“It’s important to have won the Silver Cup, it is super important for Habtoor, for Mohammed, for the whole team,” says Matías “Colo” González after the final of the Bentley Emirates Silver Cup on Saturday February 5 where Mohammed Al Habtoor’s team retained the title they won in 2021. “We shared the victory as a team together. It has been an unforgettable journey.”
At 23, González has been playing in the big leagues for a while now. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Matias then moved with his family to Wellington, Florida, where he began playing polo. His skills flourished there, and he also began travelling to Argentina, playing between Buenos Aires and Trenque Lauquen. His first international polo trip was in 2018, when he was hired by Dubai Wolves. The following year, he joined Curtis Pilot’s team to play the first edition of The Gauntlet of Polo alongside Gonzalito and Facundo Pieres. That year, Pilot claimed all three tournaments (CV Whitney Cup, USPA Gold Cup and US Open), and Matias’ remarkable performance, as one of the best young players, made him the talk of the town.
Next, he went to Sotogrande to play medium goal with Brunei alongside another big star of the sport, Pablo MacDonough. Now, four years after his first appearance here, González is back in Dubai playing the Gold Cup Series with Mohammed Al Habtoor’s team. He and his two Argentine teammates, Juan Jauretche and Bautista Bayugar, were three of the best players of the Bentley Emirates Silver Cup.
In terms of the final between Habtoor and UAE – a polo derby in the Middle East, González says: “It was especially hard in the first half, but fortunately we were able to organise the team and overcome them. In the end, everything went very well.”
The 18-goal season continues for Habtoor Polo and Matías González with the Gold Cup, the most important tournament of the Gold Cup Series. “This week will be very important,” says González. “We will have more horses coming in from Argentina, so I think we will be fine.” In terms of the Silver Cup, he adds: “My family was behind me, they pushed me, they never told me to stop. They have been always behind me, especially my dad, (Diego Gonzalez).”
WATCH THE COMPLETE INTERVIEW WITH MATÍAS GONZÁLEZ (POLOLINE TV)