Joaquín López: “I will never stop being Argentine in the Brazilian team …”

The Pan American Cup of Uruguay 2025 will have a new special encounter for Joaquín López, the Brazilian nationalized Argentine who represents To the Verdeamarelha. In the previous contest that will be played in Montevideo and in which he will face, once again, the Argentine National Team (in addition to listening to the anthem of his country of origin along with that of the country to which he represents today), Piojo spoke hand with hand with hand with AM850.com about how his arrival at the national team of the neighboring country was arrived.

“In 2013 I went to live in Rio de Janeiro for an idea of a former boyfriend of my sister’s cariocathat sees a news in a media that the Brazilian team began its long preparation for the 2016 Olympic Games, just to be played in Rio. Without finding much, he devised a crazy plan to live there and nationalize me so that I can train from the selected. I sent a mail to the Brazilian Hockey Confederation and they asked me if I had a direct relative from Brazil, which was not so and that was the reason why, at first, they denied my request of being part of the selected “Piojo began.

After two years of much suffering and uncertainty in his life (yes, he continued playing hockey in Brazil at club level), Life put Joaco ahead of the possibility of getting a boyfriend with a Brazilian. Months later, that girl would become his wife And in the possibility that he can get the long -awaited citizenship that would allow him to play an Olympic Games, although representing Brazil. His level at the Carioca Hockey Club led him to be called by the national team of that country.

And then he continued: “Today there are almost 10 years in the selected one, but I also want to add the first three in which I lived in Brazil, from 2013 to 2016, which were the most difficultwhere I learned everything and where I marked the feelings of the possibility of playing an Olympic game. In those first three years I worked on something else outside the hockey, I did not know if it came to the end of the month, if I had to move or if I had to change your family. Luckily, I was strong and I always knew that it was one more step towards the Olympic dream. “

In the last Pan American Cup of Chile 2022, Joaco López lived one of the most unexpected moments of his career: listen to the Argentine National Anthemthat of your country of origin, and the National Hymn of Brazilianwhich it represents almost a decade ago, both in the same game.

This answered about that situation: “I had already happened in the South American Cochabamba 2018, on a podium because we left third and Argentina first, but living it in a game because it faced my country It was strong, but it’s super cute. Argentina is the homeland, I am in Brazil for my status as Argentine and I will never stop being Argentine in the Brazilian team. “

And added: “I have a lot of love for the two hymns when I sing them because Argentina reminds me of where I was born fromof the product that I also sell playing outside Argentina. And that of Brazil reminds me of the months I spent learning it and singing it with my eyes closed as if it were in an Olympic game“

“I think we are very good and we have a very clear goal: to be within the first three. Today we are a team, for the first time, ambiguous but very cohesive since half we play an Olympic game and we are in competition. All this group plus young people, which is a project that Brazil has opted post Olympics. There is a lot of talent. The friendlies in Uruguay came well to understand each other in the short time we are together. We are looking forward to competing and not just playing the tournament“said the current Castelldefels Hockey Club player from Spain on how Brazil gets to the Copa América.

Finally and to close, Joaquín López talked about how he influenced his life having played an Olympic Games: “I think the Olympic Games They made me much better person than a player. They change you for life. There is no day that I do not remember that or go to a new place and be a letter of presentation. I think that the issue of living in society, to adapt to a new culture, has much in common of a sport, and above all a team sport, which is the one that I have the privilege of playing. “