing Telemundo will become in a few years. But I started working in a network right from the beginning. and I start working in different shows. And in respect to sports, somehow some people, you know,

it's a little misconception that I always work on sports, which is part true. I love sports and I used to play soccer and I still play in football now with 65 years ago every Saturday. But the thing is that I love communications in general and it wasn't like I want to be, you know, a journalist and a sports journalist. So I didn't go to study sports journalism.

So my thing was I wanted to be on radio, TV, and movies and everything around, but not necessarily sport. The thing was that my career, again, I would say, 100% unique, and I don't know any other person in front of the cameras in English or Spanish in the U.S., that they have such a diversity. because usually if you are a sport journalist, you work in sports department all your life because you like sports. Or if you are a news anchor, then you work in the news department all your life, and if you are a talk show host, you do talk shows,

and if you are a game show, well, my career is completely different that every single person that I know in English or Spanish on TV, because I did magazine shows, game shows, candid camera shows. I was a news anchor in New York,

nevertheless, and I did sports. So the only thing that I haven't done in my life yet is the weather segment. But usually now is better if you are a meteorologist. So I think I'm already lost that train. I don't think that I'm going to be doing the weather segment. But that was the thing. And I started to do sports in Telemundo because they ask me,

hey, if you like sports, we have to cover a Super Bowl back in 19, I started to work in 1988 and I said you like football? I said yeah the Super Bowl in 1989 it was the 49ers against the Cincinnati Bengals oh wow and and I started my career also doing doing sports from that time and then I switched to Univision for 25 years

like I say I did I did the first thing I did was a news anchor at 6 p.m. in New York, which was an amazing job. And back then and even now. And then I came back to Miami and well, my career went from Candid camera shows like Lente Loco, which is an iconic, the first candid camera in Spanish producing the Spanish TV.

And then I was lucky enough to combine my two passions because I did a traveling show with nevertheless Sophia Vergara, which was Fuera de Sere. and at the same time, I started to work in sports and, well, finally in 1998, I did, it was my third World Cup as a communicator, but it was the first one as a main host. And then the following year, we started with Republic of Deportiva, another iconic show for 15 years. And since then, I'm the president.

What a story. That's a... That's the story. And then when I... In between, in between, I was lucky enough in in 1994, during the... Right before the...

1993, actually, right before the World Cup, that someone, you know, saw my 8 by 10, which was the audition back in the 80s and 90s, and they asked me if my family was from Middle East, and I say, no, my family is from Italy,

and Spain but what's going on and said, oh, it was a casting agent and said, no, you can look like a Middle Eastern and do you want to work in a movie that they are filming next month? And I said, yeah, sure.

Do I need to cast? No, no, they love your picture. They just, you just try your, they will try clothing and you are in. And I say, okay, and what's the movie? Oh, well, it's just a little movie directed by James Cameron and the main actors are

nevertheless than Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Carries so I was lucky enough to work for the month as a bad Middle Eastern man in the movie True Lies. No way! And the movie True Lies became

the biggest movie on Earth at that time and it was a, it was a It's such an iconic movie that still today, pretty much, nine out of ten people, if you cross in switching channels, you cross to true lives, you stick around for a while. Because either you see that Jamie D. Kerr is dancing or you see the, or you see, or you see Anno Schwarzenegger, you know, getting out with a, with a, with a fire, throwing, and killing people.

It's always entertaining. And I worked there and I were there. And I were there for the month. It was great. Wow. A jack of all trades, right? Like you said, the only thing that's missing is being the next weatherman, which I think I think I could see it.

Well, at least for the day. I think that it would be a good, it wouldn't be a good promotion if a TV network will say, you know, let's give this guy to complete, to complete his resume. And let him do for one day the weather segment. in the newscast. Well, with World Cup coming up. We have to promote that.

We have to try to get the network that it will give me a chance for the day. I agree. You know, like when they got people that they sign it for one day just to retire as a soccer played or whatever. They should do that. I don't want to retire, but hey, I can compete my resume now. And I say that I did absolutely everything. I can see it with the summertime weather here in Miami.

The weather forecast is going to be very important. I mean, who's the weather to do it for the weather. World Cup than you. I see it. I can do it. I can ask the Mundo if you let me do it for one day and I say, listen, it's hot in all the cities that the World Cup is hosting. It's very hot in Miami.

More calor to be in Dallas. And we'll see what in Los Angeles in the next videos. I can see myself doing that for a day. I will sign that petition and we're going to make it happen. I like it. Oh, man. That's awesome.

But obviously, you've been doing this now for a while, right? 37 years. 37 years, right? And you've covered, this is going to be your 10th World Cup, right? You've covered some of the biggest games on stage. What's one of your favorite memories, right, doing this, right? You look back now at your journey and what is that stands out to you the most?

