Adolfo Cambiaso
Encyclopedia
Adolfo Cambiaso born April 15, 1975 in Cañuelas
, Buenos Aires Province
is an Argentine
polo
player with a 10-goal handicap. Currently, he is ranked number 1. He is often referred to as Adolfito or Dolfi.
in 1997 together with Bartolomé Castagnola
.
(Argentine Open) in 2002. In England, he started playing for the Dubai team
, which won the Queen's Cup three times and the Gold Cup twice among other tournaments.
in England successfully, but also became the team captain for Crab Orchard in the US, winning the US Open and the USPA Gold Cup. 2008 ended as a less successful year after not winning one match in the English polo season and not winning one of the prestigious Argentine tournaments. With La Dolfina he made it into the finals of the Argentine Open, but was beaten by Ellerstina 12-13 after a golden goal by Gonzalo Pieres (jun) in an extra-chukka.
By now, he is considered the best player in the world and is the most successful player in the Argentine Open, taking part 15 times, winning 7 times and played in the final another 2 time. He scored 535 goals in the Argentine Open alone, breaking the record held by Bautista Heguy with 531 goals.
He received several distinctions, among them the Olimpia de Plata
award as the most important Argentine polo player of 1997, best player at the final of the Abierto Argentino 1997, and the record of 67 goals, in the 1998 Abierto Argentino. He also plays for the Argentine national team since 2002, when he won the Copa Quilmes.
He has two children. Mia was born 2002, Adolfo jr was born during the Abierto Argentino 2005, in the middle of a qualifier against Centauros-Beaufort, which his father left half-way through in order to be present at the birth of his first son.
Cañuelas Partido
Cañuelas Partido is a partido of Buenos Aires Province in Argentina.The provincial subdivision has a population of around 42,500 inhabitants in an area of 1,200 km² , and its capital city is Cañuelas, which has a population of around 31,000.-Sports:Cañuelas is home to Cañuelas FC, a...
, Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
is an Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
player with a 10-goal handicap. Currently, he is ranked number 1. He is often referred to as Adolfito or Dolfi.
Early years
From a young age, his mother Martina de Estrada Lainez, encouraged her son and his half brothers to play polo. By the time he was 12 years old, his handicap reached 1-Goal. A year later, with a 3-goal handicap, he won the Eduardo Heguy Cup with the La Martina team, playing with his father (also called Adolfo). With the San Diego team he won in 1989, at age 14, the Campaña del Desierto Cup, and then a year later the Renault Cup Open with La Martina, reaching a 6-goal handicap.1990 to 1994
Adolfito travelled abroad regularly, winning 24 tournaments in Argentina, the US and England, while playing for teams like La Martina, Ellerstina/Ellerston White and other. In 1994 he won the "Triple Corona" (Argentine Open, Hurlingham Open, Tortugas Cup) with Ellerstina and was promoted to handicap 10, at that time the youngest player to reach this.1995 to 1999
He won 31 tournaments for teams like La Martina, Ellerstina/Ellerston White, White Birch, Outback and started his own team La Dolfina Polo TeamLa Dolfina Polo Team
The La Dolfina Polo Team was founded by Adolfo Cambiaso and Bartolomé Castagnola in 1997 and is one of the more successful polo teams in Argentina of the present. The other team members since 2005 are Lucas Monteverde and Mariano Aguerre....
in 1997 together with Bartolomé Castagnola
Bartolomé Castagnola
Bartolomé Castagnola born June 16, 1970 in Lomas de Zamora, Buenos Aires Province is an Argentine polo player with a 10-goal polo handicap and ranked among the top twenty players. He is often referred to as Lolo.-Career:...
.
2000 to 2004
In this period, Adolfo takes home 33 prizes. He stopped playing for Ellerstina, but became successful with his own team, which won the Campeonato Argentino Abierto de PoloCampeonato Argentino Abierto de Polo
The Campeonato Argentino Abierto de Polo is the most important international polo championship at club level, that has taken place every year since 1893 at the Catedral del Polo in Palermo barrio in Buenos Aires, Argentina.It was known as the River Plate Polo Championship between 1893-1923, and as...
(Argentine Open) in 2002. In England, he started playing for the Dubai team
Dubai Polo Team
The Dubai Polo Team is a successful high goal polo team based in Windsor. The Teams Patron Ali Albwardy also owns the Desert Palm Polo Club in Dubai. Adolfo Cambiaso is a regular player on the Dubai team along side Ali's sons Tariq and Rashid. Other prominent players to have been on the team...
, which won the Queen's Cup three times and the Gold Cup twice among other tournaments.
2005 to 2008
Cambiaso's La Dolfina Team proves to be one of the best teams of the present, after winning the Argentine Open in 2005, 2006 and 2007. In 2005, the team defeated Ellerstina by 20-19, the highest score in an Argentine Open final match. He continues playing for DubaiDubai Polo Team
The Dubai Polo Team is a successful high goal polo team based in Windsor. The Teams Patron Ali Albwardy also owns the Desert Palm Polo Club in Dubai. Adolfo Cambiaso is a regular player on the Dubai team along side Ali's sons Tariq and Rashid. Other prominent players to have been on the team...
in England successfully, but also became the team captain for Crab Orchard in the US, winning the US Open and the USPA Gold Cup. 2008 ended as a less successful year after not winning one match in the English polo season and not winning one of the prestigious Argentine tournaments. With La Dolfina he made it into the finals of the Argentine Open, but was beaten by Ellerstina 12-13 after a golden goal by Gonzalo Pieres (jun) in an extra-chukka.
By now, he is considered the best player in the world and is the most successful player in the Argentine Open, taking part 15 times, winning 7 times and played in the final another 2 time. He scored 535 goals in the Argentine Open alone, breaking the record held by Bautista Heguy with 531 goals.
He received several distinctions, among them the Olimpia de Plata
Olimpia Award
The Olimpia Award is a sport award in Argentina, given every year by the Argentine Sports Journalists' Circle since 1954.An Olimpia de Plata is awarded to one of the candidates of each one of the 41 sports disciplines...
award as the most important Argentine polo player of 1997, best player at the final of the Abierto Argentino 1997, and the record of 67 goals, in the 1998 Abierto Argentino. He also plays for the Argentine national team since 2002, when he won the Copa Quilmes.
Horses
Of his horses, the most notable were Lili, Ilusión, Sospechosa, La Osa, and his favourite Colibrí. But one of his best polo horses was indeed his world famous stallion Aiken Cura. Unfortunately, the horse was seriously injured during the final of the 2006 Argentine Open and has suffered further setbacks in treatment of the broken bone in his near foreleg. The injury happened in the extra chukka and the horse was taken off in the horse ambulance to be treated. It forced Cura's early retirement from the polo field. After amputation a prothesis was fitted but sadly due to complications Aiken Cura had to be euthanized in January 2007. Nowadays his most recognized horses are Mambo and Cuartetera.Marriage
Adolfo is married to one of South America's noted models, María Vázquez since 2001.He has two children. Mia was born 2002, Adolfo jr was born during the Abierto Argentino 2005, in the middle of a qualifier against Centauros-Beaufort, which his father left half-way through in order to be present at the birth of his first son.