Ignacio Figueras Discusses Future of Polo and Modeling Careers on CBS

Argentine polo star Ignacio "Nacho" Figueras called his recent injury the worst he's had in his long career, noting it's the first time he's been away from the game so long, in an interview broadcast today, May 29, 2013 on CBS This Morning on the CBS Television Network.

Figueras was injured during a polo match in London when his horse collided with another and fell on top of him. "I've broken my nose twice, my wrist, my ankle," he told co-hosts Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Norah O'Donnell. "I've been unconscious a couple of times, but an injury where I'm going to be out for so long, it's the first time."

Figueras plans to attend the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic this weekend despite his injuries, where his son Hilario will be playing for the first time. Figueras said that his injury will keep him from playing for at least three to four months.

Excerpts of the interview are below.

GAYLE KING: Listen, two weeks ago my friend you were playing polo with Prince Harry and today you came hobbling in on crutches. What happened to you?

NACHO FIGUERAS: After I saw you on Wednesday when I was playing in Greenwich, I flew to London that same night, and I had a match - a test match, Argentina vs. England on Saturday, and that's what happened to me.

GAYLE KING: The horse fell on top of you? You fell off the horse and then the horse fell on top of you?

NACHO FIGUERAS: Correct. I was coming with an English guy like this, chasing a ball, and then suddenly the ball bounced to the right and the English guy turned in front of me to go get the ball and my horse tripped. When the front legs of the horse cuts the back legs of the other horse, the horse goes down. I went down with the horse on top of me.

CHARLIE ROSE: How bad was the injury?

NACHO FIGUERAS: I broke a part of my pelvis where the femur goes in. It's cracked like this. And the thing that hurts the most is that on the other side I tore all my muscles. All my muscles from like my knee to my back and then my entire back is bruised. When the horse stood up, he stood up on my back.

CHARLIE ROSE: And is the horse ok?

NACHO FIGUERAS: The horse was great. As a matter of fact, when I left for the hospital and I was substituted by a guy, the guy who substituted me played with the horse. It was just me.

NORAH O'DONNELL: When will you be able to play again?

NACHO FIGUERAS: I have 12 weeks off. 12 weeks where I cannot put any weight on my right leg. I am going to start rehabilitation in 3 or 4 weeks when the bone starts to finally be stuck. Then I'm going to start swimming and doing things. So 3 months.

CHARLIE ROSE: Is this the first bad fall you've had playing polo?

NACHO FIGUERAS: Bad, yes. It's been the worst. I've had many, I've broken my nose twice, my wrist, my ankle. I've been on unconscious a couple of times, but an injury where I'm going to be out for so long, it's the first time.

GAYLE KING: This weekend is the big Veuve Clicquot match and for the first time you were going to be riding with your son Hilario, you were going to be riding together.

NACHO FIGUERAS: This year I was very, very excited about playing with him. He's 13 now.

GAYLE KING: He's in the green room. And your daughter.

NACHO FIGUERAS: And my daughter Aurora who I love. So yea, we were going to play together, I thought he was ready, he's 13. Sometimes things happen for a reason. When I called back home because they were still in Argentina, he had exams, I called to tell him I was injured and he said, so am I going to be able to play in New York? I said let me try, I will do my best to be there. If I can be there then you can play.

GAYLE KING: So are you worried about him this weekend without you?

NACHO FIGUERAS: No I'm going to be there. We've been playing polo a lot. He's been riding all his life and I think he's ready.

CHARLIE ROSE: You also have this modeling career. How's that going?

NACHO FIGUERAS: That's going amazing. It's 13 years with Ralph. He's been an amazing inspiration for me. I never say I work for a brand, I say I work for a guy that I respect a lot. It makes a lot of sense, I'm a polo player, and the brand supports sort of the values of sports, so it's been an amazing partnership.

GAYLE KING: What makes you such a good polo player? Is it your hair, is it your eyes, is it your abs?

NACHO FIGUERAS: All of those things. It's not the hard work, the riding eight hours a day, it's not practicing, it's the hair.