Argentina are World Cup Champions! What role did yerba mate play?
The social beverage offers hydration and caffeine, but the real benefit of yerba mate for the Argentines is its ability to inspire togetherness and teamwork.
On December 18, 2022, Lionel Messi lifted his most coveted trophy — the World Cup — for Argentina. It wasn’t easy, as evidenced by a rocky start against Saudi Arabia in the group stages and late comebacks from Netherlands and Mbappe in the quarterfinals and the final. But it was a well-deserved ending for the “Scaloneta” for all of the skill and talent shown throughout the tournament.
Days before the final, the New York Times published this article by James Wagner entitled “What’s Powering Argentina at the World Cup? 1,100 Pounds of Yerba Mate”. The article, of course, caught my eye as a lifelong yerba mate drinker and reading it gave me a few good chuckles as it would be hardly news for any Argentine person that the selección would bring along a half-ton of their favorite caffeinated beverage. That’s pretty standard for past World Cups too.
I am, myself, half-Argentine from my mother’s side and I learned to drink yerba mate from an early age (probably around two years old) thanks to my grandparents despite having been born and raised in the U.S. Mountain West.
What I always find interesting, however, is how the rest of the world perceives mate-drinking that, for me, is as normal and constant as drinking coffee for other people.
The NYT article, plus several other articles that followed from other media outlets, were hinting (or expressing skepticism) that yerba mate was somehow providing the Argentina team a bit of a performance boost that was helping them at the World Cup.
A Rolling Stone article hyped up the drink as Argentina’s “powerful secret weapon” and went as far as comparing yerba mate to another South American plant, coca — to the annoyance of myself and likely most mate drinkers, who don’t see much similarity between the two plants aside from geographic origin.
Early in the NYT article, Wagner quotes Argentine midfielder Alexis Mac Allister saying that yerba mate “has caffeine,” similar to coffee or tea, which (apart from hydration) is the obvious reason for why it might have offered some benefits on the pitch.
Caffeine is well-known to help with sport performance through its effects on the brain causing a person to become more alert and more focused. Some studies also suggest that it can also help spare carbohydrate stores in muscle and reduce the perception of exertion.
It was the other part of the quote, however, that stood out to me: “But I drink it more than anything to bring us together.”
The act of sharing mate among teammates, I think, is a much stronger argument than any nutritional value for why the drink might’ve had any impact on performance outcomes for Argentina. That’s my hunch, anyway, and that’s coming from someone who is trained as a nutritionist.
Let me explain: The way we Argentines drink yerba mate is quite different than how others drink typical caffeinated beverages. Yerba mate is traditionally served by adding “yerba” leaves to a “mate” gourd and passed around in a sort-of circle.
It’s during that process of a “cebada” that sparks conversation and togetherness. What better way to encourage teamwork than for players to be sharing mate, telling jokes and stories, and laughing together!
There are more than plenty of pictures of Leo Messi and his teammates like Angel DiMaria and Rodrigo DePaul sharing yerba mate. For any Argentine person, a regular “mate cebada” is quite normal among friends similar to having a beer with your buddies (except probably healthier).
The Covid-19 pandemic changed this dynamic somewhat, as more Argentines are opting for having their own mate gourd for themselves and declining to share with others. For the most part, however, Argentines continue to share a cebada with close friends and family.
There’s a lasting sense of comfort and togetherness that comes from these mate cebada sessions, which I suggest can lend to friendship and trustworthiness when it comes to play, scoring, and celebrating goals.
For more on the topic of Argentina’s World Cup win and yerba mate, check out this latest Way of the Gaucho podcast episode. The “Way of the Gaucho” podcast is a show where my brothers — Ryan and Casey — and I regularly reflect on yerba mate and, often, Argentina.
