Marcos Moneta: The Argentina flyer who honed his skills playing football
Find out how football helped Moneta become a 2018 Youth Olympic Games champion, an Olympic medallist, how he pulled off a great escape at Tokyo 2020, and what his dual-code goals are.
Argentina is blessed with some truly world-class athletes.
As the dust settles on the nation's 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph, inspired by a certain Lionel Messi, attention for some will switch to another man wearing the famous blue and white shirt.
Marcos Moneta, nicknamed ‘El Rayo’ or ‘The Lightning’, made headlines in rugby 7s at Tokyo 2020 in 2021 with his amazing speed.
With Argentina being a football-obsessed country, it is unsurprising that Moneta developed his athletic ability with the round ball.
“As a kid I liked to play football a lot. I played until I was 16,” the 22-year-old River Plate fan told World Rugby.
“I think as I’m fast, I like kicking and looking for the ball. It’s a great tool, especially in Sevens where there’s a lot of space. If you’ve got a good kick, it’s very useful.
“Mainly I use it because of that. I learned from them, and because of my past skills playing football.”
Marcos Moneta: 2018 Youth Olympic Games champion
Moneta eventually dedicated himself to rugby at San Andrés club in his nation's capital Buenos Aires, where he once played infront of a star-studded supporter.
“I don't remember the game specifically, but I was playing with the boyfriend of Valentina Pichot [daughter of Argentina rugby legend Agustín]. And once, it's true, he saw me play," he told La Nacion.
Moneta then burst onto the international scene as a key component of Argentina’s 2018 Youth Olympic Games rugby sevens team who romped to gold on home soil.
He quickly graduated to the Pumas’ senior team on the World Rugby Sevens Series and, as a 20-year-old, would regularly face some of the world's top sevens exponents like Fiji's Jerry Tuwai and USA's Carlin Isles.
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Taking rugby 7s bronze at Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 2021
After quickly finding his feet, Moneta took his game to a whole new level in 2020/21.
The Buenos Aires-born player was selected to play at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games held in 2021, and his stunning solo try against South Africa - with Argentina down to five men at one point - helped his side reach the semi-finals.
It was also in this game that he was clocked sprinting at 38.6 km/hour, even faster than ex-BlitzBokke star and Olympic bronze medallist Cheslin Kolbe’s top recorded speed.
After scoring another try in a losing effort against eventual winners Fiji in the semis, Argentina rallied to beat Great Britain 17-12 in the bronze-medal playoff, with Moneta crossing for his sixth try in Japan just before half-time.
That made him the tournament's top tryscorer but, more importantly, earned Argentina a first Olympic medal in the seven-man rugby discipline.
He said afterwards, “This is a dream come true. It was what we were looking for, to get on the podium. It is a great pleasure and we will enjoy it now. The team is crazy!”
Marcos Moneta: World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year
His exploits in Tokyo, and during the World Sevens Series, saw him make history on two counts.
First, he became the first Argentine to be named World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year.
And a week later, he was the first sevens player to claim the national Olimpia de Plata award for rugby ahead of 15-a-side stars Julián Montoya and Marcos Kremer.
Marcos Moneta: leading Argentina to more success
Using that momentum, Moneta and Argentina enjoyed a stellar 2021/22 World Series.
They opened the campaign with four podium finishes before claiming victory in Vancouver last April for the nation's first World Sevens Series victory in 13 years.
Unsurprisingly, Moneta topped the tryscoring charts with 10.
While their season tailed off somewhat after that, Argentina went on to take fourth place in the overall standings.
Unfinished Olympic business at Paris 2024
Despite having achieved so much in his career so quickly, Moneta is motivated by even loftier ambitions.
On the pitch, he wants to lift the World Sevens Series overall title and win Olympic gold at Paris 2024, while simultaneously furthering his career in 15s, having been selected for his nation's Rugby Championship training squad in 2021.
“It’s going to happen. Now I’m focused on Sevens, but maybe after the Paris Olympics in 2024 it’s going to be a great option. Sevens gives you great tools which help you for 15s,” he continued to World Rugby.
Away from the pitch, when he's not relaxing by playing padel (a short form of tennis), Moneta studies Business Administration at the University of San Andrés.
The future certainly looks bright for the well-rounded Moneta, and Argentina rugby sevens, but the man himself will simply try to 'enjoy it and have fun', just like Messi and his round ball teammates did at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.