The rise and rise of Mauricio Macri: football, culture and presidential politics in Argentina 1991–2023

Mauricio Macri’s defeat in the 2019 Presidential Election suggested the end of his political career in the volatile world of Argentinian politics. Yet months after his rejection by the electorate, he emerged as executive chairman of the FIFA Foundation, keeping him in the public eye, and offering the possibility of a political comeback. This article charts the rise of a political outsider to the zenith of state power. The exploitation of football was pivotal in promoting Macri’s political ambitions, framing a construction of Presidentialism within the traditional synthesis between football and politics in Argentinian society. It also examines his adherence to neoliberal ideology during his tenure as President of Boca Juniors, a giant in the Argentinian game, and his two terms as Mayor of Buenos Aires between 2007–2015. Finally, the article considers the implications of his victory in the 2015 Presidential Election, as the first non - Peronist to head the government since 1945.