“What painting are you from, Elizabeth II?”

“What paint are you from … what paint are you from, Isabel … what paint are you from” might have been sung by some Argentine fan, fanatic like any British, to the late Elizabeth II. Among the many secrets of the Palace, the favorite colors of her Majesty have never been confirmed and there are contradictory versions of them. West Ham fan. Or the Arsenal. It is known that the monarch never wanted to publicly admit that he remained neutral in front of his subjects. And besides, football was not his favorite sport even though it was invented by his ancestors. Horses were his passion. He did not miss Ascott’s appointment and his daughter Ana was an Olympic jockey.

During the 96 years in which she lived, Elizabeth II was contemporary with the 21 World Cup played. Of which the first four lived as a princess. In 1952, lung cancer killed her father George VI, a heavy smoker, and made him his successor. She was crowned in 1953 so that from Switzerland 1954 to Russia 2018 she lived as Queen. He handed the 1966 Jules Rimet Cup to Bobby Moore, captain of the champion England after beating Germany in the final with a trick goal. Moore was an emblem of West Ham, in those years, powerful in the League. So much so that his fans sang to Guantanamera: “One team in London, one team in London … it’s West Haaaaam …”.

Perhaps this is why Isabel II received her sympathy for the team with an embroidered shirt and light blue sleeves in which they played briefly, many years later, Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano and today Manuel Lanzini does it.

However, in the past two decades, not only reporters following the life of the royals have claimed that the queen sympathized with Arsenal. In 2007, the team led by Arsene Wenger was welcomed in Buckingham. Two years earlier he had won his last Premier League and in 2006 he had lost the Champions League final 2-1 against Barcelona where a certain Lionel Messi stood out. The best of the “top scorers” had passed but Her Majestic received the team. Spaniard Cesc Fabregas, a member of that team, said in several interviews that Elizabeth II had told him she “was” from Arsenal.

“Football is a difficult business and the players are leading ladies, but football is a wonderful game,” he said after that meeting with the team he led. Thierry Henry.

Nor are there many certainties about his family’s football favoritism. Of Felipe it is not known which painting he followed. Carlos is from modest Burnley, Harry from Arsenal and William from Aston Villa.

The first time he saw a match that had already been crowned was the 1953 FA Cup final, between Blackpool and Bolton. In the 1960s, during a visit to Brazil, he participated in a friendly match between the teams of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. There they introduced him to Pele, then very young but already two times world champion. Years later he would grant him the title of Sir.

He made a great gesture with Diego Maradona, past the time of the Man of God ”. In 2015 he was invited to chair the NGO Football For Unity which would help poor children in Latin America. As a true gentleman, Diego sent him a video in which he says “I am Diego Armando Maradona; I wish to greet his Majesty, the Queen and the English Parliament, and inform them that I accept with all my heart the task they have given me for the foundation in Latin America ”.

Diego and the queen maintained a distant relationship. On the 10th, in his splendor, he was invited to have tea by then Prime Minister Tony Blair. “No, he wasn’t there, he had already left,” Guillermo Cóppola said in repeated interviews on local TV. “But Carlos was there,” added the former representative and told an extraordinary anecdote. The brand new King Carlos broke all protocols, touched Diego, embraced him. Maradona hated when people touched him. How could the then prince know, who had just decided to break the classical mold? According to Cóppola’s version, Diego pursed his lips and whispered to Guillote “tell Narigón to take the noma off his shoulder”.

A privileged witness of two centuries, still a princess, she participated in the first Formula 1 Grand Prix. She was with her husband Felipe, her sister Margarita and the Earl of Mountbatten, confidant and sometimes surrogate father of the eldest son Carlos. She was 1950. she was in Silverstone. And the Italian Farina won.

Reina had already been named patroness of Rugby-Football Union, Walsh Rugby Union and All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet. However, she rarely participated in a Wimbledon final.

There are other European monarchies who are more passionate about football. Alberto Grimaldi is not only a fan but also a Monaco owner. Could anything else be expected? Emeritus Juan Carlos de Borbón and his successor Felipe do not hide their passion for Real Madrid, a club that owes its current name to another king. Alfonso XII granted the title of Real to Madrid Club de Football in 1920. That Bourbon was generous because he granted the same title to several clubs, including Real Valladolid, Real Sociedad, Real Celta de Vigo and Real Betis.

For a lifetime, the English who invented the game that “it’s tough business” and mourn the death of their queen, have seen football invaded by other types of kings. The American millionaires at United, until recently the Russian Abramovich at Chelsea. PIF, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, is in the process of acquiring the popular Newcastle. And Manchester City is of the absolute monarchy of Qatar. The country that will host the next World Cup. What Isabel II will not be able to see.