They jump, they scream, they hug. They look like Poroto, Jeta and Barto boys. In reality they are, they still are, although they have already been perceived as cracks. Not to mention the legend who left some time ago the freshness of his son and his nephews but has not lost the competitive spirit (What did the final play!)He never stopped feeling like an indispensable player and coach on the field who has just crowned his last dream. Because although his life seems destined to continue stringing together unforgettable chapters for documentaries, he now has no outstanding reports. If there is someone full of fame, his name is Adolfo Cambiaso.
La Natividad La Dolfina is champion of the Palermo Open. Also from Hurlingham and Turtles. The 2025 Triple Crown was hisHe is also unbeaten in 12 games. Adolfito, Poroto Cambiaso, Camilo and Barto Castagnola had almost made the trip. “If you don’t win Palermo, you feel like nothing else makes sense,” the leader and his brother-in-law said behind closed doors. Lolo “Metralla” Castagnolawho know too much about it. In the last performance, the dream team defeated its strongest opponent of the season, the other union of organizations and families, that of the Pieres and the Heguys, that worked best: Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufú. It was a 17:13 win.in a match he dominated from the third chukker onwards, became tough in the sixth and seventh, and he finished it like a champion: with authority and assertiveness.
Like in not-so-old times, with a final mood in the stands, the new presence of the nation’s president Javier Milei In the official box, in his role as a fan of Adolfito, as he was supposed to encourage him from the Dorrego stand, La Natividad La Dolfina was surpassed in a few seconds when Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufú appeared faster, more precise and with a Antonio Heguy uncontrollable. The 3-5 lead they went into half-time was a slap on the wrist in Palenques talk and the story was different.
Not just because of the 9-0 he gave his rival in 21 minutes, which he only converted again in the last move of the fifth chukker, but above all because he let go and played as he knows how: quickly, for a long time and with fleeting control in order to avoid unnecessary losses. He adjusted the points of the throw-ins and took advantage of every hesitation of the opponent, who lost concentration with some doubts due to certain mistakes. He deviated from the script and could only later concentrate on chukkers to get closer (at the end of the 7th he was two) and opted for another heroic one, like in the semi-final with La Irenita La Hache. This time it didn’t happen.
La Natividad La Dolfina was superior overall and played like the final is played. It had a great Barto Castagnola from start to finish: his best player of the seasonwho weakened in the semi-finals but came back with new strength at the agreed time. Adolfito in his best game of the year, always well positioned, in the role of assist and even converting. Poroto Cambiaso makes another leap in quality, with presence, goals, circulation and relays. And Jeta Castagnola with more sporadic appearances on conversions than he normally offers, but always forcing double marks and freeing up space. It was a team in the most important game of the year.
The beginning of the dream
These are times full of euphoria and emotions, but how can we avoid that night in December 2019? With his 16th title win in Palermo and at the age of 44, Cambiaso was still waiting for Poroto’s development (he was 14) to be able to play with him and say goodbye to the high handicap. It was exactly the year in which Jeta and Barto, “Metrallita” and “Milk” In everyday contact and as second nicknames, they debuted at the Argentine Open at the ages of 16 and 18 and caused a stir by filling every one of their matches at No. 2. During an award ceremony of the Argentine Olympic Committee, Adolfito told us about his umpteenth dream: “I want to retire and play in Palermo with my son and nephews. I’m going back.”. I had already thought everything through, even when the brilliant cycle with Juanma Nero, Pelón Stirling and Pablo Mac Donough had not yet been completed.
La Natividad La Dolfina was a team of virtuosos and stylists who played as a team in many parts of the season. He rarely became complicated, especially in those games where, by necessity or by choice, he had to resort to individual imbalance instead of letting passes into space and thus allowing the defensive reorganization of rivals. There is merit at the top too, with good horses and a plan to mine the talent accumulated. UAE Polo with “Mou” Fernández Araujo, an old acquaintance, got him into trouble and almost lost him in the semi-finals. Until Jeta Castagnola seemed to win, just as her uncle won on those afternoons not so long ago when he set himself on fire at 1. Of course, it’s in the genes and Camilo’s journey has only just begun. He won four of the seven Opens he competed in, just like his brother. Crazy!
“We will play with the best in history”Jeta told us this in December 2024, when the new family team had already been decided. “The guy is intense”he said with a smile in the video presentation of La Natividad La Dolfina, referring to the messages in the WhatsApp group. They won 12 games and three titles, but Perhaps the most important thing about the season was every hug, smile and celebration between Cambiaso and Jeta, the relationship that lacked a twist. If you relive the pictures, you will feel how nice it was to play together at least once in your life. The four themselves will feel it.
Because La Natividad La Dolfina was an experience that experienced an inner shock in Palm Beach, but knew how to deal with it As for tuning, it grew over the year. Enjoy everyday life. Logically, much more between cousins, for generational reasons. The games were the official celebration they gave each other. Sometimes with hot flashes, which initially cover the man from England with an injured hand and give him an advantage. But also knowing that Cambiaso would be the balancing point between so many irreverent talents who sometimes need someone to convey calm and allay fears.
If it was Cambiaso’s last game (considering how he played this final, it shouldn’t be) In Palermo it is something that can be solved within a few hours. “I hope he plays with us for two years,” said Jeta. At 19, he was tied with Horacio Heguy and only had one title Juancarlitos Harriottthe greatest champion. He now has five Triple Crowns. The La Dolfina nativity scene can stay with him for another year or leave the place to Lukín Monteverde, the friend who patiently waits for his time. The truth is that everyone already has a title and experience etched into their soul. It seemed like it would never happen because of Adolfito’s age. The truth is, it would have been mischievous.
The best of the game
The summary of the finale
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