Uruguay national football team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigationJump to search
This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Uruguay women's
national football team.

Uruguay

Nicknam La Celeste (The Sky Blue)

e(s)

Associati Uruguayan Football Association

on

Confede CONMEBOL (South America)

ration

Head Diego Alonso

coach

Captain Diego Godín

Most cap Diego Godín (155)

Top Luis Suárez (67)

scorer

Home Estadio Centenario

stadium

FIFA URU

code

First colours Second colours

FIFA ranking

Current 17   (23 December 2021)[1]

Highest 2 (June 2012)

Lowest 76 (December 1998)

First international
  Uruguay 0–6 Argentina 

(Montevideo, Uruguay; 20 Jul 1902)[note 1]

Biggest win

 Uruguay 9–0 Bolivia 

(Lima, Peru; 6 November 1927)

Biggest defeat

 Uruguay 0–6 Argentina 

(Montevideo, Uruguay; 20 July 1902)

World Cup

Appeara 13 (first in 1930)

nces

Best Champions (1930, 1950)

result

Copa América

Appeara 45 (first in 1916)

nces

Best Champions

result (1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1956, 19

59, 1967, 1983, 1987, 1995, 2011)

FIFA Confederations Cup

 Appeara 2 (first in 1997)

nces

Best Fourth place (1997, 2013)

result

show

Medal record

The Uruguay national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Uruguay)

represents Uruguay in international football, and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football
Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The Uruguayan team is
commonly referred to as La Celeste (The Sky Blue).
Uruguay have won the Copa América 15 times, alongside Argentina the most titles in
the history of that tournament. Uruguay's most recent title being the 2011 edition. The
team has won the FIFA World Cup twice, including the first World Cup in 1930 as hosts,
defeating Argentina 4–2 in the final. Their second title came in 1950, upsetting
host Brazil 2–1 in the final match, which has the highest attendance for a football match
ever. Uruguay have also won gold medals at the Olympic football tournament twice,
in 1924 and 1928. The gold medals received at the 1924 and 1928 Summer Olympics
are recognised by FIFA as senior FIFA World Championships.

Contents

 1History
o 1.1The golden era
o 1.21950–2009
o 1.32010–present
 2Team image
o 2.1Kits and crest
 2.1.1Kit sponsorship
o 2.2Home stadium
o 2.3Rivalries
 2.3.1Argentina
 2.3.2Brazil
 3Results and fixtures
o 3.12021
o 3.22022
 4Coaching staff
o 4.1Current personnel
o 4.2Past head coaches
 5Players
 o 5.1Current squad
o 5.2Recent call-ups
 6Player records
o 6.1Most capped players
o 6.2Top goalscorers
 7Competitive record
o 7.1FIFA World Cup
o 7.2Copa América
o 7.3FIFA Confederations Cup
o 7.4Olympic Games
o 7.5Pan American Games
 8Head-to-head record
 9Honours
 10See also
 11Notes
 12References
 13External links

History[edit]
The golden era[edit]

Uruguay before its first official match v Argentina, 20 July 1902

The team that won its second gold medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics

Although the first match ever recorded by an Uruguayan side was played on 16 May
1901 against Argentina, this is not considered an official game due to the match was not
organized by Uruguay's Football Association but by Albion F.C. in its home field in Paso
del Molino. The Uruguayan side had nine players from that club and the remainder
from Nacional.[8] The match considered the first official game played by Uruguay was
held in the same venue, on 20 July 1902 against Argentina. [3] Argentina defeated the
Uruguayan side by 6–0 in front of 8,000 spectators. [4][5] Uruguay line-up was: Enrique
Sardeson; Carlos Carve Urioste, Germán Arímalo; Miguel Nebel (c), Alberto Peixoto,
Luis Carbone; Bolívar Céspedes, Gonzalo Rincón, Juan Sardeson, Ernesto Boutón
Reyes, Carlos Céspedes.[9][10] Prior to 1916, Uruguay played more than 30 matches, of
which all but one were against Argentina. The inaugural Copa America provided
Uruguay with more varied opposition. Victories over Chile and Brazil, along with a tie
against Argentina, enabled Uruguay to win the tournament. The following year Uruguay
hosted the competition, and retained the title by winning every game. The 1919 Copa
América saw Uruguay's first defeat in the tournament, a 1–0 defeat in a playoff with
Brazil which went to two periods of extra time, the longest Copa América match in
history.[citation needed]
In 1924, the Uruguay team traveled to Paris to become the first South American team to
compete in the Olympic Games In contrast to the physical style of the European teams
of the era, Uruguay played a style based around short passes, [11] and won every game,
defeating Switzerland 3–0 in the gold medal match. In the 1928 Summer Olympics,
Uruguay went to Amsterdam to defend their title, again winning the gold medal after
defeating Argentina 2–1 in the replay of the final (the first match was a draw after extra
time).

