Here is a selection of 21 lineups of the Uruguayan National Team know as "La Celeste". This presentation of different Uruguayan National Team XI through its history will give prominence to the South American Championships and Copa America winning teams. Is that the Uruguayan team won no less than 15 continental titles up to now (11 championships and 4 Cups, Campeonato Sudamericano and Copa America) and has definitively left its mark on the international football South American competition. In bold within the caption of the XI, the World Cup teams. Two times World Champion (1930 and 1950) after two Olympic gold medals (1924, 1928), Uruguay also knew several times the last four of the World tournament through the decades (for the last time in 2010) and all of these teams are naturally also presented.
Let start this. We are in 1916.
The Uruguayan Team Winner of the first South-American Championship ever (in Argentina and Chile, 'Final of group', against Argentina, in Avallaneda, Chile, 0-0 but Argentina could not beat Brazil, Uruguay did) in 1916 :
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| La Celeste 1916 |
Winner of the 1917 South-American Championship (tournament held in Montevideo, Uruguay) :
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| La Celeste 1917 |
Winner of the 1920 South-American Championship (tournament held in Viña del Mar, Chile) :
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| La Celeste 1920 |
Winner of the 1923 South-American Championship (held in Montevideo, Uruguay) :
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| La Celeste 1923 |
Olympic gold at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris :
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| La Celeste 1924 ("Jeux" de Paris) |
Winner of the 1924 South-American Championship (held in Montevideo, Oct. 12 to Nov. 2) :
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| La Celeste 1924 (Campeonato Sudamericano) |
Winner of the 1926 South-American Championship (held in Santiago de Chile) :
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| La Celeste 1926 |
Olympic gold at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam :
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| La Celeste 1928 (Olympiade 1928) |
Final replayed : player 1/ player 2 for match 1/ match 2.
Winner of the first World Cup ever, in 1930 in Montevideo :
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| La Celeste 1930 |
Winner of the 1935 South-American Championship (held in Lima, Peru) :
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| La Celeste 1935 |
Winner of the 1942 South-American Championship (held in Montevideo) :
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| La Celeste 1942 |
Winner of the 1950 World Cup in Brazil (with the famous decisive match with Brazil played at the Maracaña) :
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| La Celeste 1950 |
Semi-finalist and 4th at the 1954 World Cup (held in Switzerland) :
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| La Celeste 1954 |
Between brackets : they played instead of the usual starters in the semi-final against Hungary.
Winner of the 1956 South-American Championship (held in Montevideo) :
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| La Celeste 1956 |
Winner of the 1967 South-American Championship (held in Montevideo) :
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| La Celeste 1967 |
Martinez and Mujica replaced Baeza and Caetano, the starters in the 11 at the beginning of the competition. Attack line as in the "Final" against Argentina and in the penultimate match against Paraguay. Before that, during the championship, Oyarbide was the inside right and Vera the centre forward (Rocha inside left). Salva could play right winger instead of Pérez. Vera replaced Oyarbide for the second half of the last match against Argentina. Also entered during the "Final" for Salva, around the hour of play : Ruben Techera (3 appearances as a substitute).
Semi-finalist and 4th at the 1970 World Cup (held in Mexico) :
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| La Celeste 1970 |
Attention! If Cubilla was acting like a RM/ RW, on the opposite side of the pitch Maneiro was an AM or more generally MF so with different caracteristics. He was even assigned to the marking of Gérson in the semi-finals against Brazil. Morales was the number 11.
Winner of the first Copa America ever, in 1983 (2 matches in Montevideo and 1 match away in the group stage then 2 legs venues, home and away venues for the semis and the Final :
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| La Celeste 1983 |
Venancio Ramos entered in the two games of the Final, each time for Acosta (75' at home then 46' away).
Winner of the Second Copa America ever, in 1987 (in Argentina) :
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| La Celeste 1987 |
Uruguay directly qualified for the semis as holders and played its two games at Monumental, Buenos Aires.
Winner of the 1995 Copa America (at home) :
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| La Celeste 1995 |
As in the Final with substitutions (Adinolfi 35', Martinez and Bengoechea 46').
