Marc Miralles (Terrassa, 1997) and Álex Alonso (Santander, 1999) make a good team. One is more reflective and the other has more flair. They may seem different but they share many things. Under 30 years old, both are the captains of the Spanish field hockey team. A responsibility in a sport where, often, the captains are part of established hockey dynasties. Catalan families like the Tubau, Amat, or Freixa have produced three or four generations of international players. This is not the case for these two players. Marc's father played water polo in Terrassa. And the Alonsos used the facilities of a sports club in Santander without wanting to compete. Nevertheless, their sons fell in love with field hockey.

Enamored with Lisbon's culture, Edu Castro (Vigo, 1966) has been getting lost in the streets of Lisbon for a year and a half now, strolling through the parks, where he sits down to read some of the books that have accompanied him throughout his career: Don Quixote, History of Western Philosophy, Ulysses either The man without attributesThe former Barça coach and current Benfica manager is an avid reader and is taking advantage of his time in Portugal to delve deeper into the literature of José Saramago and Antonio Lobo Antunes. "Leaving Barça is never planned, but I'm making the most of my time at Benfica. It wasn't a goal I had set, but once it happens, it's exciting," he explains to ARA. Born in Vigo, although raised in Bellvitge, he is a lawyer by profession who entered the world of hockey by chance. "Espanyol's hockey section didn't have a place to play their matches and they rented the rink at a school in Bellvitge, Joan XXIII. We saw the sport, fell in love with it, and both my brothers and I started playing." At 59, he manages Benfica, where he currently has a contract until June 2027. "Coaches are always dealing with temporary situations, and in a sport like ours, where there are few projects you can make a living from professionally, that's the reality." This means that, for the time being, he lives alone in Lisbon, far from his family; but Edu Castro has found the positive side: "Being alone gives me more time to dedicate to literature and hockey. You always have to make a virtue of necessity."