Andoni Iraola may not have yet proved himself to Liverpool supporters, but the Anfield crowd are ready to get behind him once his new era gets off the ground!
While Iraola hasn’t yet earned the right to have his song sung at Anfield, Liverpool fans are already making plans to serenade their new coach if his team begins to pick up momentum.
Hailing the Basque Country in the north of Spain, Iraola endeared himself to fans with his opening interview, in which he told LFC TV: “Football, at the end, is about emotion.
“I understand it’s a privilege, but also a big responsibility, because all those people want to be represented properly and we are here for this.
“I would love from my side, from the player’s side, so all those people identify also with the football, identify with the values of the squad.”
A Liverpool song for Andoni Iraola
Viva Andoni Iraola
No pasarán the pledge that makes us fight
“Adelante!” is the cry amongst The Kopites
Let us sing for Liverpool tonight pic.twitter.com/KlCo3P8cmn
— Kieo (@kieolfc) June 4, 2026
As is often the case when supporters get excited about new arrivals, there have been attempts at coming up with a ditty for Iraola.
Some have used the 43-year-old’s name in The Kinks’ Lola, but the most popular idea has come from Kieo, whose tune for Iraola has been seen over 1.8 million times on X.
The Merseyside singer-songwriter, who regularly plays around Anfield and at BOSS Nights, suggested words that go to Viva la Quinta Brigada by Irish folk artist Christy Moore.
Viva Andoni Iraola (chorus)
Viva Andoni Iraola
No pasaran the pledge that makes us fight
Adelante is the cry amongst The Kopites
Let us sing for Liverpool tonight
To the tune of Christy Moore’s Viva la Quinta Brigada
Like Federico Chiesa‘s song, which is chanted to the tune of the Italian anti-fascist song, Bella Ciao, there is a nice, deeper meaning to this Iraola tune.
Viva La Quinta Brigada is about Irish volunteers who went to fight against Francisco Franco’s fascist forces in the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s.
The Basque Country, where Iraola was raised, was particularly targeted by Franco due to having its own cultural identity and unique language.
The area has long felt itself different from the rest of their nation, a sentiment to which many Liverpool supporters can relate.
To all the messages I’ve had telling me it needs a verse…
This song is a tribute to Bill Shankly
To Kenny Dalglish and Bob Paisley too
Joe Fagan, Houllier, Arne & Jurgen
The greatest men to manage Liverpool…
VIVA ANDONI IRAOLA! pic.twitter.com/N6PpVMEMwv
— Kieo (@kieolfc) June 6, 2026
The nature of the song’s anti-fascist origins is also a nice touch, given the Kop’s historically socialist, left-wing values.
Having played 510 times for Athletic Club, Iraola understands how a city (in that case, Bilbao) lives for its football, saying of Liverpool:
“It’s a special club, not [just] because of the football side, but also because what people think about even during the week, how they are passionate about the club, the ones who play football, the ones who are probably interested.
“I have some experience with Athletic Club that I could in some ways familiarise, but it’s going to be fun to experience it from the inside.”
Hopefully, Iraola is successful and the tune translates to the Kop. However, as some have pointed out, it may be better in pubs and on coaches, where the pace can be kept slower.
Viva Andoni Iraola!