Pedro Ibarra is the long-serving captain of the Argentina men’s national hockey team. Ibarra began his senior career for Los Leones back in 2006 at the Champions Trophy in Terrassa, Spain. Since then, he has been an integral part of the squad that has risen through the world rankings. In 2016, Ibarra saw his team’s progress culminate in a glorious moment of Olympic history as Argentina won gold for the first time.
While the Olympic Games in Tokyo are firmly in his sights, Ibarra’s present challenge is to lead his team against Germany in the resumed FIH Hockey Pro League. The Argentina team will host Germany on 3 and 4April in the Cenard Stadium in Buenos Aires.
Germany played two very good matches against the Netherlands, what do you feel are their most dangerous strengths?
Pedro Ibarra: We saw Germany’s two matches against the Netherlands, and we could see Germany are playing some really good hockey and are really strong. We always respect Germany a lot so we will see what will happen here in Buenos Aires.
How are your players feeling about resuming Pro League action?
Pedro Ibarra: We are happy and excited that we are playing again. We stopped playing international hockey for one year and two months, so we have a lot of energy to play these two matches against Germany.
Do you feel the team are ready to resume play at top level or will it take a few minutes to get up to speed?
Pedro Ibarra: I think we will need some minutes to get some speed and get used to international hockey, but we can’t change that. But we will work hard so we can do well in Tokyo (the Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020).
What are the key outcomes – apart from two victories – that you would like to get from these next two matches?
Pedro Ibarra: We want to play together again. We haven’t played for a year and two months and that is a lot for an international player. So now we are going to look and see what the next steps are to make sure we are ready for Tokyo.
#FIHProLeague
#HockeyInvites
