Polo made his professional debut with Peruvian club Universitario in the 2011 season at the young age of 16.[2] Polo built a name for himself with his rapid acceleration and scoring skills. Being able to play in any of the four attacking positions, in his first season he quickly became an asset in the attacking force of his team. As the team's top scorer, Polo helped the Universitario under-20 squad win the 2011 U-20 Copa Libertadores.[3]
Club career
Universitario de Deportes
Polo got his start in the youth ranks of Universitario de Deportes and was promoted to the first team in 2011 under manager José del Solar. He made his official debut in the Torneo Descentralizado on 23 April 2011, against Alianza Atletico in the ninth round of the 2011 Descentralizado season, at the age of 16.[4] His debut match was played at home in the Monumental and finished 1–0 in favor of Universitario de Deportes.[4] Polo played from the start and was later substituted for Raúl Ruidíaz in the 67th minute.[5] In his second professional match, he scored his first senior career goal on 6 May 2011 in a league match at home against Cienciano del Cuzco.[6] Polo scored the goal in the 8th minute of the match by controlling with his head a lobbed through ball from Pablo Vitti and finishing with a strong left-footed shot into the top-right corner of the net.[7]
In a very short time, he earned a spot in the starting eleven and played in the following league games.[8] In round 15, Polo was on the scoresheet again in the 3–0 home win over Unión Comercio.[9] Then, he made his Torneo Intermedio (now known as the Copa Inca) debut on 28 May 2011 in the First Round against Sport Ancash.[10] With Universitario starting the match mainly with players from the reserves and already behind two goals, Polo entered the match in the 46th minute but could not help his side avoid the 3–2 elimination away to the Rosas Pampa Stadium in Huaraz.[11] With the league in the mid season rest, Polo, aged 16 years, was selected by manager Javier Chirinos for the under-20 Universitario squad to participate in the first edition of the 2011 U-20 Copa Libertadores.[3] He managed to score three goals in six games and finished as the team's top scorer.[3] Polo went on to help his side win the very first U-20 Copa Libertadores alongside notable players such as Edison Flores and Willyan Mimbela.[12] Chirinos included him in the starting eleven in all of the games including the final against Boca Juniors, which his side defeated 4–2 on penalties.[3]
Polo made his debut in a senior international competition on 1 September 2011 in the second round of the Copa Sudamericana away to Deportivo Anzoategui.[13] He was in the starting line up and later provided the assist for teammate Johan Fano's winning goal in the 49th minute, which gave his club a 2–1 win in the first leg.[13] After his club got through to the next round and on the day of his 17th birthday, Polo was voted man of the match after he provided an assist for Raul Ruidiaz's goal in the 1–1 draw in the first leg match away to Godoy Cruz.[14][15] In his fourth match of the tournament, he scored his first goal in the Copa Sudamericana in the second leg at home (Miguel Grau stadium) against Godoy Cruz.[16] His goal came in the 85th minute by heading in a cross from Edison Flores and eventually forced the match to a penalty shootout, which Universitario won 3–2.[16]
At the end of the season, Polo was given the award for Jugador Revelación (Breakthrough Player) of the 2011 Torneo Descentralizado season.[17] In January 2012, he signed a contract with Serie A club Genoa to join the club upon reaching 18 years of age.[18] Thus, Polo was to remain for six more months in Universitario; however, he ended up staying in the club during the whole year. In February 2013, he announced that his deal with Genoa had been annulled, for the club did not want to contract his services anymore. and that he would stay in Peru.[19] On 23 March, Universitario made public that Polo would not stay in the club.[20]
Universidad de San Martín
On 27 March, Universidad de San Martín announced that it had registered Polo before the transfer deadline date, but that he first had to solve irregularities in his contract with Universitario before being able to sign a contract with San Martín.[21] In April, Polo was enabled to play with San Martín by the Chamber of Conciliation and Dispute Resolution of the Peruvian Football Federation.[22] He played his first game with los Albos against Universidad Técnica de Cajamarca, coming from the bench in the second half.[23] In July, Polo scored his first goal with the club against Alianza Lima.[24]
Inter Milan
On 31 January 2014, Italian club Inter Milan signed Polo on a short-term contract for an undisclosed fee.[25] He then joined the youth sector of the club, comprised by under-19 players. He played his first game in March against Padova and scored his first goal on the next matchday against Cagliari. Polo played a total of 9 matches, becoming the starting right winger, and scored 2 goals. He was also on the bench for a first team game against ChievoVerona on the last matchday of the season, but did not manage to play.
