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Argentina goalie Vivaldi looking to add another gold and tattoo to his collection

Posted at 12:34 PM, Jul 30, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-30 14:42:17-04

Argentina field hockey goalkeeper Juan Vivaldi hopes his teammates will join him in getting an Olympic tattoo if the reigning champions come out on top of the men's tournament at the Tokyo Games.

Since men's field hockey debuted at the 1908 London Games, India, the Netherlands and Germany are the only nations to have won the men's gold at two consecutive Olympics.

So it would be nothing short of historic for Argentina to do the same. Argentina faces Germany in the men's field hockey quarterfinals on Saturday.

"I feel like if we have the luck of winning again, we can do a next tattoo with the whole team," Vivaldi said.

He added it was still players' personal decision.

Vivaldi, 42, had the five Olympic rings and the words "Rio 2016" and "gold" tattooed on his right biceps to celebrate winning five years ago, which he said was an "epic moment."

"We will see this time," he said.

The goalie is the oldest player in Tokyo's Olympic field hockey tournament and is planning to retire when it's over.

Vivaldi deserved to be at the Games given how he trains and reacts, said teammate Agustin Mazzilli.

"I think he's a legend now and the best goalie we have in the history of Argentina," he said.