The thousand and one anecdotes of Adolfo Cambiaso: from billionaire bosses and playing with King Carlos III to realize the only dream that was missing in life

“Exactly, I can’t believe it. I’m delighted. I can’t ask for more from the polo”. Adolfo Cambiaso He released that sentence minutes after winning for the 18th time of Argentine Open Championship and fulfill the dream of shouting champion with his son bean as a partner (the “heir” added his first crown and, at 17 years and six days old, became the youngest polo player to win the tournament). The words of the leader The Dauphin They reflected his joy at an unprecedented achievement, which at times sounded like a utopia to him; but they also knew of a possible goodbye. Was it time to retire for the best player in the history of polo? Hours before the final, when the celebrations continued to echo in the Palermo field, Cambiaso clarified the doubts: he will continue, at least another year.

“It is confirmed. Let’s play together in 2023 because the relationship on and off the pitch is very nice. We have a game to stay competitive. And it is very likely that next year you will have more fun than this. I thought more about enjoying 2023 and with these colleagues. Y Withour hair, Juanma Y bean They also wanted me to play another year with them. It’s fun to be together,” said 47-year-old Adolfito ESPN polefollowing a champion team meeting Sunday at the AAP property.

This is how La Dolfina – who won his 15th Scudetto last Friday in Palermo – will repeat the formation for the 2023 Triple Crown: the two Cambiasos, the Uruguayan David Stirling Y Juan Martin Nerowho was chosen MVP of the final that Cañuelas’ team beat him 13 to 9 the nativity. Cambiaso will give himself the opportunity to seek his 19th title in the most important polo competition in the world, to equal the record of Horace Heguy and remain one of the record holders Juan Carlos Harriot. And, with one more season in high handicap, he will also have the opportunity to add more pages to that imaginary book of anecdotes, which he has been writing for a lifetime.

Is that Adolfito started playing polo when he was very young. At 12 he had his first handicap and at 19 he already had 10 goals. At just 15 he was crowned for the first time in British open. At 17, three decades ago, he made his debut in the Open, the one in which only a few days ago he had shouted champion again. The leader of La Dolfina has spent a lifetime playing polo. And beyond the goals and victories, records and titles – he won 14 in hurlingham and 9 inside turtlesthe other links of the Triple crown, and adds more than 160 lower-value championships and international trophies-, in this sport he is passionate about, he has amassed endless stories.

The most curious are those he remembers from his campaigns abroad, marked by big bosses who surprised him with their lifestyles, full of luxury and opulence. One of the most extravagant was the Australian Kerry Packerpartner of Gonzalo Pieres in the creation of Ellerstina. “What I had to live with was incredible and unreal with him,” Cambiaso acknowledged years ago in an interview with the magazine Hello.

Packer, who died in 2005, was a media tycoon in his country, with a fortune of around 5,000 million euros. He loved polo and was very generous with his money. Cambiaso has verified this on his own meat more than once.

“I saw him lose twenty million in one night at the casino… and his face hasn’t changed,” said the leader of La Dolfina. When they saw him enter, the croupiers knew they didn’t care. the tip I gave them saved the year“.

The craziest story of adolphite with Packer occurred during an Argentine participation with the Australian team in US Open. “That was in 1997 or 1998. It didn’t go well for us, we were right out and we were having a stable mate. Packer wanted to go to the casino and he told us: “Let’s Go to Vegas”. Ten minutes later, a helicopter landed on the field and took us to his private plane. We chose what we wore: he didn’t even let us put together a bag,” she said “Stray Animals” in 2019.

“Kerry was renting an entire floor of MGM for himself. But that day his suite was occupied by Elton John… It lasted 15 minutes for Elton in the room: the hotel managers cut it up to give it to Packer,” he continued.

Hand in hand with bosses like Packer, the American Roberto Jornayvaz and the emirates Ali AlbwardyCambiaso has shrugged off global royalty, famous Hollywood stars, and some of the richest people in the world.

