Óscar Washington Tabárez: A Teacher, Coach, and Savior | OneFootball

Óscar Washington Tabárez recently published his autobiography Las Puertas de la Memoria (The Doors of Memory), a heartfelt reflection from the 78-year-old architect behind Uruguay’s footballing revival. Tabárez spent nearly 15 years at the helm of the national team, leaving a legacy that not only transformed Uruguayan soccer but also offers a blueprint any national program — especially the United States — would do well to study.

At a time when many in American soccer are questioning whether the United States men’s national team has lost its way, citing a lack of passion, a club-over-country mentality among players, and a federation more focused on profit than long-term structure, the story of Uruguay under Óscar Washington Tabárez offers an eerily relevant point of comparison. Uruguay, too, once faced a similar identity crisis.

Tabárez first managed the national team from 1988-1990, but it was his second stint that revitalized the proud footballing nation. He returned to the helm in 2006, and found the federation in shambles. The two-time FIFA World Cup and Olympic champion had only qualified for one World Cup since 1990 and exited early when it did in 2002. The team had no direction, no structure, and no unifying philosophy.

In response, Tabárez launched the Proceso de Institucionalización de las Selecciones Nacionales y la Formación de sus Futbolistas, a sweeping reform designed to bring continuity and identity to every level of the national team setup. From U-15 to the senior squad, he emphasized a unified style of play, education, discipline, and national pride. Football, in his view, was a vehicle for personal growth as much as athletic success.

Tabárez the Teacher

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Much of Tabárez’s philosophy came from his background as a schoolteacher. He saw his players not only as athletes but as students — individuals shaped by their environments, families, and communities. In his view, managing a national team wasn’t just about tactics or results, it was about forming people.

He fostered a culture of humility and teamwork, where success came through collective effort rather than individual brilliance. Whether a global star or a fresh call-up, every player had a role and was treated with the same respect. The result was not just better football, it was a team built on brotherhood, where players supported one another with genuine pride and trust.

Tabárez also emphasized values that extended far beyond the pitch: education, personal development, staying grounded despite fame, and honoring one’s origins. For him, the national team was a place where players could reconnect with their identity and understand that success meant more than trophies. It meant becoming someone others could admire.

A Savior

Though he’d never say it himself, Tabárez saved Uruguayan football. Before South Africa 2010, you were more likely to see kids wearing Argentina, Barcelona, or Juventus jerseys at a local park in Montevideo than the sky blue of La Celeste. While Nacional and Peñarol have always driven Uruguayan fandom, their intense rivalry often divided more than united.

Tabárez gave fans something bigger to believe in. His Uruguay brought back families to the stadiums, rekindled passion in small towns, and inspired a sense of belonging that transcended club loyalties. The results followed: a fourth-place finish in 2010, wins over England and Italy in 2014, and another strong run in 2018, where Uruguay finished fifth, beating Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal along the way.

While some critics point to just one Copa América title under his tenure, the truth is Tabárez achieved something greater: he rescued Uruguay’s footballing soul from obscurity. He gave the country a lasting blueprint to follow, and placed Uruguay among the elite national team programs in the world.

A Lasting Legacy

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When Tabárez was dismissed in 2021, it marked the end of an era. It wasn’t just the loss of a coach, it was the departure of a symbol, someone who had become part of the country’s fabric. By his own admission, leaving the role was like leaving a part of himself behind.

He stepped away from the spotlight to reflect and write. In his recently released memoir Las Puertas de la Memoria, Tabárez recounts his journey from a humble upbringing in Cerrito to leading Uruguay on the global stage. But more than a football story, the book is a testament to core values: dignity, respect, education, and cultural pride.

In a moment when U.S. Soccer is searching for meaning and identity, the story of Tabárez serves as a powerful reminder: lasting success begins with purpose, roots, and leadership that sees players as people first. And the players themselves saw the national team as a symbol of nationalistic pride that has some of the greatest pages written in soccer history, from countless come-from-behind wins to maybe the greatest victory in World Cup history, the 1950 final against Brazil known as El Maracanazo, a result that gave Uruguayans a national identity.

When he presented his book, Tabárez was surrounded by his former staff and players — Diego Godín, Diego Pérez, among others and video messages from Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani, all there to pay tribute not just to a coach, but to a mentor.

In the end, the greatest legacy anyone can leave is the respect of those they helped shape — not only as athletes, but as human beings. In that, Óscar Washington Tabárez is truly El Maestro.