Well, it's decently recent and it's easy to pick. Because again, according to what I was telling you, already from the beginning of the conversation, it happened to me that I have to suffer a lot through soccer until I really get rewarded. And all my career, as a communicator, I covered

hundreds of Argentinian games and tournaments and I was waiting for more than 30 years to see Argentina world champion. So, and Pope America champion, for that matter, which I didn't have a chance.

So, yeah, Finally, in 2019, after Russia, I said, oh my God, do I ever be able to see Argentina world champion? And I was trying to doubt myself because I say, no Cop America for me, no world championship. And then, unfortunately, I couldn't go to the Cop America and Brazil that we beat Brazil in the final because it was the COVID time. and so I wasn't pressing there, but I enjoy it. But definitely my moment, it's the final in Lusel Stadium in Qatar in 2022,

December 18, 2022. I was in that side of the stadium where the penalty kicks were taking. Again, I had to suffer to the very last moment where Montiel struck the penalty and we won. And I will never forget that. I was crying non-stop, the people around me. Actually, actually, it's funny because I have my press credential. I watch, listen to this, I watch 40 games out of the 64 on the stadiums because everything was so close and it was an amazing World Cup that I was able to move from one to another.

And I covered the World Cup for being sports. And I was doing reports in English and Spanish to send to the U.S. So I was able to go to 40 games. And that's fine. A friend of mine, he says, you know what? I have COVID. I can't go to Qatar, but my brother got my ticket there. Why you don't pick it up?

And instead of going to the press section, which is all the way app, you use my seat and you see it closer. And I will always be thankful to Mike Monehan from. soccer.com because I went, I pick up the ticket. And it's funny because it was a lot of friends from Telemundo, from the Telemundo sales department that they were around me, that it was that section that he got the ticket. And they thought I was going to have a heart attack. Because, you know, everything was fine until Mbapé, you know, tied the game. And then the penalties, and the penalties were really close to me. So, and I was crying nonstop. And so I will never

forget that one. And then I stay in the stadium because I have my prescredential. So I stay inside the stadium and I was pretty much, I would say, the last fan that left the stadium. I was waiting and enjoying

every single second and I stay there and they start to kick everybody out after hour, you know, two hours and finally I step out and I did my report from outside the Lusay Stadium. The final report of the World Cup coverage for being sports.

And then I went to celebrate by myself. I went to the market, the famous market in Qatar, the Sub-Qa-Ivif. And I stayed there all night long until there is morning. When I get back to the hotel, when I get back to the hotel, I, you know, I fulfill my promise and I shaved my mustache. I said I'm going to shade the mustache again if Argentina was champion. So all the pictures from December 19 until they grew up again,

they were without mustache. That's incredible. That is, you know, the highest degree. That was the moment. Your country wins at the biggest stage, right? Against, you know, a team in France, right? With Mbapé on the other side, very, very difficult. And to your point, right?

It's like it's that window of time. time, right? You've grown up watching Argentina your whole life, and it's like, when is this going to happen? Right? Then I Mbapap hit that goal late, and you're like, oh my God, are we going to is this going to happen again, right? Are we going to leave here and not, you know, have a trophy?

But to be on the other side and see it happen the way it did, World Cup, PKs, against Mbapé, a phenomenal French team, it's got to feel amazing. Yeah, because unfortunately, look, in 1978, my family didn't have enough money to buy a ticket for the final.

So I was able to watch another game, but the final was difficult, not only because of the money, because it was difficult to get a ticket. So I was in Argentina. I was 18 years old, so I didn't have the chance to be on the stadium on the final. And then in 1986, I was even already in the U.S., but my immigration papers were in process and the lawyer didn't recommend me to leave the country because everything was going right and if you go out of the country and the papers are in the immigration offices at this moment it might get everything back so I say okay so I didn't go so I watched it with my friends

in New York 86 I was not able to go to the Azteca Stadium so finally Lusel's stadium so for me to tell you the truth and this is going to sound strange but I feel it somehow it's like when you feel so relieved that you get the monkey out of your back in three fronts in three fronts

in football the one from Argentina it was 2022 when we beat France in my club when River Play beat Boka Juniors in Copa Libertadores in

2018 in Madrid. I was there in the stadium at Bernabel. It was such a joy for my club team. And then my work on club of my city last year to be able to broadcast the game of the final

being there with Inter Miami and won the championship. So now I really feel liberated. Yeah, you're free. Yeah. You're free. Yeah. So I I'm watching football, of course, with a lot of nerves and passions and anxiousness and everything else, but it seems difficult to me to get the same level of desperation that I had before,

before all those three games. Yeah, you got the monkey. It's much better now. The monkeys off your back is. It's much better now. I got the King Kong. I got the King Kong in all levels. Club level, national team, and my city team and, and, and, and, and, and, um,

and work. So it was great. That's a great feeling. It has been a good, what, last eight years now for even, even shorter, seven years now, you know, where all three of them are going to get it done. And I do want to touch on, you know, your thoughts on what this current World Cup looks like, right, and what your projections are for At Hendina. I want to talk a little bit of Inner Miami as well.

