Amat continues to carry the torch for Spain's hockey nursery

New Delhi: Terrassa, a little town in Catalonia in Spain, has little in the way of general attractions for the lay tourist for whom the attractions of Barcelona, situated just 45 minutes away, would prove an inexorable draw.

But Terrassa had an important part to play in the history of the region. Inhabited since pre-historic times, it originated as the Roman town of Egara in the 1st century BC. But it really came into its own during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, when it specialised in woollen fabrics.

Today, it is still very much a centre of industry and remains extremely important to the economy of Spain. But that importance pales in significance to the other reason that Terrassa is famous for. Between 1928 and 2008, this nondescript town produced more than 130 Olympians. Not for nothing then is it known as the ‘Most Olympic city in the world'.

Most of the Olympians have come from the sport of hockey. Hockey is very much a family sport here, handed down from generation to generation. It is said that when a child is born in this region, the first gift it receives is a tiny hockey stick. So to say that Pablo Amat or ‘Pol' to everyone in the hockey world, was born with a hockey stick in his hands would not be stretching the truth.

He was born in the famous Amat family, with his father and three uncles all playing with great distinction for the country.

Pol took over the mantle early in life, debuting for Spain at the age of 17, before blossoming into one of the finest forwards in the modern game. Rated as the FIH World Player of the Year in 2008, he has been dubbed the "Ronaldinho of hockey" by former coach Maurits Hendriks for his silken skills on the pitch.

Predominantly an inside forward, Amat floats around the pitch, but his preference is to attack from the left where his fierce reverse-stick shot has caught many a goalkeeper by surprise. In fact, it's a shot he's perfected to such an extent that he prefers it to hitting with the full face.

"Yes, I have practiced hard for this shot; many, many hours have gone into it. I am now more confident with this than my forehand, he says with a smile. "I think it is hit harder and is more difficult for the goalkeeper to read."

Six feet tall and weighing in just under 80 kilos, he is an imposing figure on the pitch and he helped Spain win the Olympic silver medal in 2008, the World Cup bronze in 2006 and the European championship gold in 2005, besides a Champions Trophy gold in 2004.

Having also won silver at the 96 Atlanta Olympics and the World Cup in 98, Amat, now 31, is looking to upgrade. "It's definitely my last world cup. And it's also the last world cup for a whole generation of Spanish players such as Xavi Ribas, Rodrigo Garza, Alex Fabregas and maybe Edi Tubau as well. We have [come] so close so many times, so now we hope this is our chance to turn silver into gold. But we will see," he says.

One thing is for sure: Amat will ensure the Spanish play the game beautifully.