Just a short amount of time in the presence of Oscar Tabarez would be enough to transform even a hardened cynic into a true believer in the enduring virtues of the beautiful game.
Uruguay s 71-year-old coach has seen it all.
In 1990 he led the Celeste at the World Cup in Italy, securing the national team s first victory on the big stage since 1970, before bowing out to the hosts in the round of 16.
That long overdue 1-0 win over South Korea in Udine, tantalising respite for the country s long-suffering fans, was Uruguay s last at the World Cup until Tabarez returned to the country s top job.
After 16 years at club level, working for the likes of Boca Juniors, AC Milan and Velez Sarsfield, Tabarez was not content with a token, one-off success the second time around.
Instead, he steered a squad boasting Diego Forlan, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani all the way to the World Cup semi-finals in 2010, before sealing Copa America glory the following year.
Born in Montevideo in 1947, Tabarez grew up in an era when Uruguay s dominance of football was a tangible, contemporary reality.
Inaugural hosts and champions in 1930, they won the prize again in 1950, stunning Brazil in the infamous upset that came to be known as the Maracanazo among mourning, expectant supporters of the Selecao.
será el Mundial número 21 del la historia. participó en 12 oportunidades. Conquistó el trofeo 2 veces, en 1930 y 1950, y logró el 4to puesto en Suiza 1954, México 1970 y Sudáfrica 2010.
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Daunting as the task may seem, Tabarez has consistently embraced the challenge of living up to Uruguay s demanding legacy.
In the very beginnings of football, which was introduced by the British, we were really a powerhouse, he told a rapt audience of reporters at Rostov Arena on Tuesday, ahead of a meeting with Saudi Arabia in what is his fourth time coaching at the World Cup.
Then we lost the way to transmit wisdom in football from one generation to the next. When I had three or four years on sabbatical when I didn t work in football I thought a lot about this, how we can get Uruguay with its demographic limitations, back on the map.
And I think, modestly, we have achieved this. We are a difficult opponent. You can say we re not
