Óscar Tabárez
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Óscar Washington Tabárez Silva (; born 3 March 1947), known as ''El Maestro'' (The Teacher), is a Uruguayan professional
football manager ''Football Manager'' (also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008) is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game bega ...
and former
player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who ...
. He most recently coached the Uruguay national team. After an unassuming career as a player and after working as a primary school teacher, Tabárez embarked on an extensive coaching career which has lasted more than 30 years and included coaching teams in Colombia,
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
and
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. He managed the
Uruguay national football team The Uruguay national football team ( es, 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 i ...
from 1988 to 1990, returning to the job for a second time in 2006. He led the team to fourth place in the
2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
, and to victory in the 2011 Copa América. With Tabárez, Uruguay qualified for four
World Cups A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
, reaching the round of 16 twice, the quarterfinals once, and the semi-finals once. In October 2017 Tabárez qualified Uruguay for a fourth time; reaching the 5th position at the 2018 World Cup tournament. On 25 March 2016, two and a half weeks after completing ten years as the manager of Uruguay, Tabárez surpassed
Francisco Maturana Francisco Antonio Maturana García, also known as ''Pacho'' Maturana (born February 15, 1949) is a Colombian ex-football player and football manager. Under his management, Atletico Nacional was the first team of the nation to win the Copa Liber ...
for the head coach with most World Cup qualifying games in South America with 47, with the singularity that he has only managed Uruguay. Tabárez also is the fourth-ranked manager with most games at the Copa América with 30, participating in seven tournaments (1989, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2021). In 2012, for his contributions to association football, Tabaréz became the recipient of the
FIFA Order of Merit The FIFA Order of Merit is the highest honour awarded by FIFA. The award is presented at the annual FIFA congress. It is normally awarded to people who are considered to have made a significant contribution to :association football. At FIFA's ce ...
, the highest honour awarded by FIFA.


Playing career

During his 12-year senior playing career, Tabárez played mainly for modest clubs, representing Sud América, Sportivo Italiano (
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
),
Montevideo Wanderers Montevideo Wanderers Fútbol Club, usually known simply as Wanderers, is a Uruguayan professional football club based in Montevideo. The club are currently members of the Primera División and play at the Estadio Viera. Beside football, the cl ...
(at the time when they were the first non traditional team from Uruguay to qualify for Copa Libertadores), Fénix, Puebla in
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
and Bella Vista. He retired at age 32.


Managerial career


Early career

In 1980, one year after retiring as a player, Tabárez took up coaching at Bella Vista. There he met José Herrera, who has worked alongside him as physical trainer ever since. The following year, Tabárez was named manager of the Uruguay under-20 team. He would coach the side on two occasions. He managed the team at the Pan American Games, in
1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
in Caracas, where Uruguay won the gold medal, defeating Guatemala in the final. Tabárez subsequently worked for various clubs in Uruguay, including Danubio,
Montevideo Wanderers Montevideo Wanderers Fútbol Club, usually known simply as Wanderers, is a Uruguayan professional football club based in Montevideo. The club are currently members of the Primera División and play at the Estadio Viera. Beside football, the cl ...
and
Peñarol Club Atlético Peñarol (; English: ''Peñarol Athletic Club'') —also known as ''Carboneros'', ''Aurinegros,'' and (familiarly) ''Manyas''— is a Uruguayan sports club from Montevideo. The name "Peñarol" comes from the Peñarol neigh ...
. Around this time he first met his current assistant coaches, Mario Rebollo and Celso Otero. In
1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
, Tabárez led Peñarol to its fifth Copa Libertadores title after defeating América de Cali in the tournament final.


Uruguay national team


1989 Copa América

The Copa Libertadores title was fundamental in Tabárez's appointment as manager of the Uruguay senior team, in which the
1989 Copa América The Copa América 1989 football tournament was hosted by Brazil, from 1 to 16 July. All ten CONMEBOL member nations participated. Brazil won their fourth Copa América, and first since 1949, by beating Uruguay 1–0 in the final match at the ...
, in Brazil, was his first major tournament in charge. Uruguay finished in second place, eliminating
Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona (; 30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the F ...
-led
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
in the process, losing to hosts
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
at the Maracanã Stadium.


