00:07For such a tiny, remote country, Uruguay casts a giant shadow on football history.
00:18Before the establishment of the World Cup, La Celeste had already won six of the first 12 editions of the
00:24Copa America.
00:30They won Olympic gold medals in 1924 and 28, going undefeated on both occasions.
00:37These were the only two times in football history the Olympics were recognised as the World Championship of Football.
00:48So when FIFA was looking for a venue for a new international tournament in 1930, Uruguay was a natural choice.
00:56And the favourites lived up to top billing on home soil, winning all four matches to be crowned inaugural FIFA
01:03World Cup winners.
01:08The second World Cup arrived in 1950. Since when, Uruguay have slipped down the pecking order of international football, but
01:17continue to punch well above their weight, considering the country's population is only just over three million.
01:26There have been peaks along the way, including recently under the management of Oscar Tabarez, whose 15-year stint from
01:342006 to 2021 saw him become the coach with the most matches in charge of a single national team in
01:41football history.
01:47A former primary school teacher, Tabarez was known as El Maestro, and when he was installed as head coach, he
01:55brought with him what became known as El Proceso.
02:01This was a root and branch methodology for all national teams, from youth level upwards, cementing a 4-3-3
02:09formation and setting aside time for players in which they can study.
02:17Diego Forlan, Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani and Diego Godin all became household names thanks to El Proceso, with no shortage
02:28of stars following in their footsteps like Darwin Nunez, Manuel Ugat and Federico Valverde.
02:40Underpinning Uruguay's overachievement is a shared national character known as Garra Charua, which celebrates Uruguayans as perennial underdogs.
02:55Garra Charua translates to Claw of the Charua, the indigenous people who inhabited the land before European colonization.
03:09It celebrates tenacity and courage in the face of adversity, being resourceful and daring, and never giving up.
03:17And with football dominating Uruguayan culture, Garra Charua is typified by the football team.
03:25The man responsible for continuing the spirit is the legendary Marcello Bielsa.
03:31Although the 70-year-old was born in neighboring Argentina, he is a perfect fit for La Celeste.
03:37His teams play a relentless high-tempo brand of football, with a manic devotion to hard work.
03:46Following defeat to Ecuador in his second competitive match in charge, Bielsa left his players in no doubt what they
03:53needed to improve upon.
04:00The conclusion I draw is that Uruguay is a team that needs to play with a very high amount of
04:05energy.
04:13We will have success collectively by playing at a fast pace and with constant energy. It makes a difference.
04:27Not long after that defeat, Uruguay rebounded by defeating Brazil at home and Argentina away, to ensure qualification from the
04:35CONMEBOL confederation would be largely stress-free.
04:47Bielsa's trademark high-intensity 4-3-3-3 not only suits the character of Uruguayan football, it complements the players
04:54at his disposal.
04:58This is especially the case in midfield, where Rodrigo Bentancur and Federico Valverde combine to form a mobile engine room.
05:13Goal scoring is potentially a concern.
05:16Uruguay found the back of the net just 22 times in 18 matches during qualifying, with only Darwin Nunez scoring
05:24more than three goals.
05:30For the previous 15 years, Uruguay had an embarrassment of riches up front, led by the likes of Edinson Cavani
05:39and Luis Suarez.
05:42But Suarez retired from the international scene in 2024, following the qualifier at home to Paraguay.
05:53I'm 37 years old, and I know that it's very difficult to make it to the next World Cup.
06:00I want to retire by myself, and not because of injuries, or because they stopped selecting me for some reason
06:06or another.
06:09This gives me a lot of comfort. It is very comforting for me to want to step aside and to
06:14feel ready to do it.
06:18It's hard for me. It's difficult because it wasn't an easy decision.
06:21But with the peace of mind that until the last game I gave my all and I didn't fade away,
06:26the flame didn't go out little by little.
06:33Even without Suarez, Uruguay should head to the 2026 World Cup confident of progressing deep into the competition.
06:41With the manic Bielsa urging his team on from his trademark icebox, who knows how far La Celeste could go
06:48in North America.
06:49.
06:50.
