Dubai love story inspires Belarusian pianist’s emotional tribute to Argentina’s World Cup triumph.
It was only a few years ago that Marwan Bakhos, a Dubai-based Lebanese expat and lifelong supporter of Argentina’s football team since the age of nine, discovered Instagram videos of Liliya Bezmen, a young Belarusian pianist.
With music being his other great passion, Marwan found himself repeatedly listening to Liliya’s soulful renditions of classical compositions, which soon became a regular feature on his phone.
“I became a fan of her music and started following her page on Instagram,” he recalled.
But what began as a connection between a music lover and a talented pianist eventually grew into something much deeper, with their relationship blossoming amid the uncertainty and disruption of war.
“When the war between Russia and Ukraine began in 2022, creating uncertainty across the region including Belarus, everything changed,” Marwan said.
“She loved her country and had never seriously thought about leaving, but the circumstances were different. When she received an opportunity to move to Dubai, she accepted it because she was unsure about what the future would bring.
“That was when we finally met in person, in June 2022. We started spending time together and our relationship grew from there.”
A few months later, another unforgettable moment unfolded in Marwan’s life.
He travelled to Qatar and attended two of Argentina’s group-stage matches against Mexico and Poland during the 2022 World Cup — the tournament where Lionel Messi and his team would eventually lift the trophy.
“I have been a hardcore Argentina fan since 1994, when Diego Maradona was sent home from the tournament after a failed doping test. Since then, I had only experienced heartbreak — the setbacks, the defeats in finals (the 2014 World Cup and the 2015 and 2016 Copa America finals). So you can imagine what it felt like to finally see them win the World Cup in 2022,” he said.
Yet his most powerful memory from the tournament was not only Argentina’s historic triumph at Lusail Stadium.
It was also the team’s iconic fan anthem, Muchachos, Ahora Nos Volvimos a Ilusionar (“Boys, we’re dreaming again”), which deeply moved him.
The song celebrates Argentina’s identity as the home of Maradona and Messi, capturing the nation’s emotional connection with football, memories of fallen heroes from the Falklands War and years of World Cup heartbreak.
The lyrics also portray Maradona, who died in 2020, as a guiding presence watching over Messi and the team, helping them achieve their long-awaited World Cup victory.
As 50,000 fans filled the stadiums in Qatar with the sound of the anthem at every match, Argentina overcame a shock opening defeat to Saudi Arabia, winning their next six games and securing their first World Cup title since 1986, when Maradona was the nation’s hero.
The song’s haunting melody, the extraordinary passion of the supporters and its emotional lyrics continue to give Marwan goosebumps.
“When Liliya saw that passion, she realised this song was something truly special. I had experienced it myself at the World Cup in Qatar — the song followed Argentina throughout the tournament and became part of the team’s incredible journey,” he said.
Unable to get the melody out of his mind, Marwan eventually asked Liliya if she could recreate the song on the piano.
“Usually, when I ask her to play a football song, she hesitates because they do not always translate well to piano. But this melody was different. She could feel that it was being sung by people with genuine emotion,” he said.
“That made Liliya believe it was worth attempting, even though adapting it for piano was extremely challenging. She has a unique ability to take music that seems impossible to play on the piano and transform it into something beautiful.”
The pair took their time before sharing the tribute. They waited until Argentina’s 2026 World Cup campaign began and released Liliya’s piano version of Muchachos on Instagram a day before Argentina’s opening match against Algeria.
The video, showing Liliya performing the song while wearing an Argentina shirt, has since captured the hearts of fans across the country.
A naturally shy person, Liliya prefers to let her husband speak on her behalf. However, she admitted she has been deeply moved by the response from fans in Argentina.
“It is beautiful to see the support from the people of Argentina for my piece. They have been sending me wonderful messages, and I am very happy that my music has brought them joy,” she said.
What has touched both Liliya and Marwan most is that the appreciation goes beyond the song itself.
“They are not supporting the video simply because it is an Argentine song. They genuinely appreciate that someone from another country took the time to play something that carries so much meaning for them,” Marwan said.
“When we checked the Instagram analytics, almost all the engagement was coming from Argentina. The responses came from every generation — young children, older women and middle-aged men. Many people wrote that they could not hold back their tears when they heard the piano version. It was incredible for us,” Marwan said.
Marwan, who married Liliya in 2023, then explained why Muchachos stands apart from other football fan songs.
“What makes the song unique is that it does not belong only to the supporters. The players were singing it, the fans inside the stadiums were singing it, and millions of people back home were singing it too,” he said.
“For years in Argentina, there was a passionate debate about whether Messi or Maradona was the greater player. After Maradona’s passing, this song arrived at the perfect moment. Instead of comparing them, it imagined Maradona supporting Messi from heaven. The lyrics are beautiful and powerful, and that is what drew Liliya to the song.”
For the video, Marwan, a passionate collector of football jerseys, dressed Liliya in Maradona’s 1986 World Cup shirt. In the background, Argentina’s home jersey from the 1994 World Cup and the away jersey from the 2014 World Cup were displayed as a tribute to the team’s historic victories and painful defeats.
“The song carries the heartbreak of all the finals Argentina lost, the memories of Maradona and the dream of winning the third star. It also honours the soldiers who lost their lives in the Falklands conflict. Everything builds towards that unforgettable moment in 2022,” Marwan said.
“Even after Argentina lifted the World Cup, the celebrations continued for weeks. People were still singing the song everywhere. I would watch those scenes on television and cry. Liliya kept asking why grown men were still emotional even two weeks later. That was when she understood it was about something much bigger than football.”
As the 2022 World Cup unfolded, Argentina’s campaign appeared to be in danger after their opening defeat to Saudi Arabia. But Messi and his teammates gradually found their rhythm, winning one game after another before reaching the ultimate triumph — defeating France in a thrilling final on December 18.
Argentina’s remarkable journey during that tournament also brought Marwan and Liliya, who had met only months earlier, closer than ever.
“During that World Cup, I was emotional and vulnerable, and that played a big role in bringing us closer,” he said.
“In a way, Argentina’s story became part of our own love story. To now see this kind of affection for her piano tribute coming from Argentina feels surreal.”