1990 FIFA World Cup

After four games of qualification, Uruguay qualified for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, held in Italy. Uruguay reached the round of 16 of the tournament after a draw with
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
, a loss to
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
and a win against
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
. In the round of 16, however, Uruguay was eliminated by hosts Italy. After 34 games, Tabárez's first stint ended. The victory over South Korea was the first at the World Cup since 1970 and the last until 2010, also with Tabárez as manager.


Managerial work around Europe and South America

Tabárez later coached Argentine Primera División giants Boca Juniors for two years. In 1994, Tabárez moved to Italy to manage
Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...
side Cagliari. After leading them to a ninth-place finish in 1994–95, Tabárez was hired by
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
. His spell, however, would only last a few months: after a Supercoppa Italiana defeat against
Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fol ...
at home at the
San Siro Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as San Siro, is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy, which is the home of A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. It has a seating capacity of 80,018, making it one of the largest stadiums i ...
, a 2–3 loss at
Piacenza Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...
for
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cost him his position. He was replaced by
Arrigo Sacchi Arrigo Sacchi (born 1 April 1946) is an Italian former professional football coach. He has twice managed AC Milan (1987–1991, 1996–1997), with great success. He won the Serie A title in his 1987–88 debut season and then dominated European ...
, and the ''Rossoneri'' eventually finished 11th. Tabárez then worked with Real Oviedo in Spain, with the club eventually only maintaining top division status in the promotion/relegation play-offs against
Las Palmas Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife), the most populous city in the auto ...
, winning 4–3 on aggregate. He then returned to Cagliari, being sacked after one draw and three losses. After two years in Argentina with Vélez Sarsfield and Boca Juniors, Tabárez spent four years away from football management.


Uruguay national team


The "Proceso"

On 7 March 2006, Tabárez took charge of the national team for a second time, and at that time Uruguay had only qualified for
2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea an ...
since his first spell as manager as they failed to qualify for
1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...
(losing to Brazil in the last match in their group), 1998 FIFA World Cup (finished 7th in the Group Stage) and
2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host th ...
(lost to Australia in the play-off). Also on the same day he presented the "''Proceso de Institucionalización de Selecciones y la Formación de sus Futbolistas''" (Process of National Teams' Institutionalization and Players' Growth), which established a "proper way" of work with the national teams (under-15, -18 and -20 and the senior team), reintroducing the 4–3–3 formation and setting time for players in which they can study. With the help of the Complejo Celeste, the work were facilitated upon the objectives of the Proceso. As of 29 March 2016, 10 of the 11-most capped players for Uruguay have been part of the ''Proceso''.


2007 Copa América

Tabárez's first tournament saw Uruguay finish in fourth place at the 2007 Copa América in Venezuela. In the group stage, Uruguay lost to
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
(3–0), drew with
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
(0–0) and defeated Bolivia (1–0). In the quarter-finals, Uruguay met
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
again, this time winning (4–1). After being eliminated in the semi-finals on penalties (5–4) against
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
(2–2), they lost in the match for third place against
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, (3–1).


2010 FIFA World Cup

After a successful play-off against Costa Rica, Tabárez and the ''Charrúas'' qualified for the
2010 World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
in South Africa, first winning Group A (Uruguay did not win its group since 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, 56 years prior). They drew with
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
(0–0), beat
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
(3–0) and
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
(1–0). In the round of 16 they beat
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
(2–1). In the quarter-finals, Uruguay faced
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
and after a draw (1–1), they went to extra time. In the last minute of extra time, a penalty kick was missed by
Asamoah Gyan Asamoah Gyan ( ; born 22 November 1985) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who last played as a striker for Legon Cities FC and is the former captain of the Ghanaian national team. Gyan began his career in 2003 with Ghanaian Premier Leag ...
, after a handball by
Luis Suárez Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz (; born 24 January 1987) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Uruguayan Primera División club Nacional and the Uruguay national team. Nicknamed ''El Pistolero'' ('The Gunman'), he is ...
. In South Africa, the national team reached the semi-finals for the first time in 40 years, where it lost 3–2 to the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, only conceding five goals in six matches until that point. Uruguay ended the competition in fourth place, after a 3–2 defeat against
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.