The team that beat Argentina in the final match of the 1930 FIFA World Cup to win Uruguay's first FIFA World
Cup

Following the double Olympic triumph, Uruguay was chosen as the host nation for the
first World Cup, held in 1930, the centenary of Uruguay's first constitution. During the
World Cup, Uruguay won all its matches, and converted a 1–2 halftime deficit to a 4–2
victory against Argentina at the Estadio Centenario. Due to the refusal of some
European teams to participate in the first World Cup, the Uruguayan Football
Association urged other countries to reciprocate by boycotting the 1934 World
Cup played in Italy. For the 1938 World Cup, France was chosen as host, contrary to a
previous agreement to alternate the championships between South America and
Europe, so Uruguay again refused to participate.
1950–2009[edit]
The team that beat Brazil in the decisive match of the 1950 FIFA World Cup to win Uruguay's second FIFA
World Cup

Uruguay again won the World Cup in 1950, beating hosts Brazil in one of the biggest
upsets in World Cup history. The decisive match was at the Maracanã Stadium in
Brazil. Uruguay came from behind to beat the host nation in a match which would
become known as the Maracanazo. Many Brazilians had to be treated for shock after
the event, such was the surprise of Uruguay's victory.[12]

Rodolfo Rodríguez raises the Mundialito trophy won in January 1981

After their fourth-place finish in the 1954 World Cup, the team had mixed performances
and after the fourth-place finish in 1970, their dominance, quality and performance
dropped. They were no longer a world football power and failed to qualify for the World
Cup on five occasions in the last nine competitions. They reached an all-time low and at
one time ranked 76th in the FIFA World Rankings.
2010–present[edit]
In 2010, however, a new generation of footballers, led by Luis Suárez, Diego
Forlán and Edinson Cavani, formed a team considered to be Uruguay's best in the last
four decades, catching international attention after finishing fourth in the 2010 World
Cup. Uruguay opened the tournament with a goalless draw against France, followed by
defeats of South Africa (3–0) in and Mexico (1–0) respectively, finishing at the top of
their group with seven points. In the second round, they played South Korea, defeating
them 2–1 with star striker Luis Suárez scoring a brace and earning Uruguay a spot in
the quarter-finals for the first time since 1970. Against Ghana, the match finished 1–1,
forcing the game into extra-time. Both sides had their chances at extra time but Suárez
blocked the ball with his hand in the penalty area, earning Suárez a red card and
earning Uruguay universal scorn. Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan missed the subsequent
penalty, forcing the game to go into penalties where Uruguay would win 4–2, sending
them into the last four. They played the Netherlands in the semi-finals but were beaten
3–2. For the third-place match, they played Germany, again losing 3–2. This placed
Uruguay in fourth place for the tournament, their best result in 40 years. Diego Forlan
was awarded the Player of The Tournament.
Uruguay v Saudi Arabia match at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia

