In the 18 days leading up to the World Cup, adidas wanted to inspire fútbol teams battling for glory. This worldwide pitch pitted agencies and creative teams across the globe in a different battle of our own: a muerte súbita or “match to sudden death,” to win the production of our spot.

My then-partner Javier Castillo and I concepted this piece to honor the long-suffering Mexican fútbol team. We told their story as a corrido, a traditional Mexican narrative ballad, often used to glorify drug cartel leaders—only we used the art form to rally the support of the fans and wish the team luck.

I partnered with a local Mexican artist to create the original music and pen the lyrics in a way that supported our story and remained true to the cultural artifact.

We ended up losing the game in a penalty shootout but we still had a lot of fun creating this piece.

ECD: John Norman
ACDs: Carmen Love + Javier Castillo

Original music: Yad Terán + Carmen Love