2011 Copa América

In the 2011 Copa América, Tabárez led Uruguay to its 15th victory in the tournament, with the national side winning three games and drawing three in Argentina, and only conceding three goals. With these wins, Uruguay became the country with the most wins in the history of the Copa América. In 2011 and 2012, under Tabárez's leadership, Uruguay remained undefeated in 18 consecutive games from June 2011 to August 2012, a national team record previously set by
Juan Carlos Corazzo Juan Carlos Corazzo (14 December 1907 – 12 January 1986) was a Uruguayan football player and manager. Career Corazzo played for Argentine club Independiente in the 1930s. Corazzo later coached Uruguay at the 1962 FIFA World Cup. Corazzo hel ...
. With the Copa América win, Uruguay qualified for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.


2012 Olympic Games

After an 84-year absence, Uruguay returned to the Olympic Games, held in London in 2012. After a victory against the United Arab Emirates U23 (2–1), the team lost the next two games against Senegal U23 (2–0) and
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(1–0), marking the end of the Olympic adventure.
Egidio Arévalo Ríos Egidio is an Italian masculine given name. People with the name include: Given name * Egidio (saint) (circa 650–710), Christian hermit saint * Egidio Colonna, Giles of Rome (circa 1243–1316), European intellectual, archbishop * Egidio da Viter ...
,
Edinson Cavani Edinson Roberto Cavani Gómez (; born 14 February 1987) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Valencia and the Uruguay national team. Nicknamed ''El Matador'' ('The Bullfighter'), being known for his i ...
and Luis Suárez were the nation's three overage players at the tournament.


2013 Confederations Cup

Uruguay passed the first stage after a 2–1 defeat to
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
and two victories (2–1 against
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
and 8–0 against
Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austra ...
). In the semi-finals, they lost 2–1 against hosts
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and finished in fourth place after a 2–2 draw against
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
after penalties.


2014 FIFA World Cup

Tabárez led Uruguay in its qualification to the
2014 World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...
in Brazil, defeating
Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
in two play-off games, and thus becoming the first Uruguayan manager to do so in two consecutive World Cups. In Brazil, after an opening 3–1 defeat to Costa Rica followed by two wins (2–1 against
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, 1–0 against
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
), to finish its group stage, Uruguay reached the round of 16, Tabárez's third time for Uruguay at the World Cup. This also marked the first time an Uruguayan team defeated a European opponent in 44 years, the last time being a win against the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
during the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. Without star striker Luis Suárez in the lineup, however, Uruguay lost to Colombia (0–2).


2015 Copa América

On 19 June, the Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol made a video tribute to celebrate Tabárez's 150 games at the helm of the Uruguay national team. In the group stage, Uruguay defeated
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
(1–0), lost to
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
(1–0) and drew
Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
(1–1) to finish in third position in its group. Uruguay qualified as the top third-placed and met
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
in the next stage. In a game marked with the controversy between Edinson Cavani and Chile's Gonzalo Jara, Uruguay were eliminated after a 1–0 defeat. After the tournament, Tabárez was suspended for three official games for the incidents of the Chile–Uruguay match, in which Cavani was also suspended for two games.


2016 Copa América Centenario

Uruguay contested the
Copa América Centenario The Copa América Centenario ( pt, Copa América Centenário, french: Coupe Amerique Centennaire, en, Centennial Cup America; literally ''Centennial America Cup'') was an international men's association football tournament that was hosted by the ...
as part of Group C, Uruguay was eliminated after its three group stage matches, losing to
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
(3–1) and
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
(1–0) but defeating
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
(3–0).