A year later, they won the Copa America for the first time in 16 years and broke the
record for the most successful team in South America. Luis Suárez ended up as the
Player of The Tournament. In the 2014 World Cup Uruguay was placed in Group D
alongside Costa Rica, England, and Italy. They were upset by Costa Rica in the
opening match, losing 3–1 despite taking the lead in the first half. They rebounded with
a 2–1 victory over England, in which Suárez scored a brace right after coming back
from an injury, and a 1–0 victory over Italy, placing them second in their group and
earning a spot in the last 16. During the match against Italy, forward Luis Suárez bit
Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini on his left shoulder. Two days after the match,
the FIFA Disciplinary Committee banned Suárez for nine international matches, the
longest such ban in World Cup history, exceeding the eight-match ban handed to
Italy's Mauro Tassotti for breaking the nose of Spain's Luis Enrique in 1994.[13][14][15] Suárez
was also banned from taking part in any football-related activity (including entering any
stadium) for four months and fined CHF100,000
(approx. £65,700/€82,000/US$119,000).[13][14][16] In the round of 16, Uruguay played
Colombia but were beaten 2–0, eliminating them from the tournament.
At the 2015 and 2016 Copa América, Uruguay, missing banned striker Luis Suárez,
were eliminated in the quarter-finals and group stages respectively. After a
successful World Cup qualifying campaign, finishing second, Uruguay made it to
the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Uruguay won its group after three victories, and
advanced to the quarter-finals after a 2–1 win over Portugal.[17][18] However, they were
eliminated 2–0 in the quarter-finals by the eventual champions France.

Team image[edit]
Kits and crest[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Uruguay
national football team kits.
Uruguay at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, wearing the light blue shirt they have worn since 1910

Between 1901 and 1910, Uruguay wore a variety of different shirts during its matches.
The first shirt worn was the Albion F.C. one, in the unofficial debut of the national team v
Argentina in 1901.[19] Then Uruguay worn a variety of shirts, including a solid green one
and even a shirt with the colors of the flag of Artigas.
On 10 April 1910, now-defunct club River Plate defeated Argentine side Alumni 2–1,
being the first time an Uruguayan team beat that legendary team. That day River Plate
wore its alternate jersey, a light blue one due to the home jersey was similar to Alumni's.
[20]
 Ricardo LeBas proposed Uruguay to wear a light blue jersey as a tribute to the victory
of River Plate over Alumni. This was approved by president of the Uruguayan
Association, Héctor Gómez.[21] The light blue (Celeste) jersey debuted in a Copa
Lipton match v Argentina on August 15, 1910. Uruguay won 3–1.[22]
The red jersey that was used in some previous away strips was first used at the
1935 Copa América, held in Santa Beatriz in Peru, which Uruguay won. It was not worn
again (except for a 1962 FIFA World Cup match, against Colombia[23]) until 1991, when it
was officially adopted as the away jersey. [24]
Uruguay displays four stars in its emblem. This is unique in world football as two of the
stars represent the gold medals received at the 1924 and 1928 Summer Olympics,
which are the only editions recognised by FIFA as senior World Championships. [25][26][27] In
2021, after a FIFA employee reached out to PUMA about modifying the team's crest,
FIFA reconfirmed and approved once again the use of all four stars on the shirt. [28]

1908–10 [note 5]

1901 [note 2] 1902–03 [note 3] 1905–07 [note 4]

 1910–present [note 6]

Kit sponsorship[edit]

