Bhubaneswar: Matias Rey is on a mission.
The captain of the Argentine hockey squad, currently in Odisha to compete in the upcoming FIH Men’s World Cup, and his teammates will be shouldering massive expectations from fans at home. Not only are Argentina looking to lift their maiden World Cup hockey title, the men in blue and white will look to emulate the exploits of Lionel Messi’s football team last month.
Messi, arguably the greatest footballer of all time, had won every laurel that the game has to offer except for the World Cup. He did come close in the 2014 World Cup, but had to settle for second-best to the Germans.
And the 35-year-old football magician filled that vacuum in his CV by inspiring Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar last month.
In an uncanny similarity, the experienced Rey is yet to taste World Cup success, having earned bronze in the 2014 edition in The Hague.
An Olympic gold-medallist, courtesy Argentina’s title triumph in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, Rey will look to cap a dazzling career with the World Cup crown.
Like Messi, that will bring about complete fulfilment and satisfaction for a man who has played 253 internationals and scored 176 goals.