But before we do, I have to talk about kind of your, what you're known for in the space, right? The goal, right? Yeah. That's a funny story, man. Tell me how, yeah, I know we were talking a little bit offline a little bit, right? Yeah, no. Tell me how that came to me.

It's another unique and funny story because I was always trying, see, I was a host all the time and during my career in the World Club. I was the main host of the whole broadcasting. So that means that since World Cup 1990s, I was watching every game on studio. I was never able to go to the stadiums because the people from the networks, the executive, they didn't let me go because I was the main host and I was doing pregame, halftime, post game of every single show, every single game. Right.

So they didn't allow me to go to the stadium. I did in ADA. I went to Korea in 2002. Two Germany, 2006. To South Africa in 2010. To Brazil, 2014. Two Russia in 2018. And finally, in 2018, they allowed me because I was doing only a nice show.

So the thing is that I always wanted to be part of the broadcast team that we called the games. But I always wanted to be the color commentator. And we try in Cop America, 2000. 2001 in Colombia. And maybe you're too young, but people that will listen to this, maybe they will remember that it was an entertainer,

a standard, Dennis Miller, that he used to work with, I think, in Saturday Night Live. Yeah, Saturday Night Live. He was to work in Saturday Night Live.

And an ABC tried him to put him in the booth with Monday Night Football. And he was, he was joking too much and he was ahead of the time and he didn't go well

right so it didn't go well so and for me actually I also think that I was ahead of my time in 2001 and they gave me a couple of games to be the third wheel in a in a booth but I didn't have any more chances until into Miami appeared in 2020

for the COVID reason I was not able to work on TV with CBS in English because there was no people on the stands that I could do the color. So I switched to radio, which I did radio way back in 1990. And I was in the broadcast team with Chris Wittingham, Thomas Rangen, and myself. So Chris Wittingham, a famous play-by-play, who works now in CBS and Kevola, so on, so on. He was the play-by-play. Thomas Rungen was the analysis, ex-coach, ex-player, and I was the color commentator. Well, the thing is that to make a long story short, that many of the English-speaking play-by-play guys don't scream goal. I would say

none of them. They like to say, they just go with a flow and they finish. And every time I try to tell some of my friends in the English market, I say, why don't scream goal, man? You're going to be the only one in English speaking? No, no, no, that's not. So they think that it's something that is crazy from the South Americans or actually from the rest of the world that we scream gold. And so Inter-Mayama

started playing and Chris Whittingham would just do the play-by-play and they say they score and Tomas wrong and who's doing the analysis and say, guys, if you don't mind, I will scream the goal because Inter-Miamy fans,

a lot of the people who are listening to the radio even if they listen in English, they are Spanish-speaking people and they are Latinos so again, very strange. The play-by-play will go and then the color commentator will scream the goal.

And that's what I started to get crazy about it and the people, you know, for the last six years or the last, actually the last, the first three years of that broadcast, they were, they were nomin for me, screaming the goals like crazy for Inter Miami. And not only that, every, every, every, every, every, every, every, every, every, every, every, every, every, every, every, every, every, every, every, every goal of into Miami.

I would scream the goal, but then I got an idea that it was completely wacko and, and, uh, and it was to, and then, and then it was a tradition. See. Which, uh, still today because, uh, three years ago, uh, finally, uh, finally, uh, See, I love that English broadcast, but for me, in Spanish, it's a different feeling. 100%. So finally, finally three years ago, ESPN, South Florida got the exclusive rights of Inter Miami for radio, and they have the broadcast team in English, and I switched to the broadcast team in Spanish. And with a play-by-play, which is my brother, Leo Vega, they call him the poet of football.

and he screams the ball because he's from Uruguay so he's the play by he's their play by play that screams the goal so now I'm only allowed to do the Bubu Sela Man so I have some

yeah I have some I have some stories with a specific goals by the Bubu Sela is the tradition of Inter Miami after every single goal by our team the Bubu Sela will sound

and now it's funny because at the old stadium in Fort Lauderdale our booth got a window that you cannot open. But in the new stadium, it's an open window. So every time my bobozuela sounds, the whole stadium, I hear that. That's awesome. So it's interesting.

