Skip to content

Kiricocho

Definition of Kiricocho

Word used in football by the Argentines as a charm to invoke luck in favor of the team of their choice.

By extension and origin, Kiricocho is also a wish of bad luck for the rival team. In this sense, its use is more widespread, not only in Latin America, but even in Europe.

SYNONYMS FOR KIRICOCHO

  1. Talisman
  2. Fortune
  3. Mufa

ANTONYMS FOR KIRICOCHO

  1. Bad luck
  2. Misery
  3. Adversity

ORIGIN OF KIRICOCHO

Narigón Bilardo says that “Kiricocho” was a boy from “La Plata” who liked to go to training occasionally. However, every time he did so, something unfortunate happened to the team of “Students” which he led in 1982.

When the players and coaching staff realized that this man was apparently unlucky, they decided to take advantage of it in their favor. For this, they always put him to receive the rival team, thus, they would be the ones who would take the bad fortune.

So, Kiricocho was with them during the games, and since that year they were champions, they adopted it as their good luck charm.

CURIOSITIES OF KIRICOCHO

In 1982 Estudiantes was champion of Argentine soccer. He only lost one game and coincidentally it was the only one that Kiricocho was not present.

In Europe some fans, players and others, often use the word kiricocho to wish bad luck to the rival team.

In 2018 Antoine Griezmann uploaded a video on his Instagram account in which someone yells “kiricocho” at him in training. However, this time the forward managed to score avoiding bad fortune.

Joan Capdevila affirms that he used the word and it worked in his favor in the penalty that Roben missed against Casillas in the final of the World Cup in South Africa in which Spain was proclaimed champion.