2018 FIFA World Cup

Despite the suspension after the Copa América, and with Celso Otero assisting on the bench, Uruguay won its first two games in the 2018 World Cup qualification, the first time it had done this since the
1966 World Cup The 1966 FIFA World Cup was the eighth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in England from 11 July to 30 July 1966. The England national football team defeated West Germany 4-2 in the ...
qualification, including its first ever win in La Paz against Bolivia. After the game against Chile, a 3–0 victory, Tabárez equaled
Francisco Maturana Francisco Antonio Maturana García, also known as ''Pacho'' Maturana (born February 15, 1949) is a Colombian ex-football player and football manager. Under his management, Atletico Nacional was the first team of the nation to win the Copa Liber ...
as the South American coach with the most games in the CONMEBOL qualifiers, with the distinction that Tabárez has only represented one nation, Uruguay. Qualification continued in March 2016 with a draw at Brazil (2–2) and a home win against Peru (1–0). In September 2016, after a 1–0 defeat to Argentina, Tabárez became the national team manager with the most games with one country, surpassing the record held by
Sepp Herberger Josef "Sepp" Herberger (28 March 1897 – 28 April 1977) was a German football player and manager. He is most famous for being the manager of the West German national team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup final, a match later dubbed '' The Mir ...
(167 games) since 1964. The next game saw Uruguay beat Paraguay 4–0. In October 2016, Uruguay played two games: a victory over Venezuela (the first in Uruguay for 16 years), and a draw with Colombia in Barranquilla (the first time Uruguay got a point in that city). Also, Luis Suárez tied Argentinian
Hernán Crespo Hernán Jorge Crespo (; born 5 July 1975) is an Argentine professional football coach and former player. He is the current manager of Qatari club Al-Duhail. A prolific striker, Crespo scored over 300 goals in a career spanning 19 years. At in ...
as the top goal scorer in World Cup Qualifications for CONMEBOL. In November 2016, Uruguay defeated Ecuador and lost to Chile. In March 2017, Uruguay was defeated by Brazil and Peru. In June 2017, another two defeats against the Republic of Ireland and Italy led to worries about the performance of the national team. In August, Uruguay obtained a draw in the Centenario against Argentina, but a victory in September (the first time ever when visiting Paraguay), returned the team to the running for the World Cup. After the game against Argentina, Tabarez told the press that he might leave Uruguay as manager because of his age. In October Uruguay played against Venezuela (0–0) and Bolivia (a 4–2 victory), which sent Uruguay straight to the World Cup for the first time since the current Qualification system was implemented and the third time in a row. Tabárez arrived to his fourth World Cup as the oldest manager at the tournament. With his appearance, he became tied for third-most World Cup appearances by a manager and tied for most World Cup appearances by a manager of a single national team. In the group stage, Uruguay defeated Egypt, winning its inaugural game for the first time since 1970. Uruguay the defeated Saudi Arabia to qualify for the next round for the third time in a row for the first time in World Cup history. Uruguay defeated Russia to win three consecutive games for the first time since 1954, and for the first time to win its group, with no goals against and no yellow or red cards. It was the fourth time that Uruguay advanced to the next round with Tabárez. Uruguay defeated Portugal and advanced to the quarterfinals to face France. France defeated Uruguay, and would proceed to win the World Cup. Tabárez became one of the national team managers with the most World Cups, and the third one representing the same team four times. Following the tournament, Tabárez's contract expired, and its intended renewal was initially not completed due to controversy surrounding the national federation which included the resignation of its president
Wilmar Valdez Wilmar Valdez (born 10 July 1965) is a Uruguayan football executive who served as interim President of CONMEBOL between 11 December 2015 and 26 January 2016. He took up the position after the resignation of Juan Ángel Napout which was related t ...
. One friendly match in September 2018 was overseen on an interim basis by the Under-20 coach Fabián Coito; the contract was renewed a few weeks later.


2019 Copa América

Uruguay advanced to the next round after defeating Ecuador, a draw against Japan and a win against Chile. In the next round, Peru eliminated Uruguay in the penalties series. Tabarez reached 30 Copa America games, becoming the fourth in the list of national team managers with most games in the history of the competition. Uruguay ended the entire calendar year with a 13 games undefeated streak. The last time this had happened was in 1987.


Dismissal

After poor results in the qualifying rounds of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Tabárez was fired on 19 November 2021, ending 15 years as coach of the
Uruguay national football team The Uruguay national football team ( es, 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 i ...
.


Achievements of "The Proceso" era


Team

#First Uruguayan team to win the Copa América since
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
. #First Uruguayan team to reach the
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
semi-finals in 2010 since
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...
. #First Uruguayan team to qualify for the FIFA Confederations Cup in
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
since
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
. #First Uruguayan team to qualify of the 2012 Summer Olympics since 1928 Summer Olympics. #First Uruguayan team to beat a hosting nation at the FIFA World Cup since
1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 crashes in a snowstorm. All 19 ...
. #First Uruguayan team to beat a hosting nation at the Copa America since
1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
. #First Uruguayan team to win over
Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...
,
Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
, Guatemala,
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
,
Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...
,
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
,
Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
,
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
,
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
(since the breakup of the Soviet Union),
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
,
Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austra ...
,
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
,
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
,
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
,
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
,
Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
and
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
.