Yeah. You mentioned you have some stories of some goals that you called. Is there one favorite goal that you've ever called that you've been had the privilege? The one calling myself, it was the one that they, that they, it was the first season of the inter-m Miami that that we were able to go into that format on the books they call him playoffs

but it was a strange season because it was COVID it was short it was a three playoff whatever but it wasn't the last minute and it was good but here I mean much more closer to us now in our time even though I didn't called the goal, but I was so happy and I was crying and we were hugging.

It's when Rodrigo de Paul made a third goal against Vancouver in the final last year went into Miami because I was really nervous. I thought I said, God, please don't let this team tie us because it was very close to a draw. and then the final goal. It was the Rodrigo de Paul. It was the final. It was the two one.

No, it was the final. The final is the third one. Yeah. Yeah. So that was, that was something else. And I, you know, and I really, I was crying like a kid. And during the broadcast, you know,

and Leo was screaming the goal. And I was crying and getting my comment. And, yeah. Yeah, that was a great goal, by the way. Absolutely. Yeah. That's the one that I remember. Absolutely.

That's a good one to remember and a good one to be a part of. But it's great to see how much the city of Miami has gravitated to inner Miami, right? We've talking or spoken about the fact of bringing soccer into Miami and how Miami is such a unique destination for, you know, to be a soccer town. And you bring in a guy like Leo Messi and kind of the rest of his history, right? thing is bringing soccer. Yeah, the Leo Messi, I'm sorry to interrupt you, yes, because I was, I was sure that it was, the Rodrigo de Paul was the second goal. It was when the Tadeva Jende was the third one. Oh, okay. When, yeah, it was in the 96 minutes. Because I remember, I, I, I remember the Rodrigo de Paul, but the two one, but the three one was the one who I really, you know,

yeah, you could like that. Finally get, so, so it was, it was Tadeva Jende, the third goal. And, and that's when I start, when I start crying. And, and another. Another interesting, funny story on that is that I got really a bad cramp on my leg for the nervousness and everything. So I was on the floor. I was on the floor screaming and crying. And that goal at the 96 minutes, it sealed the Inter-Maiami Championship. That was crazy. Go ahead.

I'm sorry, I interrupt you. But I didn't want to get a wrong player for the great goal. No, no, thank you for that. No, just talking about how, you know, how big soccer has gone and down here in Miami, right? You bring inner Miami into the city. Now the new stadium, right? That was a talk for a long time when inner Miami was even just becoming a thought here into the city, right? Now here we are. We finally have it. But it's great to see how the city has rallied around. Even when they were playing up in Fort Lauderdale, right? People were showing up. They go and they win the championship last year. And now we get the new stadium. And then just that that Leo Messi, effect. You bring a guy like Leo Messi into the, into the city, into a soccer town. It's just going to blow up that much more. All right. Talk about how much soccer has grown here in the city. We have so much Latino presence, obviously in the city, so much European presence.

So soccer is just a natural fit here. Yes. In terms of our soccer history in the United States, I suffer a lot back in the 80s when the NASL disappeared and I'm with the MLS since 1996 when it was created and also I suffered a lot with the fusion disappearance in 2001 after only three years playing. So for for me personally, the the rebirth of MLS in Miami it was amazing when the when into Miami started the season in 2020. But let's be honest before it's a it's a it's B.M and A.m.

Before Messi and after Messi, because I've been with a team, like I said, and I broadcast all the games in the first three seasons, and then again in the four. Before Messi was difficult, because we didn't have

lucky with the stars that we thought that they're going to make a difference in the first times with the Mexican player Pizarro and then with the French Matri-D and then with the Iguine. And then finally everything came together when they signed the coach of Tata Martino and they started to bring all the great players that they give us the greatest moment so far, no, with the Bousquet, Alba, Suarez, and when Nessie came in, it was, yeah,

Messi, Messi came in the right time, then he brought Suarez in. But everything, everything worked well. we were champions right away in the league's cup I have a great time on that championship too because we were broadcasting in English at that time and I traveled around the country

with a with a team going to going to every game so it was fabulous but Miami is being you know interlacking with

with soccer pretty much for many many years because this is The soccer tradition didn't start in Miami with Inter-Miamy. You know, it was here way, way before Los Gatos, Los Tos, back in the 80s and the NASL. And then we have the USL, the Miami FC, and so on. So it was always soccer here.

But always to have the professional team from the Major League Soccer, the Division I, it was a change. Unfortunately, like the same thing happened with the fusion, which looks like we stomped in the, with a rock again. We didn't have a stadium in Miami. We have to call them Miami Fusion back in 1998 and playing for Lottabre.

