From the Taj Mahal to the blue turf of Hockey India League: How India gave Lola Riera Zuzuarregui a new dimension to her career
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "From the Taj Mahal to the blue turf of Hockey India League: How India gave Lola Riera Zuzuarregui a new dimension to her career")
Lola Riera Zuzuarregui Photograph: (Hockey India League)
In an exclusive interview with WION, Lola Riera reflects on India, intensity, and joy as the Spanish legend embraces a new challenge with SG Pipers in the Hockey India League
Bent low, stick close to the turf, eyes locked on the ball, Lola Riera Zuzuarregui cuts a familiar figure on the blue turf. There is purpose in her movement and calm in her posture, the unmistakable presence of a player who has seen nearly everything the sport can offer. Three Olympic Games, more than 200 international caps, and over 110 goals later, the Spanish defender remains driven not by legacy, but by something simpler: joy.
Ahead of the Hockey India League season, Riera arrived in India earlier than most, not to train, but to explore. Before the intensity of competition took over, she travelled across Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra, immersing herself in a country she had long wanted to experience. “I knew that once the league started, it would be impossible,” she said in an exclusive interview with WION. “So I wanted to use this opportunity.”
Choosing North India for her first visit, she found the experience overwhelming in the best possible way. The Taj Mahal left its mark, Jaipur’s colours lingered, and New Delhi felt worlds apart from anything she was used to back home. But more than monuments, it was the people who stayed with her. “They were amazing in all the cities,” she says simply. “I really like this country.”
That openness carried seamlessly into the SG Pipers camp. For Riera, playing in the Hockey India League was never something she had planned. She had watched the men’s league from afar, admired its scale and atmosphere, but didn’t expect to be part of it herself. “Being here, playing with this team, for me it’s an amazing experience,” she admits. The reputation of the HIL, intense matches, packed stands, and relentless noise, proved to be no exaggeration. “The crowd is crazy,” Riera says. “And for us as players, this is what we want to live. This is why you play.”
Comparisons, however, are difficult. European club hockey, international tournaments, and World Cups, none quite mirror the rhythm of the HIL. With squads blending Indian and international players, matches feel unpredictable and emotionally charged. “I cannot compare it with any tournament I’ve played,” she says. “Everything here is spectacular.”
Despite arriving as one of the most experienced players in the squad, Riera’s transition into the team was effortless. She was the first overseas player to join, but quickly felt at home. “In a few days, I felt like these players were my teammates for a long time,” she reflects. The young Indian players, she says, learn fast and play with fearlessness. “They are so young, but they have big talent. It makes everything easy.”
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Leadership, for her, isn’t about authority. It’s about example. She balances defensive discipline with attacking instinct by trusting structure first. “If you don’t defend well, you lose the game,” she says. With constant communication from the goalkeepers and freedom in attack, she embraces unpredictability, a quality that has made her one of the most dangerous defenders of her generation. Her conversations with head coach Sofie and the management set the tone early. The message was clear: enjoy the game. “This is hockey,” Riera recalls being told. “We want to enjoy every moment.” That mantra, she believes, removes pressure and allows players to express themselves fully.
Even illness couldn’t break that rhythm. A stomach issue sent her to the hospital for several hours the night before a game, a result, she laughs, of loving Indian food perhaps a little too much. Yet the next day, she played. “When you want to play, your mind is more important than your body,” she says. On the field, she forgot she was unwell, instinct taking over where discomfort ended.
Now, as SG Pipers rebuild after a difficult previous season, Riera’s ambition is straightforward. “Of course, we want to win the tournament,” she says. But the approach remains grounded, one match at a time, constant improvement, shared belief. At this stage of a glittering career, experiences like India still add something new. “I didn’t expect to be here,” Riera admits again. “But I’m learning a lot, from the staff, the players, the tournament.” For a player who has already achieved so much, that curiosity might be her greatest strength. Because for Lola Riera Zuzuarregui, the medals matter, but the joy of playing, of discovering, of still feeling alive on the pitch, matters more.
