Obdulio Varela was Uruguay's captain of their legendary 1950 World Cup side, who went on to become world champions. The final saw Uruguay face Brazil, in a match that had since been termed as the Maracanazo. Surprisingly, Varela was nicknamed "El Negro Jefe" (The Black Chief). This was due his dark skin and influence he had on the pitch, especially during the unlikely victory over Brazil. He was of African, Spanish, and Greek ancestry.
Uruguay was widely regarded as one of the finest holding midfielders of his era, as Varela was brilliant in defence and was renowned for his tenacity and leadership. He is seen as one of the finest captains in football history as well, and remains one of the biggest sporting heroes in Uruguay.
He only played for three clubs throughout his whole career, these were the likes of Deportivo Juventud, Montevideo Wanderers, and Peñarol. With Peñarol, he had won an astonishing 20 titles, including 6 Uruguayan first division triumphs.
The legendary international legacy
Varela made his international debut as a substitute in Uruguay's 3–2 win over Chile in the 1939 Copa América.
He went on to make 45 international matches for Uruguay from 1939 to 1954, scoring 9 goals despite being a Holding midfielder.
The pinnacle of his career was in the 1950 FIFA World Cup, as his heroics saw him later dubbed as "The architect of" Brazil's downfall".
Hosts Brazil only needed a draw in the game while Uruguay needed a win to attain glory. When the Uruguay team were in the dressing room, coach Juan López told his players that the best way they could get a chance against Brazil was by playing defensively. What happened after this was simply legendary. After the coach left the room, Varela said the following to his teammates: “Juan is a good man, but if we do defend ourselves then we will suffer the same fate of Sweden and Spain” (Brazil had beaten Sweden 7-1 and Spain 6-1), and then said “the game is played on the pitch, when you come out to the pitch, don't look to the crowd, those on the outside are made of wood”.Those inspiring words were vital for his teammates, as they played without fear and got a 0–0 draw at halftime.
Five minutes into the second half, Brazil scored, and then Varela took control of matters, when he intentionally walked slowly to his goal, picked up the ball and then argued with the English referee George Reader about a nonexistent offside. This was done with the intention of delaying the restart of the game and thus cooling off the crowd. He then reportedly said to his teammates `` 'Now it's time to win the game' , especially now as the Brazilians in the crowd were in a silent mood.
Uruguay then scored through Schiaffino and then, 9 minutes before the finish, with a very nervous Brazil team, Alcides Ghiggia scored to make it 2–1 for Uruguay, thus winning the World Cup. Uruguay's legendary captain then spent that evening drinking with shell shocked Brazilians in a Rio bar ignoring the warnings of Uruguayan officials. Varela thus etched his name in the history books of Uruguayan Football.
The legendary defensive midfielder was also a part of their 1954 FIFA World Cup team, but got injured in the quarter finals against England while celebrating a goal. However, his loss was too much for Uruguay, as they lost the final 4-2 to Hungary. An interesting fact is that Uruguay had never lost a World Cup match when Varela was present.
Varela died on August 2nd, 1996. His remains are buried at Cementerio del Cerro, Montevideo. The legend of Varela is bound to live on forever.
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