Millonarios and loan to Universitario
In July 2014, Colombian club Millonarios bought 50% of Polo's playing rights in 2014 and loaned Polo for 3 years with the option to buy the other 50%. He played his first game with the club in a Copa Colombia group stage 1–2 defeat against Llaneros, in which he gave an assist. He scored 2 goals in 11 games in six months in the team, during which his playing time diminished.
In January 2015, Polo was loaned to Universitario, initially barely playing under manager Luis Fernando Suárez. During the Torneo Clausura, the arrival of manager Roberto Chale saw him quickly entering the starting XI. In November, Polo scored his only goal of the season on matchday 17, with a free kick in a 1–2 victory against Sporting Cristal. He remained in Universitario for the 2016 season, becoming a key player in an offensive quartet that also included Edison Flores, Raúl Ruidíaz and Diego Guastavino, which led the club to victory in the 2016 Torneo Apertura.[26] Flores was sold and Ruidíaz left on a loan before the Torneo Clausura, which led to a decrease in performance in this stage. Despite that, the team managed to reach the playoffs' semifinals, where they were eliminated by FBC Melgar 3–4 on aggregate, with Polo scoring in the away match. For the third place match, they defeated Deportivo Municipal 3–2.
Monarcas Morelia
In January 2017, Polo moved to Mexico and signed for Monarcas Morelia.[27] He played his first game with the club on January 22, in a 1–1 tie against Santos Laguna.[28] He scored 2 goals in 15 league matches in his first season with the team. In the Copa MX, where the club reached the final, losing to CD Guadalajara, Polo scored 1 goal in 1 match.[29] During the 2017–18 season, he played a total of 9 league matches and 1 cup match without scoring a goal.[29]
Portland Timbers
In January 2018, due to a lack of minutes at Morelia, he signed on loan for one season with Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer.[30] Targeted Allocation Money was used to avoid the use of a designated player contract.[31] Polo made his debut in the opening round of the 2018 MLS fixtures. He started the game as the Timbers lost 2–1 to LA Galaxy at the StubHub Center.[32] The team managed to reach the MLS Cup 2018 in December, which they lost 2–0 to Atlanta United with Polo playing as a starter. After good performances and securing a starting spot, his move to Portland became permanent at the end of that season, earning $150,000 guaranteed salary per year.[33][34] On 9 February 2022, he was suspended by MLS pending an investigation into allegations of domestic violence made by his ex-wife.[35] The following day Portland terminated Polo's contract with the club.[36]
Return to Universitario
After being terminated by the Timbers, he signed with Universitario de Deportes in March 2022.[37] The contract was paid in full by MLS upon his termination with his Contract with the Timbers. Despite his return, there was backlash by fans of the club as well as from the Peruvian Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations, with the Ministry releasing a statement expressing their solidarity with Genesis Alarcon and her children and urged the club to take immediate actions in response to the events related to Polo.[38][39] In 2023, after the arrival of manager Jorge Fossati, Polo was reconverted into a right wing-back,[40] later winning the 2023 Liga 1 after defeating Alianza Lima in the finals. In 2024, he played a total of 40 matches, scoring 3 goals and giving 15 assists, winning a second consecutive national championship with Universitario in the year of its centennial.
Polo was born in the Barrios Altos neighbourhood of Lima. In 2022, his estranged wife filed a civil suit against him for domestic violence. In 2024, the jury in Oregon awarded her $600,000 in damages, finding Polo liable for assault, battery, and negligence.[48]
