Player Profile: Obdulio Jacinto Varela

OBDULIO VARELA

Full name: Obdulio Jacinto Varela
Born: September 20, 1917. Montevideo, Uruguay.
Nickname: El Negro Jefe (The Black Chief)
Position: Attacking Centre-Half


Obdulio Varela is one of the most colorful figures in the history of the game of football. He is best remembered as the inspirational captain of Uruguay's national team which opposed the heavily favored Brazilians in the final match of the 1950 World Cup, in front of over two hundred thousand fans at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil entered the final match of the mini-league final round needing only a draw to become World Champions. Although Uruguay had done well to that point, the Brazilians had, by all accounts, played at a higher level, and were expected to win easily. Nobody at the Maracana, or in all of Brazil, was prepared for what ensued.

As expected, Brazil dominated the first half, but the Uruguayan defense held. Five minutes into the second half, Brazil opened the score and the stadium erupted into celebrations. What happened next was an act of gamesmanship which turned Varela into a legend of the game. To the astonishment of the crowd and the Brazilian payers, Varela slowly picked up the ball from the back of the net and would not relinquish it. He told his teammates, 'We are not starting again until this place becomes a cemetery'. He went over to the ref and began arguing an offside which he knew had not existed. When the ref threatened to throw him out, he pretended not to understand him. He did all he could think of in order to delay the restart of the match. Slowly, the crowd began to quiet down and the celebrations turned into jeers. The mood had shifted. Only when there was complete silence, Varela gathered his teammates and told them, 'Ok, now we are ready. Let's go win the match.'

Later Varela would say: 'I did what I had to do. We needed to calm down. If we had restarted right away, Brazil would have scored five on us'. Whether the incident was a factor, what happened is that against all odds Uruguay went on to score two goals, both on plays started by Varela. To the astonishment of the crowd, Uruguay won the match and the World Cup in one of the more memorable upsets of all time, remembered in popular lore as 'El Maracanazo'.

Those who followed Varela's career are not surprised by the incident. He was known as a player who would do whatever it took to win. Years after his retirement, the Argentine magazine 'El Grafico' offered the following:

'We cannot say if Varela was the best Uruguayan player in history, nor if he was the best centre-half of all time. At this position there have been players who possesed better technique, players who had more vitality, players who were more cerebral. But nobody, in Uruguay or anywhere else in the world, has ever reached his dimention as a 'caudillo' (an undisputed leader).'

Varela's game combined strong aggressive marking and ball recovery in midfield, a very strong air game, an efficient distribution of the ball, and a constant pushing forward of his teammates. The last was perhaps his best quality. While his physical and technical conditions were not as impressive as those of some of his contemporaries, he was without peer as an inspirational captain and unquestionable team leader.

Varela began his proffesional career in Deportivo Juventud in 1936, at age 19. That same year he moved to Montevideo Wanderers. In 1943 he was adquired by Penarol, and he played for them until his retirement in 1955. During that time he won six Uruguayan titles and became, more than any other player in Uruguay's rich tradition, a symbol of his country's football.

In addition to winning the World Cup in 1950, Varela led Uruguay to three South American titles. He also represented his country at the World Cup of 1954, in Switzerland, at the age of 37. In that tournament, he led his team to remarkable victories over Chekoslovakia (2-0), Scotland (7-0), and in the quarterfinals over the powerful English team (4-2). In the match against England, he picked up a leg injury. At the time there were no substitutions allowed. He remained in the game and played most of the 90 minutes heavily bandaged.

Varela was not fit to play in the key semifinal match against the favored Hungarians, which Uruguay lost 4-2 in overtime. We can only speculate about Uruguay's chances against the mighty Magyars, had Varela played. As it was, he ended his World Cup career unbeaten in seven matches.

There are many stories told about Varela. I will offer a sample, to help illustrate his character.

One time Varela was offered $3,500.00 (a great sum of money at the time) to throw away a game. It is said that Varela left the money in the hands of a witness and went straight to the president of the club. 'You decide if I play', he told the president. 'I prefer not to play, because if I don't do well there will always be some doubt.' The president replied: 'We know you, you will play, and there won't be any problems.' Varela played, and Wanderers won 1-0. After the match, Varela went to the president of the club, told him that he had no money, and asked to borrow some--10 cents for the bus ride home.

Another time, Wanderers was playing against Penarol, and the match was very rough. Varela was the captain, and his complaints had tired the ref, Anibal Tejada, who threatened to throw him out the next time he opened his mouth. After another violent foul by Penarol, Varela squared out to the ref. Tejada said latter that he was ready to throw Varela out, until the captain got on his knees and told him, 'I only come to beg of you, sir. If I or one of my teammates ever commit a foul like that, please throw us out immediately'. All Tejada could do was laugh.

It is said that as Uruguay was travelling by train to Rio, for the final match against Brazil at the Maracana, the Uruguayan team officials were telling the players that they had already fulfuilled all their expectations. 'Just make sure you don't lose by six goals', one of them said. Varela was livid with anger. Before the match, he gathered his teammates together and told them a frase which has become part of Uruguayan lore. 'Los de afuera son the palo' he said. (Outsiders are made of wood, or something to that effect, meaning the opinions of the team officials didn't count at all). 'We are going to win this game.' He asserted. Varela gave these assurance to his teammates, although he knew himself that winning was a long shot. Years later, he compared that final match to winning the lottery. 'If we had played them a hundred times, he candidly admitted, 'we would have only won that one.'

After his retirement and a very short coaching stint at Penarol, Varela, (who was always a man of few words), became somewhat of a recluse. The few times he spoke, he did not hide his bitterness towards the football establishment of his country, whom he claimed had betrayed him and broken all the promises they had made him.. For many years he refused to have anything to do with the game, and claimed that he didn't even follow it anymore. Fortunately for the fans, he emerged from his self-imposed exile to attend the 94 World Cup in the United States, where he received a long overdue recognition from FIFA.

Obdulio Varela died August 2nd, 1996. For as long as football is played and discussed, he will be remember as one of the game's brightest figures, one of the great field leaders of all time.



***Note: I did not find statistics which encompass Varela's complete career, and those I found often contradicted each other. If somebody can provide a credible source of statistics for Varela, it will be appreciated.