Individual

#
Héctor Scarone José Juan Héctor Scarone Berreta (26 November 1898 – 4 April 1967) was a Uruguayan footballer who played as inside forward. Scarone was considered one of the best players in the world during his time,. being nicknamed ''El Mago'' ("the Magic ...
's goalscoring record of 31 goals which was held for 81 years was broken by
Diego Forlán Diego Martín Forlán Corazo (born 19 May 1979) is a Uruguayan professional football manager and former player who played as a forward. Regarded as one of the best forwards of his generation, Forlán is a two-time winner of both the Pichichi ...
in 2011, and also
Luis Suárez Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz (; born 24 January 1987) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Uruguayan Primera División club Nacional and the Uruguay national team. Nicknamed ''El Pistolero'' ('The Gunman'), he is ...
is now the leading goalscorer for Uruguay. # Rodolfo Rodríguez's record for the most caps for Uruguay which was held for 25 years was broken by
Diego Forlán Diego Martín Forlán Corazo (born 19 May 1979) is a Uruguayan professional football manager and former player who played as a forward. Regarded as one of the best forwards of his generation, Forlán is a two-time winner of both the Pichichi ...
in 2011 and it turn it was broken by Diego Pérez in 2012,
Diego Lugano Diego Alfredo Lugano Morena (; (born 2 November 1980) is a Uruguayan former professional footballer who played as a central defender. Nicknamed ''Tota'', Lugano played for a number of clubs in South America and Europe, including Plaza Colonia ...
and
Maxi Pereira Maxi may refer to: People Given name * Maxi Biancucchi (born 1984), Argentine footballer who plays for Flamengo * Maxi López (born 1984), Argentine footballer who plays in Europe * Maxi Pereira, Uruguayan footballer who plays for SL Benfica ...
in 2013,
Diego Godín Diego Roberto Godín Leal (born 16 February 1986) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Argentine Primera División club Vélez Sarsfield and captains the Uruguay national team. Regarded as one of the best ...
,
Cristian Rodríguez Cristian Gabriel Rodríguez Barotti (; born 30 September 1985) is a Uruguayan footballer who plays as a left winger for Club Plaza Colonia de Deportes. Having received the nickname ''Cebolla'' (onion) from his Peñarol days, from his father, ...
and
Luis Suárez Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz (; born 24 January 1987) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Uruguayan Primera División club Nacional and the Uruguay national team. Nicknamed ''El Pistolero'' ('The Gunman'), he is ...
in 2014,
Edinson Cavani Edinson Roberto Cavani Gómez (; born 14 February 1987) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Valencia and the Uruguay national team. Nicknamed ''El Matador'' ('The Bullfighter'), being known for his i ...
,
Egidio Arévalo Ríos Egidio is an Italian masculine given name. People with the name include: Given name * Egidio (saint) (circa 650–710), Christian hermit saint * Egidio Colonna, Giles of Rome (circa 1243–1316), European intellectual, archbishop * Egidio da Viter ...
, Fernando Muslera and
Álvaro Pereira Álvaro Daniel Pereira Barragán (; born 28 November 1985) is a Uruguayan former footballer. After starting out at Miramar Misiones he went on to play for a host of clubs in several countries, mainly Porto and Inter Milan, winning eight major ...
in 2016 and Martín Cáceres in 2018.


