This story is part of Billboard’s Global World Cup Series, a collection of 11 cover stories which pairs top soccer stars across the world competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with highly-touted musicians in accompanying countries.
“When are we dropping the next hit?” Lucho Díaz asks Ryan Castro with a laugh, as they switch roles to interview each other for Billboard Colombia as the stars of Billboard‘s Global World Cup Series, in a special edition for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
More than an interview, it felt like a conversation between two friends whose bond was sealed with “EL RITMO QUE NOS UNE,” the anthem that accompanied Colombia’s national team during the 2024 Copa América. From Orlando, Florida — where La Tricolor was holding its training camp ahead of the 2026 World Cup — Ryan and Lucho reunited with hugs, inside jokes and music talk, especially around “La Promesa,” the champeta track that marked Lucho’s debut as a solo artist.
This was no ordinary meeting. Sitting face-to-face were two of Colombia’s biggest names of the moment. On one side, Lucho Díaz, star of Colombia’s national team and the country’s all-time top scorer in Champions League history. On the other, Ryan Castro, one of the strongest voices in urban music and the artist with the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Colombia Hot 100.
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While one represents Colombia from the soccer field and the other from the stage, both speak the same language: the language of the Ghetto. Ryan grew up in Pedregal, Medellín, dreaming of becoming a reggaetón artist while surviving through different jobs, including working as a waiter in Curaçao. Lucho, from Barrancas, La Guajira, played barefoot soccer among dust, vallenato music and financial struggles, dreaming of making it to the biggest leagues in the world.
Today, both of them bring stadiums to life, each in his own way: one by scoring goals and the other by singing. With the hope of continuing to celebrate goals in the Ghetto — and hopefully also in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final — they sat face-to-face to talk about music, soccer, dreams, and even a possible new musical collaboration.
Lucho Díaz: I’ll go first so the pressure’s on you. As an artist, what do you admire most about athletes?
Ryan Castro: Wow, I think what I admire most — and what’s the hardest part — is the discipline of training every day.
Castro: As an athlete, what do you admire most about musicians?
Díaz: Being able to sing, bro. Having the talent to sing, create and write — that’s the hardest thing to me.
Lucho Díaz Natalia AguileraDíaz: Do you think musicians and athletes have more in common than people think?
Castro: Yeah, discipline and passion connect us. When we’re onstage and when you’re on the field, we’re not thinking about money — we genuinely enjoy it.
Díaz: That represents both of us. In soccer and in music … we wake up listening to music. We go to the stadium, train and leave listening to music, too.
Díaz: Did you ever play any sports?
Castro: Of course. Soccer my whole life. Basketball, tennis, ping-pong, too … but soccer always came first.
Díaz: What position would you play?
Castro: Yours [left winger]. I score goals too … just a few less than you. (Laughs.)
Castro: If you hadn’t become a soccer player, would you have liked to be an artist?
Lucho Díaz: Yeah. My family is very musical — my dad sings, too. When I was little, I played accordion, but I don’t remember much now.
Lucho Díaz (left) and Ryan Castro Natalia AguileraCastro: What do you listen to before a big match?
Díaz: Reggaetón and trap… “Sanka,” “La Villa”… that song is a banger. It really motivates me.
Castro: And when you miss Colombia?
Díaz: Some vallenato. That instantly takes you back home.
Lucho Díaz: Before a concert, what do you listen to?
Castro: Honestly, you won’t believe me … I listen to Rocío Dúrcal and Ana Gabriel.
Díaz: Seriously? Damn, bro.
Castro: Also reggaetón, Vicente [Fernández], Diomedes Díaz…
Díaz: “EL RITMO QUE NOS UNE” brings together soccer, music and country. Why do you think it connected so much?
Castro: Because it felt real. It has so many Colombian rhythms and it came at a special moment during Copa América. People felt that connection between soccer and music. I felt like stadium fans needed a song they could truly sing together, and that’s why I think it’ll last forever.
Ryan Castro Natalia AguileraCastro: What does it mean to represent Colombia around the world?
Díaz: Pride. We want to be an example for young people. The most important thing is that when your career ends, people remember who you were, what you achieved and what kind of person you were. That’s legacy to me.
Castro: And also the responsibility of setting a good example and representing your homeland the right way.
Castro: What excites you most about the next World Cup?
Díaz: Fulfilling the dream of playing my first World Cup. Representing Colombia at that level is indescribable. I dream of going very far with this team … God willing, we want to finish first.
Castro: Playing in a World Cup is insane — my God! I believe in these guys.
Castro: If Colombia wins the World Cup, what’s the first thing you’d do?
Castro: I’d probably cry a little. (Laughs.)
Díaz: Me too. You wouldn’t even know how to react.
Castro: We’d do everything: cry, celebrate, scream, thank God … we’ve got to work hard to get to that day.
Castro: So, when are we dropping the next hit?
Díaz: I’m ready. We’ve already talked about it.
Castro: (Singing.) “And the real combination, Lucho Díaz, Ryan Castro, El Cantante del Ghetto… Plo, plo, plo, plo!”
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