And now we have to call an intern Miami and playing in the same location, different stadium, but the same location, which was the all local stadium transforming to drive pink, and Chase Stadium and so on. So finally now, like it or not, and I'm sorry. No, actually, I'm not sorry because I did a lot of traveling to Fort Lauder.

So now it's time for the guys in Broward and beyond to travel here. So now the intern Miami team has the stadium in Miami. And like you said, like you mentioned, it's a lot of Latino, a lot of European people that enjoy soccer all their lives and ex-patrits and people that, you know, that enjoy soccer. And then, of course, nothing wrong with it. It's a lot of tourists and a lot of people that they don't follow soccer or football every single day.

But, hey, it's a good combination to come to Miami, go to the stadium, watch the goat, one of the greatest players of all time. And, you know, and have a good time, you know, and make it part of your vacation or you're traveling. So it's a good combination, and I love it. Actually, now I live only eight minutes away from the stadium, so finally all the home games,

I can go really close, and I don't have to travel all the way to commercial boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, which I love for Lauderdale, but with the price of the gas right now, I'd rather... Eight-minute drive is a lot better. Absolutely. No, it makes sense, right?

If you're a team in Miami, you've got to have the stadium in Miami, right? That's just how it's going to have to work. And, yeah, I think you've hit something interesting when you talk about, right, it's a big tourist destination. And that's fine, right? You have your local crowds that can come in,

but all these people that may not be the super soccer fanaticals, right, are now being introduced to the game that maybe we're never going to go to a soccer game. And all of a sudden, they're like, oh, my God, I love this. I want to come back and I want to maybe go to a soccer game in my hometown that maybe also have. So I think it helps just the growth of soccer as a whole, which is also interesting. And that's the way I approach my career from the very beginning when I started to work on the sport departments on television and radio. For me, also I think that I was way ahead of my time, way ahead in 1988.

Because of the normal way to present the soccer segments in newscast or on the broadcast, it was treated as, you know, as the news of the world. And everything was so serious and statistics. And I respect all that because, you know, that was the way, you know, many people grew up, you know, seeing that, you know, giving them the numbers. and just the stats and being very serious because according to many people, sports or soccer is a religion, which is not. And, you know, and I was approaching this very differently. Like I said, like I mentioned, Dennis Miller, and I also was watching a lot of English TV in ESPN.

So one of the guys that I really liked that he was crazy and doing many different. different funny things. It was Chris Berman back in the days, in the NFL and so on. So for me, that was the approach that I wanted to take into Spanish TV when I was doing the soccer shows or the soccer newscasts or the segments or whatever. Like, for example, if I have to cover and bring the news of a tour of France on bicycling, I was getting into the studio riding a bike, which wasn't heard of at that time. And the director, and the producers were, you know, were getting crazy and trying to kill me. But I say, you know, I think this is the way it will develop eventually.

And, you know, fortunately I was right. Yeah. Fortunately, I was right. I think that now it went a little bit too much. I love, don't get me wrong. I love the atmosphere of many of the newscasts or many of the broadcasts. But sometimes now it's all joking and laughing and too much laughing and and try to make too many jokes and and being so much funny even if you are not funny. So I think I went the other way.

But like I said, in Spanish, I'm proud enough that I think that I lead the way and I open the door for a different approach to the Spanish. sports broadcasting and that was back in 1988. Absolutely. And well, now it's 37 years later. 37 years later, the same people that back then, and I'm going to name names, but a lot of colleagues that they wanted to crucify me for disrespect, football, and friends of mine,

that they really want to crucify me for being such a crazy dude. Now they're trying to be funny. And they're not even funny. You let them know. No, you provided a unique angle into the space, right? And that's what it happens. It needed to happen. I don't want to brag.

I don't want to brag. But some days I think I don't got the respect that I deserve or the recognition that I deserve for many people. Because they don't want to say, hey, Fernando, you were right, man. And I didn't hear one of my colleagues or not even one that we come out one day and say, dude, remember when I would say that you were crazy and I would try to crucify you and, you know, you were right.

That's okay. That's okay. The people on the street is the one that they always come to me and say, you know what? God, you were the ones who started all this. back in the late 80s. And I love all my colleagues and I respect them all. Of course.

The only thing is that, the only thing is that back then, I respect their way of delivering. And I'm bringing the whole broadcast. Right. And seems like, like I said, I was ahead of my time and they didn't get it back then. But thank God, Danielle,

and they let me run. They let me run my show. That's awesome. And that's why Republica Deportiva was such a iconic show that it completely, you know, breakdown barriers. And I'm talking about 1999 when we started it. I did it in the personal level in my shows and my broadcasts 10 years earlier. So, and Republica Deportiva was a great concept, you know.

