Uruguay’s all-time greats have produced great silverware for La Celeste, including the 1950 World Cup and several Copa Americas.
Uruguay may not have had much success in the past decade, but the small country has dominated world soccer in the past, winning a record 15 Copa Americas, and two World Cups. The great legends of the Uruguay National Team have all played admirably for both club and country, earning them a permanent place in Uruguay’s rich history.
Here is a breakdown of the five best players for La Celeste.
5. Enzo Francescoli
Enzo Francescoli is one of the few players with three Copa America titles (1983, 1987, and 1995), contributing to Uruguay’s record total of 15 wins. El Principe won the Copa America Best Player Award in the 1983 and 1995 tournaments, cementing his legacy at La Celeste.
Francescoli retired from the national team having played 73 games and scored 17 goals.
4. Diego Forlan
Diego Forlan had La Celeste’s best performance of the century at the 2010 World Cup. The striker won the Ballon d’Or in the competition despite Uruguay finishing in fourth place, and was also the joint top scorer with five goals. He would go on to score against Paraguay in the 2011 Copa America final, helping his team win the tournament for the 15th time.
Forlan made his mark in his club career, winning the Premier League with Manchester United before moving on to La Liga. The Uruguayan won the Pichichi twice, and also lifted the Europa League trophy with Atletico Madrid.
3. Juan Alberto Schiafino
Juan Alberto Schiaffino may be La Celeste’s most talented playmaker. He was a key part of Uruguay’s 1950 World Cup winning campaign, scoring the equalizer against Brazil in the final before Ghiggia scored the winner. Schiaffino also had an illustrious career at AC Milan, winning back-to-back Italian championships with the Rossoneri.
The reason why he is not ranked at the top of our list is because the Uruguayan played 21 games for La Celeste before making his debut for the Italian national team.
2. Luis Suarez
Luis Suarez is the greatest goalscorer in the history of Uruguay. The number 9 has La Celeste’s most goals with 68, and helped bring Uruguay their only major title this century with his performance in the 2011 Copa America. Suarez scored two goals in the semi-final against Peru and the opening game of the final against Paraguay.
Suarez’s trophy cabinet also includes silverware from his time at Europe’s biggest clubs, including Liverpool, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, as well as a Pichichi award in his 2015/16 La Liga season.
1. Obdulio Varela
Obdulio Varela was Uruguay’s captain in the 1950 World Cup, and without his leadership, Uruguay would not have been able to pull off their surprising upset of Brazil. Varela’s legendary speech before the match and his presence on the pitch both silenced his team and made them believe.
Although he was not as enthusiastic about the work of the team as other Uruguayan players, the captain deserves his flowers leading his country to the second World Cup. In fact, Uruguay never lost a World Cup game with Varela on the field.
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