Kit supplier Period

 Adidas 1974–1982

 Le Coq Sportif 1983–1986

 Puma 1987–1991

 Ennerre 1992–1998

 Meta 1999–2001

 L-Sporto 2002–2004

 Uhlsport 2004–2006

 Puma 2006–present

Uruguay national team fans at 2014 FIFA World Cup

Home stadium[edit]
Since 1930, Uruguay have played their home games at the Estadio Centenario in the
Uruguayan capital Montevideo. The stadium was built as a celebration of the centenary
of Uruguay's first constitution, and had a capacity of 90,000 when first fully opened.
[31]
 The stadium hosted several matches in the 1930 World Cup, including the final, which
was watched by a crowd of 93,000.[32] Crowds for Uruguay's home matches vary greatly
depending on the importance of the match and the quality of the opposition. [clarification
needed]
 World Cup qualifying matches often attract crowds of between 50,000 and 73,000.
Uruguay's stadium Estadio Centenario is one of the biggest stadiums in the world over
100m wide and 100m long.
Rivalries[edit]
Argentina[edit]
Main article: Argentina–Uruguay football rivalry
Uruguay has a long-standing rivalry with Argentina, that came into existence when they
beat their South American neighbors 4–2 in the first World Cup final, held
in Montevideo in 1930. As a response, the following day saw an angry mob threw
stones at the Uruguayan consulate in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires.
Brazil[edit]
Main article: Brazil–Uruguay football rivalry
Uruguay has an old rivalry with their South American neighbors. Their best known
match was played at the 1950 World Cup which was held in Brazil where they defeated
the host with the result 2–1 in front of almost 200,000 spectators at the Maracanã
Stadium, thus winning the competition and earning their second World Cup title.

Results and fixtures[edit]

Main article: Uruguay national football team results (2020–present)
  Win   Draw   Loss
2021[edit]
3 June 20212022 FIFA World Cup qualification Uruguay 
8 June 20212022 FIFA World Cup qualification Venezuela 
18 June 20212021 Copa América Argentina 
21 June 20212021 Copa América Uruguay 
24 June 20212021 Copa América Bolivia 
28 June 20212021 Copa América Uruguay 
3 July 20212021 Copa América Uruguay 

2 September 20212022 FIFA World Cup qualification Peru 

5 September 20212022 FIFA World Cup qualification Uruguay 
9 September 20212022 FIFA World Cup qualification Uruguay 
7 October 20212022 FIFA World Cup qualification Uruguay 
10 October 20212022 FIFA World Cup qualification Argentina 
14 October 20212022 FIFA World Cup qualification Brazil 
12 November 20212022 FIFA World Cup qualification Uruguay 
16 November 20212022 FIFA World Cup qualification Bolivia 

2022[edit]
27 January 20222022 FIFA World Cup qualification Paraguay 
1 February 20222022 FIFA World Cup qualification Uruguay 
24 March 20222022 FIFA World Cup qualification Uruguay 
29 March 20222022 FIFA World Cup qualification Chile 

Coaching staff[edit]
Current personnel[edit]
Position Name

Head coach  Diego Alonso

 Darío Rodríguez
Assistant coaches
 Diego Raimondi

Goalkeeping coach  Carlos Nicola

 Óscar Ortega
Fitness coaches
 Guillermo Souto

Physiologist  Guilherme Rodrigues

Past head coaches[edit]

showCoach Period

Players[edit]
Current squad[edit]
The following 27 players were named in the final squad for FIFA World Cup
qualifying matches against Paraguay and Venezuela on 27 January and 1 February
2022 respectively.[34][35]
Caps and goals correct as of 1 February 2022, after the match against Venezuela.
 Pos
No. Player Date of birth (age)
.

1 GK Sergio Rochet 23 March 1993 (age 28)

12 GK Martín Campaña 29 May 1989 (age 32)

23 GK Sebastián Sosa 19 August 1986 (age 35)

GK Guillermo de Amores 19 October 1994 (age 27)

2 DF José Giménez 20 January 1995 (age 27)

3 DF Diego Godín (captain) 16 February 1986 (age 35)

4 DF Ronald Araújo 7 March 1999 (age 22)

13 DF Damián Suárez 27 April 1988 (age 33)

16 DF Mathías Olivera 31 October 1997 (age 24)

17 DF Matías Viña 9 November 1997 (age 24)

19 DF Leandro Cabrera 17 June 1991 (age 30)

22 DF Martín Cáceres 7 April 1987 (age 34)

DF Sebastián Coates 7 October 1990 (age 31)

5 MF Fernando Gorriarán 27 November 1994 (age 27)

6 MF Rodrigo Bentancur 25 June 1997 (age 24)

8 MF Mauro Arambarri 30 September 1995 (age 26)

10 MF Giorgian de Arrascaeta 1 June 1994 (age 27)

15 MF Federico Valverde 22 July 1998 (age 23)

MF Matías Vecino 24 August 1991 (age 30)

 Pos
No. Player Date of birth (age)
.