World records

Tabárez is presently the first on the
list of football managers with most games This is a list of football managers that have managed 1,000 or more games, when club and country statistics are combined. Alex Ferguson, who took charge of a total of 2,155 competitive games between 1974 and 2013, holds the world record for the ...
, that have managed one national team. In September 2016, he surpassed the record held by Sepp Herberger (167) and
Morten Olsen Morten Per Olsen (born 14 August 1949) is a Danish football manager and former player. He was the head coach of the Denmark national team for 15 years from 2000 until 2015, guiding Denmark to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, 2004 European Championshi ...
(166) as the national team manager with the most games as national football manager with just one national team, leading a selected group with 100 games or more. In November 2019, he reached the 200 games with the national team of Uruguay. The list also includes such names as
Hugo Meisl Hugo Meisl (16 November 1881 – 17 February 1937), brother of the journalist Willy Meisl, was the multi-lingual football coach of the famous Austrian ' Wunderteam' of the early 1930s, as well as a referee. Background Meisl was born to a Jewish ...
, Alf Ramsey, Mario Zagallo,
Helmut Schön Helmut Schön (15 September 1915 – 23 February 1996) was a German football player and manager. He is best remembered for his exceptional career as manager of the West German national team in four consecutive World Cup tournaments, including ...
,
Carlos Alberto Parreira Carlos Alberto Gomes Parreira (born 27 February 1943) is a Brazilian former football manager who holds the record for attending the most FIFA World Cup final tournaments as manager with six appearances. He also managed five different national te ...
,
Joachim Löw Joachim Löw (born 3 February 1960) is a German football coach and former player. He was the manager of the Germany national team from 2006 until 2021. During his tenure as manager, he led Germany to victory at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil ...
,
Lars Lagerbäck Lars Edvin "Lasse" Lagerbäck (; born 16 July 1948) is a Swedish football manager and former player, who is the technical director of the Iceland national football team. Lagerbäck has managed a number of national teams prior to his current pos ...
,
Bruce Arena Bruce Arena (born September 21, 1951) is an American soccer coach who is the head coach and sporting director of the New England Revolution. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and the NJCAA Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Arena has had ...
, Berti Vogts,
Guillermo Stábile Guillermo Stábile (17 January 1905 – 26 December 1966) was an Argentine professional football player and manager who played as a centre forward. At club level, Stábile won two national championships with Huracán and played in Italy and Fran ...
,
Ignacio Trelles Ignacio Trelles Campos (31 July 1916 – 24 March 2020) was a Mexican football player and manager. As a player with Club Necaxa, they won three Mexican championships. Later he coached amongst others the Mexico national team. A seasoned and d ...
,
Walter Winterbottom Sir Walter Winterbottom (31 March 1913 – 16 February 2002) was an English football player and coach. He was the first manager of the England national team (1946–1962) and Director of Coaching for The Football Association (the FA). He ...
,
Lajos Baróti Lajos Baróti (; 19 August 1914 – 23 December 2005) was a Hungarian football player and manager. With eleven major titles he is one of the outstanding coaches of his era. Career Baróti played from 1928 until 1946 for Szegedi AK and from 19 ...
and
Vicente del Bosque Vicente del Bosque González, 1st Marquess of Del Bosque (; born 23 December 1950) is a Spanish retired football manager and former player. He is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time and is to date the only football manager to ha ...
.


Managerial statistics


Honours


Manager

Peñarol * Copa Libertadores:
1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
Boca Juniors * Primera División: 1992 Apertura * Copa Master de Supercopa: 1992 Uruguay Youth * Pan American Games:
1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
Uruguay * Copa América: 2011


Individual

*
FIFA Order of Merit The FIFA Order of Merit is the highest honour awarded by FIFA. The award is presented at the annual FIFA congress. It is normally awarded to people who are considered to have made a significant contribution to :association football. At FIFA's ce ...
: 2012 * IFFHS World's Best National Coach: 2011


Personal life

Aside from his career in football, Tabárez also worked as a
teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
.''El Maestro'' seeks to restore the tradition of a forgotten footballing identity
''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''
He has been diagnosed with
Guillain–Barré syndrome Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rapid-onset muscle weakness caused by the immune system damaging the peripheral nervous system. Typically, both sides of the body are involved, and the initial symptoms are changes in sensation or pain oft ...
, and was seen utilizing crutches during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tabarez, Oscar 1947 births Living people Footballers from Montevideo Uruguayan footballers Association football defenders Sud América players Sportivo Italiano footballers Montevideo Wanderers F.C. players Centro Atlético Fénix players Club Puebla players C.A. Bella Vista players Uruguayan Primera División players Liga MX players Uruguayan expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Argentina Expatriate footballers in Mexico Uruguayan football managers C.A. Bella Vista managers Danubio F.C. managers Montevideo Wanderers managers Peñarol managers Deportivo Cali managers Boca Juniors managers Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield managers Serie A managers Cagliari Calcio managers A.C. Milan managers La Liga managers Real Oviedo managers Uruguay national football team managers 1989 Copa América managers 1990 FIFA World Cup managers 2010 FIFA World Cup managers 2014 FIFA World Cup managers 2007 Copa América managers 2011 Copa América managers Expatriate football managers in Argentina Expatriate football managers in Italy Expatriate football managers in Mexico Expatriate football managers in Spain Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in Argentina Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in Italy Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in Mexico Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in Spain Uruguayan expatriate football managers 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup managers 2015 Copa América managers Copa América Centenario managers 2018 FIFA World Cup managers 2019 Copa América managers 2021 Copa América managers People with Guillain–Barré syndrome