Voa, pombinho, voa! (GO BRAZIL!)

The Brazilian men’s soccer team’s nickname is the “canarinho” (“little canary”) because of their iconic yellow jerseys. Ahead of the 1982 Spain World Cup, then-player Júnior sang “Voa, Canarinho, Voa” (“Fly, little canary, fly”) to motivate the team and the country. As sportscaster Juca Kfouri pointed out, during Brazil’s November 24 game against Serbia during this World Cup, the player who flew was Richarlison, whose nickname is “pombo” (“dove”) . In honor of today’s last group stage game against Cameroon, I’ve translated Júnior’s song, changing the canary to a dove and Spain to Qatar.

Listen to the original version
(and see that wonderful 1982 team!)

“Fly, Little Dove, Fly”
Fly, little dove, fly
Show the people that you’re a king
Fly, little dove, fly
Show them in Qatar what I already know

Green, yellow, blue, and white
Build my country’s pavilion
The green takes over my corner
The yellow, blue, and white
Make my people happy

And my people take the stage
Make my little dove cheer
Applaud what he does

Ball rolling and the world enchanting
With the crowd delirious
I’m there and I want more