Of course. Sports bar, people were giving the news. The news, it's like a, the crazy thing is that they thought that maybe I didn't know. my craft and I didn't know sports or I didn't know. Dude, I can see with you and I got more knowledge than you can imagine. It's just that the way that you deliver and the way you approach. I wasn't even going to lie. It's not like I was giving wrong results.

I wouldn't say, hey, Chibata de Guadalajara lost 3-2 if they actually won 3-2. So I was giving the same result, 3-2, but looking for what happened in a more relaxed way. That was the thing. Yeah. And to force that change, right, you're going to have to do things differently, right? If you follow that same approach, what everybody's doing, how do you create a uniqueness to yourself in a space that is competitive? Right. It's competitive, too.

I need it because I didn't have any friends that we say, listen, Fernando, you are such a handsome guy and you are my friend and I will give you a job just because I will have to do something that it was unique, that it was real. And you know what? Just to close it up this chapter, when I was in New York and I was a newscast, I was a news anchor. And I saw the way that the people were giving sports back then, the sports segment, everything was exactly the same delivery

as the delivery that I was having in the first segment of the newscast when I was talking about the war in the Gulf or anything or 10 people dying in a Brooklyn fire. this this time three people

fellesier in the incendio in the newscast Right then this fourth segment

it was like last night the Nix leganer to the Nets for 64 to 23 so it sounded

exactly the same you know you know what I mean and that's when I was thinking I said why the newscast already got the

serious and the bad news if the Nix beat the next. Hey, that was a great game. And the Ninks, you won't believe what happened in the very last second. The ball didn't go in, carried in the clank and came back. So that was a different.

And that's what I wanted to create back there. I love that. No, that's awesome. It's the truth, right? We're so bogged down by the news every day. Let sports be an avenue for release, right? Where I'm not. And that's what happens now.

That one happens now. Now, like I said, now I think that we went too much the other way. But hey, it's difficult to be in the business. balance. See. In everything, everything in life. Exactly. The most difficult thing in life is to be in the balance.

See. Nothing is like you are wrong and I'm right. I have the truth. I'm correct. See. And you are completely dumb. No. Yeah.

To get the balance, something that you think, it might be valuable, something that I think and comes to. And this is something that unfortunately we are not having as a nation, as a world. Right. nowadays. Absolutely. Absolutely. I think it's something that will always battle, you know, as a society. But sports is one of those things that I do believe brings people together, right? And with that, you know, I think the World Cup comes at a timely time, right? Where there is so much, right, hopefully, right? But I think us as the people, right, we can look at it and realize like, yeah,

we have our differences. Yeah, we have our, you know, our opinions. But at the end of the day, here we are together in one stadium, rooting for our teams, rooting for our teams, rooting for our our culture, and here in the Americas, right? Here in Canada, here in the United States, Mexico, right? All these great destinations as a unity, right? And I think that's where the power is in all of this. And I think it's great, you know, not only are we hosting it here in Miami, but like we said, all these amazing countries in the Americas,

I want to get your perspective on this, right? It's been a while since we've hosted World Cup here, Miami being one of the host cities. Talk to me about what your expectations are. for this World Cup compared to other World Cup that maybe you've covered and been to? Well, definitely. I will be going probably around the country

to cover this World Cup the same way that I did with the club's World Cup last year. But here in my city, Miami, I'm originally, I went to New York first, but I live in Miami for 30-something years. I think it's going to be a big fiesta. every day.

I know a lot of people complaining now that there is not a lot of atmosphere, that is less than a month and so on. But guys, we have to realize that we are the host country

that unfortunately are in a war process that, you know, it was very unfortunate that at the same time that the World Cup was approaching, a war with Iran

is still going going on and the economy with the prices. And so it's difficult to be in a festive mood when your country and you have a lot of families or friends or people you know that they are in the army or they don't know when are they're gonna be called. So you have to get all those things in perspective. So saying that, I think that hopefully God provides,

everything will stay. put and we will be able to reconcile and finish these differences and finish the war. But when the World Cup will come, it would be a big fiesta because it's going to be on the streets. We have seven games in Miami. The fan fest is going to be wonderful in Bayside. I know that also were some prol and fun fest in another city, but here in Miami, it's been said that it's going to be free and it's going to be a lot of entertainment and people that are not allowed. I know that there are also a lot of people that they will not afford to go into the stadium

because of the prices. The price will come down eventually and pretty sure. And if you are not able to go to the stadium, you will have a great time on the fan fest in Miami, on the streets, on the restaurants, getting together with amigos, get a nasadito, Argentino or a cevice or a pass even if your country's not in that World Cup and you will have a and you will have a good time. So I'm sure that it's going to be a very, very good month and a half. Be patience with the traffic. It's not going to be easy. If you have to move around, you will encounter a lot of traffic. But hey, it's once every four years.

