Pedro De Haro, the call-up to Los Pumas 7s and his sevens gamble | OneFootball

The player from Argentina’s national rugby sevens team, which won South American gold, recalled the emotional call-up that marked his debut, the changes he had to make to adapt to the discipline, and his goal of staying on the team with his sights set on the Olympic Games.

The road to becoming established at the highest level is marked by decisions, sacrifices, and moments that stay with you. For Pedro De Haro, one of those came unexpectedly, when he was still at his club and received the call that opened the doors to Los Pumas 7s.

After the gold medal at the South American Games, the Argentine player looked back on that moment and explained what the adaptation process was like in a discipline that required him to change several aspects of his game.

The call that changed everything

De Haro still remembers with emotion the call-up he received to travel to South Africa and make his debut with the national team.

“If I tell you the whole story, you’ll have me crying here. I was at the club with my family, and my mom was just coming in with me, and when they called me and said, ‘Pedro, if you’re walking into the club, walk back out because you have to leave for South Africa tomorrow,’ I really get goosebumps,” he recalled.

That moment was the beginning of a new chapter. “All I wanted was to teleport there somehow, get to South Africa, put on the jersey and say, ‘That’s it, I’m a Puma Seven now.’ From that point on, you can decide whether to keep calling me or not, but I’ve already taken that pressure off myself,” he said.

The move to sevens also meant a physical and sporting transformation.

“I changed a lot of things. To start with, I lost seven kilos, so from that alone you can imagine it’s a different sport,” he explained.

He also had to adapt his game: “I had to sharpen up my kicking. I play in a position where you have to throw the lineout. In 15-a-side rugby, that would never be possible.”

“My goal today is to play for Puma Seven”

After a rebuilding season for the national team, De Haro found his place in a squad that arrived at the South American Games as one of the main favorites and used the competition as a starting point for a season with a bigger goal.

“More than an obligation to win the gold medal, we came here looking to grow as a team so we can face a year with our real objective, which is to qualify for the Olympic Games,” he explained.

The gold medal won in Rosario was therefore a strong start on that path, but it also strengthened De Haro’s sense of belonging with the national team.

“This is an established team, and honestly being part of it fills me with pride. Hopefully I can keep being part of this madness,” he said. And when he was asked about the possibility of making the jump to Argentina’s 15-a-side national team, he was clear about where his priority lies today.

“Today, honestly, my goal isn’t to play for Los Pumas. Sure, that jump from Puma Seven to Puma has happened a lot. Mine isn’t,” he stated.

His wish is to continue in sevens and reach the team’s big goal ahead: “I want to be with Los Pumas Seven until the Olympics, and I love this team, I love being part of it. Hopefully I’ve got many more years left.” He summed it up in one sentence: “If you ask me, hey, is your goal to play for Los Pumas? Today, no. Today my goal is to play for Puma Seven.”

A medal with a special flavor

The gold won in Rosario also had a different element for De Haro: playing at home, surrounded by family, friends, his club, and a crowd that followed the national team throughout the competition.

“We play in some pretty unusual places around the world, and having this opportunity to play at home is honestly incredibly hard to explain,” he said. “My friends, the club, all the people from Argentina—it really was indescribable,” he added.

After that call that took him to South Africa for the first time, De Haro is now going through another stage of his career. It is no longer just about making the national team: he wants to establish himself in Los Pumas 7s, keep wearing the Argentina jersey, and chase the Olympic dream alongside the team.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.