The Mexican singer-songwriter shares her experience covering the 2003 classic by Patita de Perro.
Julieta Venegas revived the song “La Niña Futbolista,” an old track by the Mexican children’s rock band Patita de Perro, in an exciting new version accompanied by the Mexican National Conservatory of Music Choir. The song, along with its video, was unveiled on Friday (May 29) by the Mexican government to promote messages of inclusion and women’s participation in sports ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The original 2003 track was written by Ignacio Silva. Venegas’ new version, with arrangements by producer Yamil Resc, came about through an invitation from Mexico’s Secretaría de las Mujeres, a federal agency that promotes women’s advancement through gender equality and respect for human rights.
“I really liked being invited by the Secretaría de las Mujeres to create a version of ‘La Niña Futbolista,’” Venegas said in a statement to Billboard Español. “The whole time we were working on the song, I imagined a girl who dreams of playing soccer, and someone telling her she can’t do it.”
“I think all women have, at some point, been told there’s something a woman supposedly ‘can’t do,’” added the Tijuana-born singer-songwriter, who recently received the Artistic Excellence Award at Billboard Latin Women in Music 2026. “I wanted to inspire girls and women not to let anything hold them back, but to go after what they want. I made it with a lot of love. I hope it inspires them to play and have fun.”
