By Admin 
Like any true Argentinian, Juan Ignacio Gilardi loves to explore nature in all its beauty.
The 44-year-old head coach of the Argentina’s men’s junior hockey team for the upcoming 2025 FIH junior World Cup in Chennai and Madurai is a keen surfer and is also into kite-surfing.
“I hope to find at least one hour to do kite-surfing here. If you know someone that takes lessons, contact me,” Gilardi told The Hindu on Wednesday after the team’s arrival in Chennai.
The Argentina men’s hockey team on arrival at Chennai airport for the FIH junior men’s World Cup on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
AKHILA EASWARAN
But before that, he has quite a few scores to settle. Having lost to eventual champion Germany in the quarterfinals of the previous edition (2023), Gilardi is confident Los Leoncitos, the Little Lions, as his squad is called, will fight for a medal this time.
“We have six players from the previous World Cup. It’s a new group, strong and unique. We have some players that are really skilful, really powerful. We have quite a few penalty corner specialists who can turn out to be the top-scorers of the tournament, and a good goalkeeper. We are going to fight for a medal,” he said.
The team led by Tomas Ruiz, according to the head coach, has had good preparations having won the Pan American hockey championships, with an all-win record.
The Argentinian team being welcomed at Chennai airport for the FIH junior men’s World Cup on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
AKHILA EASWARAN
“We won the Pan American Trophy, but we all know the World Cup is much harder. Tomorrow (on Nov. 20), we start with the practice matches against India. We will be ready,” he said.
Placed in Group-C with New Zealand, Japan and China, Argentina, the two-time champion, should progress into the quarterfinals quite comfortably. But Gilardi prefers to wait and watch.
“We don’t know too much about Japan and China. We have some videos about New Zealand. We have to be confident about our game,” said the 2016 Rio Olympics gold medallist with 174 senior caps (2007-18).