Player Lucina “Luchi” von der Heyde has decided to definitively resign from the Argentine national hockey team and will play for Germany. This move has a significant impact on the present of the 'Las Leonas' team and adds a strong chapter to the recent history of the national sport.
The midfielder, born in Posadas, closed a cycle that lasted more than a decade in the sky-blue and white jersey. This period included over 100 international matches, four titles, the 2016 Champions Trophy, and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. She was also a key figure in the youth team that won the world championship and was named FIH Best Under-23 Player in 2018, according to the Argentine News Agency (NA).
The decision is said to have become irreversible after years of tensions related to her residence in Europe, a factor that marked her intermittent relationship with the national team since 2019. The national team's work model, with long training camps in Argentina as a condition for joining the stable squads, ended up distancing her further from the project.
Over time, von der Heyde settled in Germany and found there sporting continuity, personal life, and a path more compatible with her current situation. Having been cleared by regulation after a period of inactivity with the Argentine team, she accepted the proposal from the German combination and is preparing to begin this new stage.
The case recalls that of Gonzalo Peillat, an Olympic champion with 'Los Leones', who also broke with the Argentine structure and went on to represent Germany. In this context, von der Heyde's departure becomes especially symbolic: it is not just the absence of a key player, but a sign of a hockey increasingly traversed by career, logistics, and project choices.
