Martin Aguerre is one of the most well-traveled professional umpires. He played polo in more than 25 countries and now follows an annual umpiring trail that takes in Argentina, France as well as the west coast of the United States enabling him to utilize his fluency in four languages.

His father played polo as an amateur and Martin and his younger brother, Mariano, grew up on a farm outside Buenos Aires, Argentina. He plotted his future from the start. “I had a plan for my life,” he said. “I said, if I can, I will play professionally until I am 50. And that’s what I did.” Martin retired with a seven-goal handicap. He had been educated at a French college in Buenos Aires as well as the city’s university. When he retired, he chose umpiring because he liked it even umpiring back in the day when players fulfilled the role in the absence of professionals. “I did it with pleasure,” he said.

“Being an umpire is a challenge second by second and that generates a lot of adrenaline. It’s a very intense life. I want to keep it like that.”

Martin draws on his playing experience to handle tension on the field. “To be an umpire you have to have a very particular personality. You have to be firm but not aggressive. Because when a player comes to you with 100 percent adrenaline you have to have the class to calm him down in a good way in one or two seconds. The players are trying to do the best they can, and I can understand.”