Zoe Diaz, Argentina’s 18-year-old, was hailed as a “killer attacker” after marking herself out as one one world hockey’s latest stars of the game.
Diaz, who notched two Olympic goals, helped Argentina to a bronze medal in her first Games, while she looked assured during the shoot-out as Argentina beat Belgium to third place.
Rocio Sanchez Moccia, Argentina’s 36-year-old captain, said: “All these new girls like Zoe, Sofia Cairo and Lara Casas, they all have a lot of future. Zoe is a great, killer attacker and really offensive.”
Teammate Agustina Albertarrio said that Diaz, who has only played 13 senior internationals, “had an amazing future”. She added: “She can play like four Olympic games. She is really sweet and wants to learn a lot which is the best part.
“It’s her first Olympics and maybe she can’t see this today that she’s won a medal but perhaps when she is 25, 26 she is going to say I have an Olympic medal.”
Diaz first started getting interested in hockey as a seven-year-old watching Las Leonas.
Playing in Buenos Aires, the Club Italiano forward was picked for Las Leoncitas for last year’s Junior World Cup in Chile and immediately impressed.
Fernando Ferrara, Argentina’s coach, said: “I first saw Zoe in Buenos Aires with a group of juniors. I was very happy as I knew she had qualities and I kept in touch with her coach.
“When I saw what she did at the Junior World Cup I immediately called her.
“What I look about her is that not only from a technical and intensity perspective, but also from a human perspective.”
@perfecthockey Young Zoe Diaz first Olympic Goal 🇦🇷✨🐆 . . #hockey #fieldhockey #hockeysobrecesped #trending #zoediaz #fih #olympics #paris2024 #lasleonas ♬ sonido original – hockeymood🏑
Argentina held Belgium, looking for their first Olympic medal after last playing at London, to 2-2. The Red Panthers looked short of confidence in the shoot-out as Cristina Cosentino came to the fore. Argentina took it 3-1.
Ferrara added: “This is a team that made lots of efforts. I don’t want to call them sacrifices, because that’s what they do. But the girls work hard, they left their contracts in Europe, their jobs in Europe, left their families, and came to Buenos Aires to train every day. This is the greatest prize they can receive, to get on the Olympic podium and live this great experience.”
Nice to see a country pushing talent through young and getting so many positives.