Known as "El Gran Mariscal" (The Great Marshal), José Nasazzi was born in the Bella Vista neighborhood of Montevideo, son of an Italian immigrant father and Spanish mother. He started his career as a striker in the neighborhood club, Bella Vista, before establishing himself as a center-back, a position in which he became a world reference. Captain of Uruguay, Nasazzi led the celeste selection in the conquest of Olympic golds in 1924 and 1928 and in the Copa América titles of 1923, 1924 and 1926, consolidating himself as one of the great leaders of South American football in the 1920s. His most remarkable moment came in the first FIFA World Cup, disputed in 1930 in Uruguay. As captain, he lifted the Jules Rimet Trophy after the comeback 4-2 victory over Argentina in the final, becoming the first captain in history to lift the world trophy. Considered by many historians as the best player in Uruguayan football history, Nasazzi is remembered as a center-back ahead of his time, with uncommon technical skill for the position, inherited from his years as a striker.
José Nasazzi
Known as "El Gran Mariscal" (The Great Marshal), José Nasazzi was born in the Bella Vista neighborhood of Montevideo, son of an Italian immigrant father and Spanish mother. He started his career as a striker in the neighborhood club, Bella Vista, before establishing himself as a center-back, a position in which he became a world reference. Captain of Uruguay, Nasazzi led the celeste selection in the conquest of Olympic golds in 1924 and 1928 and in the Copa América titles of 1923, 1924 and 1926, consolidating himself as one of the great leaders of South American football in the 1920s. His most remarkable moment came in the first FIFA World Cup, disputed in 1930 in Uruguay. As captain, he lifted the Jules Rimet Trophy after the comeback 4-2 victory over Argentina in the final, becoming the first captain in history to lift the world trophy. Considered by many historians as the best player in Uruguayan football history, Nasazzi is remembered as a center-back ahead of his time, with uncommon technical skill for the position, inherited from his years as a striker.