And in the case of Miami, it's one thing, who knows if it's again in the lifetime, probably not true and we didn't have that workup in 1994 in our city the closest was Orlando right exactly so so enjoy it man enjoy it relax have a good time uh ask for a lot of days off for vacation if you have sick days accumulate those sick days and uh and comb days and vacation days and take it a couple of days on the beach and will hurt no one absolutely yeah to your point it is This could be a once in a lifetime opportunity for most people, right? Because to your point, God knows when the next World Cup will not only be here in the States, but even Miami, right?

So you have to take advantage of this. And like you said, it is going to be a fiesta. I know there's a lot of noise surrounding that. And I think us as fans more than anything, right? You hear about the price points. You hear about obviously the things going on politically. But at the end of the day, this is our chance. to enjoy something that were meant to enjoy, right?

Roof for your country, whether it's Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, USA, right? Uruguay, Spain, everybody, globally, right? So we as fans can now have the luxury of being able to enjoy it. And one of my favorite things about the World Cup, right, is getting together with my amigos that might be friends or fans of other teams, right? They're the Columbia fans and they're the Venomia fans, and they're the Venezuela fans, and they're the Argentina fans, right? I'm born USA.

Grandparents are Cuban, so for me it's always been difficult as to who do I root for, right? Because... Oh, the Cubano, the Cubano, those are much of football, has a much time, yeah. Let me say to, that I go to the barberia of Yayo, there in Kendall,

and the Cubano and there are the mother of Real Madrid, and the Barcelona, and they say, oh, yeah, muchach, it's like a Argentine, I'm not talking of baseball, but no,

no, I do much credit to my Cuban friends. Let me tell you something. I went to Cuba with Cosmos

with the Cosmos back in 2014 with Pele. And it was a it was a friendly mission authorized by the government. So we went. I was the host

of many of the events over there. And And I was surprised because I was walking around Lavana and in a lot of places. And the one that really surprised me the most, you're going to be laughing at this. In one of the parks in central Havana,

they have the same part with Coppelia is. I forgot the name of the park right now. But the same part of the famous Eladiria, the Eladier Coppelia in Lavana. And it was this place, a little place where the people that take care of of the flowers and the trees, all the gardeners, they put their

arraimientas, all the things they need for taking care of the park. And I was walking around and I saw the door was open and I saw a huge poster of Cristiano Ronaldo and I said, man, and this was a 2015,

I said, what? I said, oh, yeah, chico, here, we like, our real Madrid. and this other he likes to Messi and Barcelona and I say well

this is something that I haven't seen in my previous trip to Cuba and that and that it was you know really something

interesting wow so and that was 11 years ago so so by now I'm sure I haven't returned to the island

but but I'm sure that now is even more than what it was back then. That's awesome. And if it's an indication, Viva Cua Libre.

Hopefully we can go back. Hopefully we can go back. With no restrictions, like I say, I went in a family matter once, and I went in a friendly government approved the second situation. But I would like to go without having to ask permission

to go to that beautiful country and enjoy with the beautiful people of the Cuban. Absolutely. People that I love. So hopefully, hopefully sooner rather than later. Go soon.

Yeah. Yeah, but peacefully, please. Peacefully, make it, make it, make it a transition that it will be peaceful and no more wars.

Absolutely. No, agreed. That is the perfect scenario. But yeah, for me, I am excited for the World Cup to be here. I know a lot of people are excited. There's games pretty much

at every hour of the day, which, you know, that span of, you know, a couple weeks. It's a hundred and four games, man. Yeah, it's amazing. It's amazing. Football on at every time you're going to your local, you know, your local bar, you're hanging out with your friends at La Casa watching the game. So I'm excited and I think the most of the city and everybody's going to rally around

this amazing experience. But before we wrap up. I have the ball ready. I love it. I love it. That least. This is one, this is a piece. of this is a piece of art this is one of my 10 soccer balls that they've been signed by people

players only players presidents or referees that they participate in a world cup wow so for example you have here uh pupis annetti of argentina and Diego maradona wow that's amazing you have Gary Leinaker from England. You have Richard Stoichof from Bulgaria. You have Pibbe Valderrama. Oh, Pibualdarama. I was with Piavoldeara last week. We were doing a campaign for Hard Rock Bet.

And he signed Figo from Portugal, Falcao from Brazil. Wow. Rio Ferdinand from England. And Burruchaga from Argentina, the one who scored the famous third goal in 1986. So, oh, Ramona, no, again, oh, Raton Ayada from Argentina. And I is part of the, of the, of the Scaloni technical group. That's awesome.

