Ten years since the first edition of his book Fútbol y patria, the author discusses the relationship between national and sporting narratives, incorporating the cases of women’s hockey and rugby in Argentina (which allows him to debate the problem of gender), as well as the transformations introduced by the role of the State as a producer of the patriotic story in contemporary neo-populisms. In the same way, postulating the central role of the sporting hero in these narratives, he analyzes the passage from Diego Maradona to Lionel Messi: from the pibe to the nice guy.