He once commented that King Charles III of England, with whom he played while still a prince and who had to try to “Gentleman” During matches he is an excellent polo player. With whom he played at exhibitions tommy lee jones Y Sylvester Stallone, “a tough one on horseback”. And with whom he knew how to share a golf course jack nicholas.

Cambiaso always ensured that he would not trade his life in Cañuelas and breaks in his camp in Córdoba for that lifestyle. “What I saw on those trips didn’t move me in the slightest. My happiness doesn’t stop there. I’m not interested in being a millionaireYes, I have enough to stay healthy and for my family to stay healthy. For what else?”, she assured a little while ago.

For adolphitelife revolves around his family, his wife Maria Vasquez and his children MyAdolfo (bean) Y Thousands– and their horses. Some of those who have known how to ride in the most important tournaments of the world have been very special to him, as was the case with hummingbirda short sorrel, but very agile and very fast, which happened to him when he was playing in Ellerstina and was for many years the best horse in Argentine polo.

With that animal, Cambiaso also has an anecdote from 2001, albeit not a very pleasant one. “I was in England when they called to tell me they had stolen him from the Cañuelas field along with some other horses. It hurt. I couldn’t do much from afar, just keep up to date on the phone. It was awful,” he recalled in The graphics of 2009.

The local police recovered the horses a week later, 50 kilometers from the field, in the possession of nine men armed with a net which he stole them to slaughter them.

Likewise, Cambiaso’s most successful and happiest stories are those he has seen as the protagonist on a field, especially at the Campo Argentino in Palermo. There he shouted champion with La Dolfina on 14 occasions. The first came in 2002 when he shared a team with Sebastian Y Juan Ignacio Merlos and with his brother-in-law Bartolomeo Castagnoladad of barto Y Cupthe young figures of the nativity.

That year the Cañuelas quartet wore a special jersey. Except that since the traditional one was too similar to that of Ellerstina, adolphite used one with the colors of new chicagoa special club for Castagnola.

The new kit made its debut at Hurlingham and when the final of the Open was played some supporters of the Mataderos club managed to sneak into Palermo to cheer with drums, flags, green and black smoke and classic football songs. La Dolfina prevailed 20 to 16 Chapaleufú Indians II.

The following year, it was Cambiaso himself who invited the Chicago bar to attend the definition of the Open against The water and created too much of a stir. It’s that the fans entered the pitch with flares and flags when the match had already started and the crowd didn’t like it very much. Many people who were in the stands facing Dorrego invaded the playing field in protest and the match was suspended for nearly half an hour.

It was revived when fans of the little bull They were transferred to another of the stands. And the team of I steer Astrada they won 12-9 and prevented La Dolfina’s second fiesta in the most important tournament in the world.

“We didn’t think of it as a way to break with the standards of polo. But I think it was positive and gave him a lot of space in the media that didn’t give importance to our sport before,” reflects Cambiaso.

As curious as all those memories is the story of how he started venturing into the business of cloning. It all started in 2006 when Aiken Carea horse he had bought from his brother and which was one of his favorites was injured during the final in Palermo and they had to sacrifice it. adolphite asked to remove and freeze the cells. “I really don’t know why I did it,” she once admitted.

Four years later, quite by accident, he came across an American tanker doing cloning, and the rest is history. The Argentine has become a point of reference for this practice in the country and has revolutionized the polo business.

In 2016, Cambiaso and his La Dolfina teammates played the Argentine Open with six clones of quartet, the best mare I’ve ever played with. Three years later, that 40-goal formation completed David Stirling, paul macdonough (today in La Irenita) e Juan Martin Nero he rode eight clones of the same animal during the Palermo tournament.

“It has always been easier for me to play the Quartetera than other horses. And now I have several Quartetera! They are very similar. They move almost the same way, they have the same temperament. I notice small differences, but sometimes I look at them and there is no I can believe.” what I see”, commented Cambiaso.

adolphite He has been playing polo at the highest level for 30 years. A life of memories and anecdotes, the happiest, some incredible. Experiences I would never have had if it weren’t for the sport. Stories that, like titles, records and victories, are part of the career of the best polo player in history. A career that will have at least one more season.