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Nacho Figueras
Nacho Figueras
Born
Ignacio Figueras

(1977-03-04) March 4, 1977 (age 47)
25 de Mayo, Buenos Aires Province
OccupationPolo Player
SpouseDelfina Blaquier (m. 2004)
ChildrenHilario, Aurora, Artemio, Alba
ParentHoracio & Mercedes Bermejo

Ignacio "Nacho" Figueras (born March 4, 1977) is an Argentine polo player. As of September 2009, he is ranked as one of the top 100 polo players in the world.[1] Sometimes called the "David Beckham of polo",[2] he usually plays in Argentina and in the U.S. as part of the Black Watch Polo Team.[3][4] He has also been the face of Ralph Lauren's Black Label line since 2005, and was recently chosen to represent the entire line of Polo fragrances.

In 2015, models.com ranked him in the top eighteen of their Money Men[5]

Polo

Figueras began playing polo at the age of 9. He turned pro at 17, playing at various locations in Europe before arriving in Bridgehampton, New York in 1999.[6] There, he joined White Birch, a team shared at the time by Peter Brant and Neil Hirsch.[7] He currently plays for and is captain of BlackWatch, a team he co-owns with Hirsch.[8][9]

Modeling

When he was approached by the photographer Bruce Weber 12 years ago, at a dinner party held by Kelly Klein, ex-wife of Calvin, in The Hamptons, he hoped modelling might help him buy more squirrelly mounts. "Then I realised that I could make extra money, and raise awareness of the sport."[10] Nacho started modelling for Ralph Lauren in 2000, eventually become the face of Ralph Lauren Black Label in 2005, and has been under contract since.[2][6][11] In May 2009, he was made the face of the World of Polo fragrances, including Polo Black, Polo Blue and Polo Modern Reserve.[12][13] Black Watch is also a label under the Ralph Lauren umbrella, offering tight polo shirts emblazoned with Nacho's number 2, an idea of Figueras' to make it a billion-dollar brand.

In June 2009, he was voted the second most handsome man in the world by the readers of Vanity Fair with 15% of the vote, far behind Robert Pattinson, who drew 51%,[14] and ahead of Brad Pitt, who drew 12%.[15]

Despite his success in the modeling arena, polo continues to be his passion. He says his mission in life "is to bring polo to the world a little more,"[16] doing his best to raise the profile to the sport of polo however he can.[2] To that end, he has helped organize matches such as the Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic exhibition in Governor's Island, New York; the most recent edition on June 27, 2010 also featured England's Prince Harry.[17]

In October 2010, Nacho Figueras co-hosted the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic with Cameron Silver in Los Angeles at Will Rogers state park attracting celebrities and socialites like Minnie Driver, Mischa Barton, Donovan Leitch and Rachel Zoe.

He appeared as himself in the 44th episode of the CW television series, Gossip Girl [1], third season premiere "Reversals of fortune", aired in 2009.

Oprah

On September 28, 2009, Figueras was a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show in Chicago. The show was titled "Meet the Most Famous People in the World", and also featured the "Oprah of China" Chen Luyu, and Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan. In one of the segments on the show, Nacho gave Oprah's reporter Ali Wentworth a private polo lesson.

Personal life

Nacho was born in 25 de Mayo, Buenos Aires Province. He has been married to Delfina Blaquier, a photographer and former model, since 2004. The couple currently have 4 children, Hilario, Aurora, Artemio and baby Alba born January 19, 2013.[17]

References

  1. ^ "Ranking". worldpolotour.com. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  2. ^ a b c Williams, Alex (2009-08-02). "Putting Glamour on Horseback". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Biting into the polo mint
  4. ^ Peak Performance
  5. ^ "Models.com Money Men". MODELS.com. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  6. ^ a b Rosen, Alison (2008-09-11). "Stud on a Steed: Nacho Figueras". New York Post. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  7. ^ "Well Bred". Hamptons Magazine. Archived from the original on September 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-29. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "The Sport of Kings Returns To Bridgehampton Polo Field". Hamptons Magazine. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  9. ^ "Polo's 10 Hottest Horsemen". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  10. ^ http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/lifestyle/article-23856676-nacho-figueras-the-stud.do
  11. ^ "Nacho Figueras: The Face of Two Polos". blackbookmag.com. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  12. ^ "Nacho Figueras, Biography". models.com. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  13. ^ "Official World of Polo Fragrances page on Facebook". Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  14. ^ "Robert Pattinson Is the Most Handsome Man in the World". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  15. ^ "Nacho Figueras' Love of the Game". oprah.com. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  16. ^ "Nacho Figueras's Guide to Polo". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  17. ^ a b http://www.panacheprivee.com/Web/BeSeen/Polo10/Third_Annual_Veuve_Clicquot_Polo_Classic.asp
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