7 FW Nicolás López 1 October 1993 (age 28)

9 FW Luis Suárez 24 January 1987 (age 35)

11 FW Facundo Pellistri 20 December 2001 (age 20)

14 FW Agustín Canobbio 1 October 1998 (age 23)

18 FW Darwin Núñez 24 June 1999 (age 22)

20 FW Facundo Torres 13 April 2000 (age 21)

21 FW Edinson Cavani 14 February 1987 (age 34)

FW Brian Ocampo 25 June 1999 (age 22)

Recent call-ups[edit]
The following players have also been called up to the Uruguay squad in the past twelve
months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps G

GK Kevin Dawson 8 February 1992 (age 29) 0

GK Santiago Mele 6 September 1997 (age 24) 0

GK Nicolás Vikonis 6 April 1984 (age 37) 0

GK Fernando Muslera 16 June 1986 (age 35) 131

GK Martín Silva 25 March 1983 (age 38) 11

GK Rodrigo Muñoz 22 January 1982 (age 40) 0

DF Giovanni González 20 September 1994 (age 27) 16

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps G

DF Joaquín Piquerez 24 August 1998 (age 23) 7

DF Guillermo Varela 24 March 1993 (age 28) 5

DF Bruno Méndez 10 September 1999 (age 22) 2

DF Agustín Oliveros 17 August 1998 (age 23) 1

DF Sebastián Cáceres 18 August 1999 (age 22) 0

DF Alfonso Espino 5 January 1992 (age 30) 0

DF Emanuel Gularte 30 September 1997 (age 24) 0

DF Maximiliano Falcón 1 May 1997 (age 24) 0

DF Yonatthan Rak 18 August 1993 (age 28) 0

DF Camilo Cándido 2 June 1995 (age 26) 0

DF Federico Pereira 24 February 2000 (age 21) 0

DF Franco Pizzichillo 3 January 1996 (age 26) 0

MF Lucas Torreira 11 February 1996 (age 25) 35

MF Gastón Pereiro 11 June 1995 (age 26) 13

MF Manuel Ugarte 11 April 2001 (age 20) 1

MF César Araújo 2 April 2001 (age 20) 0

MF Santiago Rodríguez 8 January 2000 (age 22) 0

MF Nahitan Nández 28 December 1995 (age 26) 49

MF Nicolás de la Cruz 1 June 1997 (age 24) 12

MF Brian Lozano 23 February 1994 (age 27) 8

FW Diego Rossi 5 March 1998 (age 23) 0

FW Cristhian Stuani 12 October 1986 (age 35) 50

FW Jonathan Rodríguez 6 July 1993 (age 28) 29

FW Maxi Gómez 14 August 1996 (age 25) 22

 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps G

FW Agustín Álvarez Martínez 19 May 2001 (age 20) 4

FW Federico Martínez 28 February 1996 (age 25) 1

FW Martín Satriano 20 February 2001 (age 20) 0

FW Brian Rodríguez 20 May 2000 (age 21) 17

FW David Terans 11 June 1994 (age 27) 2

FW Ignacio Ramírez 1 February 1997 (age 25) 0

PRE
 Preliminary squad
COV
 Withdrew from final squad due to COVID-19
INJ
 Injured

Player records[edit]
Main article: List of Uruguay international footballers
As of 1 February 2022, after the match against Venezuela.[36]
Players in bold are still active with Uruguay.
Most capped players[edit]

Goal
Rank Player Caps Career
s

1 Diego Godín 155 8 2005–present

2 Fernando Muslera 131 0 2009–present

3 Luis Suárez 130 67 2007–present

4 Edinson Cavani 128 54 2008–present

5 Maxi Pereira 125 3 2005–2018

6 Martín Cáceres 112 4 2007–present

 Goal
Rank Player Caps Career
s

Diego Forlán 112 36 2002–2014

8 Cristian Rodríguez 110 11 2003–2018

9 Diego Lugano 95 9 2003–2014

10 Egidio Arévalo Ríos 90 0 2006–2017