Semi-finalist and 4th at the 2010 World Cup (held in South Africa) :
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| La Celeste 2010 |
Presented here in its most offensive form with its trio of attack (in a 4-3-1-2), Uruguay could also play in a "classic 4-4-2" which is actually more classic from them. Like against The Netherlands in the semis (as Suarez was suspended) with both of Arévalo and Gargano in the 11 (with Pérez as DM but on the right side and A.Pereira, on the left, as usual in a role of piston). Earlier in the competition, this 4th midfielder once was A.Fernadez, on the right, in a a role of attacking midfielder. It was against Ghana and in the first half only. It was I.Gonzales, but on the left, against France, also once, during one hour. Finally, here is presented a "typical 11" which was not that typical but which was the one aligned against the hosts South Africa as well as against Mexico in the first round and also against South Korea in the round of 16. Kind of an ideal 11 here (but actually used, against supposed lesser oppositions as just seen).
3rd CD and 5th defender in the 23-men squad" Victorino played the semis instead of Lugano. He had already played in the quarter-finals instead of Godin and also RB in the group stage against France. South American star Sebastian Abreu (FWD) appeared on the pitches for the last 15 minutes in three occasions - it was in the matches against France, Ghana and Holland - but did not bring anything to the team.
Winner of the 2011 Copa America (in Argentina) :
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| La Celeste 2011 |
As in the Final with substitutions (Cavani 63', Eguren 69', Godin 88').
Before the entry of Cavani on the left side of the attack, Suarez could drift on the right or on the left side.
Before the entry of Cavani on the left side of the attack, Suarez could drift on the right or on the left side.
This is the last truely outstanding Uruguyan team until today.
An all-time La Celeste Dream Team?
Let's try this!
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| Uruguay All-time XI |
FYT's version on this day. Only one thing to say to the players now that the team is composed : "you're on your own from now on, get on with it!".
Edit : At the World Cup 2018, after a decent to good start in the tournament, Uruguay was eliminated in the quarter-finals by France.
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| La Celeste 2018 |
At last, one player that can be cited is the former PSG player Cristian Rodriguez. The 32 years old offensive midfielder regularly came in from the bench during this competition.
Uruguay 1954, still playing 2-3-5, with W.Martínez and Santamaría as the pyramid fullbacks.
RépondreSupprimerIn 1967, Cincunegui and Mujica were the fullbacks in a 4-3-3 formation.
The same formation in 1970, with Cubilla and JC.Morales playing as wingers.
Greetings
Yes it's true about '54 (at this point in time, I was still into wrong transpositions of both usual local sources + rsssf that seemed to confirm what I had for the 50's, about some teams. PDG1978 made me the remark about Austria too over BigSoccer. I watched more to be 100% sure before redoing it, although there was about no doubts he was right and made the correction indeed, here too).
SupprimerAbout 1967, I suppose I found there was not so much of a difference between the two systems given the type of players used so in this case, I kept the old-fashioned form in this context. That's sort of a personal choice or a wink to a certain lineage.
As for 1970, at the World Cup, from what I remember about my observations watching the games, especially against Brazil, I think that I thought it was a hybrid between a 4-4-2 and a 4-3-3 with a solid base in 4-4-2, Morales being the n°11 in the 2 (going it is true by the left) and Cubilla being the n°7 in the 4, more. It's true that Maneiro is not really a side midfielder but it's like other n°10's in 4-4-2, and I thought it was clear enough that he is not a "winger" so I sticked to the ordinary 4-4-2 diagram, same for the front two although I could have Morales a bit more on the left, and Maneiro slightly more inside. Btw Maneiro is I think a quite "deep 10", even "8-10" so to speak, and who will do the work defensively.
On offense/ counter-attack, it's clear (watching highlights for now) that it takes the shape of a 4-3-3 when Cubilla clearly joins the attack (like when he scores).
I'll rewatch from a full-game video. I'll do the correction for 1954 for sure then I'll see, because for now I still think there's a part of interpretation that can be made for 1970 and possibly '67 too (two different diagrams could be both right).
Thanks again here for Uruguay like for Paraguay. You noticed that I did not venture myself at doing Peru and Chile. For now, maybe I'll try, or possibly with your help?
2nd half of the 1930's, Segundo Castillo : CH. That's a good start to figure out his teams.
Greetings
Around 1970, in South America the 433 and 424 were the most usual systems. But still, in those diagrams some famous teams used a "false winger" like Brazil 62 (Zagallo), Argentina 66 (A.Gonzalez), Peñarol (Abaddie).
SupprimerFor Uruguay 1970, that's right Maneiro, Fontes, Esparrago were midfielders most of their careers, even Esparrago played CF sometimes.
I think, in the eyes of people from those years, Uruguay played a sort of conservative approach in its 433, using a midfielder in the CF role (a sort of false 9, maybe). In fact, the CF spot was the weakest in those years, dominated by foreign CF at Peñarol (Spencer) and Nacional (Artime).