So, so this is, this is going to be great. I hope that the people enjoy. I hope that everything will be calm and all those black clouds that they're hanging for a while and all the predictions of. of who knows what could happen, hopefully won't come up and it won't materialize and it will be a peaceful event that we all be proud and and the prices will go down and the transportation will be free and the fan fest will be fabulous. Exactly. Yeah, I know Brightline is a partner now with the, you know, the World Cup here in Miami. So you're able to take the Bright Line. They have shuttles to the

stadium. So the city's doing its part to make this an incredible experience, right? And exactly, more affordable, more accessible for everybody, right, in a variety of different ways. Whether they're going to the game, watch parties, et cetera. But I have to ask you one last question before we wrap up here. I think I know the answer, obviously. Beto. If it's my prediction, no, no. If it's my prediction, you don't know the answer. Go ahead. Go with a question. Well, now I don't know. Maybe you're predicting that. I'll ask you two questions. No, no, no, no, no.

You say one. Okay. Who's the goat? Messi or Ronaldo? Oh, no, man. That was easy. I thought I was going to be about a World Cup. I know.

That's why I figured you were going to, so I had to change it. No, no, no. Listen, I hate to compare things. And I don't say that because one is the greatest, Messi, and the other one is a great player. Christiano Ronaldo, you know how to compare them and actually you cannot compare

it's completely different type of players Christiano Ronaldo is a great score and a striker and you cannot you cannot compare that with the magic that Messi is being doing

for the last 15, 20 years because Messi is in another level and I think that Cristiano Ronaldo is a great player but it's you know it doesn't make justice to compare them

it's just that Christian Ronaldo was very unlucky to born in the same time that Messi was born so that's fair that's true that's the situation Messi scores goals

make the people score goals he is magic every time he touches the ball does not happen with Cristiano Ronaldo it's a different kind of player Absolutely. And that's what I don't compare them. I give you the second question. Go ahead.

Give me the second question. Who do you got winning the World Cup? If it's not maybe Argentina, who can it be? That's it. No, no, no. I don't want to give you any prediction. You know what? Because every single World Cup before Qatar,

I was always going, yeah, Argentina will win a lot. And Argentina is going to be. And I hope that all the planets will be aligned. because, for example, in 2006, the final was in July 9. It was my birthday. It was the Argentina independence. So everything was allowed to have the time of my life in Germany with Argentina champions, my birthday, and everything was going to go great, and we didn't.

So in 2021, they start to ask me, oh, what are your prediction? Who do you think is winning in Qatar? And said, no idea, man. I have no idea. I'm not going to say anything. In Argentina, we call them Mufa, we call them Kabbalah. We call them. I say, I have no idea who's going to win.

You know, it was a famous astrologer for many, many years in Spanish. And English also, Walter Mercado, that he was giving the holoscope every day. I said, listen, unfortunately, rest in peace, Walter Mercado is no longer with us. He was the one who used to predict the things. I don't predict. That's fair. And Argentina was championed in 2020. So from that point on, since 2021, I don't make any predictions.

That being? I respect that. I respect that. And it's difficult for me now because now I'm one of the spokeperson for hard rock bed. So I can do my bets without telling anyone. I think we may know, but we won't. We won't have to say it to keep the superstition. No, no, I don't, I don't go now.

That's awesome. That's awesome. Well, Fernando, a placent. Thank you so much for taking the time, sharing your story, bringing the energy, as you always do. We're very excited for the World Cup and excited to see you continue to be an influence in the soccer community, not only here in Miami, but globally, right? Thank you so much for taking the time. Please, thank you. Thank you for the invitation.

You can also follow me in Instagram, Fioreofficial, with only 1F, and on all the social media. And we have a streaming also that it goes live now. It's called After Party, and it goes every Thursday at 8 p.m. But also we have Republica Football, which is the streaming that I have for almost a year. And you can find us under Republica Football. and I have over 60 interviews with great soccer players from the past and nice stories. And now we start this week we start another revamp of the stories with the sponsorship of IKEA. So it's a great time for us to be part of all this.

And of course, and of course, we didn't talk about it, but I can show you. been the spokesperson in Spanish for over 20 years of the most famous and most desirable item during the World Cup. Panini. Panini, yes, that's right. Yes. This is my Panini car. That's amazing. I've been, I've been the spokesperson of Panini for, since, since Colombia, 2001, Cop America. That's, there you go. That's incredible. I'm Mr. Panini during all these years and look at the ones that I have right here. This is wonderful.

Wow. Yes, we can do a whole episode just on just on that. We really could. Oh, yeah. I love that. That's awesome. Okay. Thank you very much.

No, thank you so much. That was a wonderful time. Absolutely. We'll see you soon.