Marcos Moneta: “We want to repeat the gold obtained in Lima 2019”

Marcos Moneta (23) is relaxed. He has been in Chile for a few days, but he has clear goals for the Pan American Games. In the Pan-American village, he chats with The third . Unlike what he does on the pitch, El Rayo escapes nothing. Touch all topics. The Pumas 7 crest looks grounded, despite the constant flashes signifying it’s a world-class figure.

How is your team getting to the Pan American Games?

The main objective of Santiago 2023, being the first tournament, is to start strengthening the team. Afterwards, we want to repeat the gold medal from Lima 2019. Another color would not be a failure, but we come looking for the gold medal.

We see that he is confident…

We visualized gold. At seven, these are 14-minute matches. If you start on the left foot, you cannot overcome this problem, because the terrain becomes uphill. It is complicated. We have to come in very focused to win the medal.

How do you assess the level of competition?

They all have a high level. Even though we are not in Tier 1, it seems more complicated to us, because we are the team that will win and we have to assume this responsibility. It’s going to be very hard. Chile is at home and will want to win the medal. They’re going to go there. Uruguay is always good. It’s a very difficult group. For me, these are the three best. The United States is strong, but it has not brought the best. Canada is also tough, but the South Americans are at home.

Do you think you are the best in the world in the category?

Today it turned out that he was my partner Rodri Isgró. Of course, if you ask me, I’m not trying to think of it that way. I stand out for my position and my characteristics, but without the team I have, I would not shine. The Argentine team is one of the best in the world.

He seems focused…

I try not to think about what I already have. This gives you a foundation or momentum. Winning things should be motivation to get them back. But I try to be in the present and not think about what I have already acquired. There is pressure because, of course, they ask for photos. Maybe I take this fanaticism well. It’s another motivation to keep going. Seeing the impact we have on people is something positive. One of them said: “che, look the impact on children.

How do you take people’s comments?

I have social media and use it a lot, but it has never affected me negatively. Perhaps because of the team’s good timing, there are no swear words. This may change, but I’m not one to pay attention to comments on posts. I don’t see what the pages say either. I don’t care what they think. I just focus on what my teammates and my family say, which are positive things.

How do you stand out in the discipline?

I started playing at my school. We toured Chile, I remember we played against Grange. I have been traveling since I was 14. I also played in Viña del Mar. He was a very athletic boy. He played tennis, football and rugby simultaneously. Then I left tennis. I had to choose between football and rugby and I chose rugby. With that, I started at full strength until they took me to a concentration for the first time, in preparation for the Youth Olympic Games. It was 2017. I was still a boy, but that’s how I started my career.

What is your most important achievement?

Bronze in Tokyo. It was crazy. I had also experienced it with the Youth Olympic Games, it was an incredible achievement, because it was gold and we were local, with friends and family. It’s not easy to win gold, but there were six teams. In Japan there were 12 and he was a senior Olympian. There was a lot more scale and visualization. It was an incredible feeling, especially after the inhumane effort that all the athletes made because of Covid. We were full of protocols in the Villa and everywhere, whether you like it or not, they affect you. It was difficult to train and eat. It was not only a bronze medal, but also a medal of effort and perseverance.

What is the ceiling of the Pumas 7?

I don’t think that’s the case. That’s the gist of what we did. From there, there are another thousand steps.

How do you see the development of rugby in South America?

It seems to me that Chile and Uruguay grew thanks to SLAR. It was a turning point. Peñarol became champion. This helped the Uruguayan base. In Chile, there are the Cóndores, who qualified for the World Cup for the first time, and the Cóndores 7, who played the final against us in Odesur. They do a wonderful job. Brazil too. The more the region grows, the more we grow. All this is welcome.

How do you grow?

It is a very good thing for us that Chile and Uruguay are growing. Thanks to this, even if the Argentine franchises do not have their best players, we went from one to two, in Cordoba and Buenos Aires. And I hope Chile manages to have two. The fact that everything continues to grow pushes us upwards.

Have you seen other disciplines at Santiago 2023?

I followed the Pan American Games. Not all sports, but those that identify with me the most, which are team games, like handball, hockey or basketball. The truth is that everything seems very good.

What does Marcos Moneta do in his free time?

I watch a lot of football and play football games.

FIFA or PES?

FIFA, all life, always.

You don’t watch tennis?

Only important games. I also looked at paddle tennis, because I play it, because it’s the only recreational sport I can do. I could also play golf, but I’m not interested in that. In the low season, I also sometimes play tennis. Not in football, because you can break.

Do you admire any athletes?

To Messi. The best in history.

What about rugby?

I have a lot. Juan Hernández, Nico Sánchez and, in my position, Juan Imhoff, we have similar characteristics. Then I think of number 7, Santiago Gómez Cora, who is my coach. I admire him as a person, a coach and for who he was as a player. That sounds a lot like me.

Similar to what influenced him?

Also for that. He was a winger, he used his foot and he was very daring.

You are a fan of River Plate…

Yes, I’m going to court. I have a subscription and every time I’m in Buenos Aires I go there. I have my places with my old man and my brothers, who always go there. For me, Paulo Díaz is the best central defender in Argentine football. Always give it to me. It’s small, but it works on it. I hope he stays at River for a long time. All the Chileans who have passed through River are great players.

Does another name come to mind?

Marcelo Salas, Alexis Sánchez and now Díaz. El Matador arrived in 1996 and I wasn’t born. Then he came back in 2003, but I was three years old. It’s not what I remember, but I’ve seen videos and I know the players who came through River.