Justo, Marqués San Miguel

Unlike Mexico, polo was not a military sport in Spain and Marqués Luis de San Miguel was one of the many members of the Spanish nobility who were the mainstay of Spanish polo. Because of the limited facilities in his home country, Justo San Miguel played most of his polo in England in the years leading up to the World War I. He played for representative Madrid teams and also Roehampton, amongst others.

A scientific player who regularly showed flashes of brilliance, San Miguel helped Madrid reach the final of the Roehampton Cup in 1914. He played at number one in the first two of Spain’s four matches at the 1924 Olympics but both ended in heavy defeats, They were beaten 15-2 by the United States and 16-2 by Argentina although San Miguel had some consolation of scoring one of the goals against the South Americans.

After that, San Miguel played most of his polo in France and won the Carlton Cup at Biarritz in 1925 and 1926 and the Continental Cup, also at Biarritz, in 1927. He continued playing in France beyond his 60th birthday. Other titles in his palmarès include the Reina Victoria, Infates María Teresa y Fernando, Infanta Isabel, and Moratella Cups, the Campeonato de Madrid, and the Montaigu Cup at Rugby.