It is with a heavy heart, I have decided to retire from international football. I played 112 times for Uruguay and experienced some of the greatest moments in my life representing my country. I scored 36 goals and passed the record set by Hector Scarone. My own record held until some kid called Luis Suarez started scoring so many.
I knew this day would come and decided a couple of weeks ago after a chat with my father, who also played for Uruguay, just like my grandfather did. After talking to him I realised it was a good time to stop playing for the national team.
It is difficult to know when to stop when you’re a footballer because you always think you have more to give, but the chance of me playing in the Copa America this year, or the qualification for the 2018 World Cup, was getting slimmer. I’m 35, I have had a great time with Uruguay and feel it is time to let the emerging players have the type of opportunities which I received when I was a young player.
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There has been a generational change and new players have been tried in the friendly matches. They will do well.
I called Uruguay’s legendary manager, Oscar Tabarez, on Sunday to tell him first. He understood what I said and agreed that it is good to be remembered for what I had done when I was at my best. He also said it takes a lot of courage to stop. I called the other Uruguay trainers, people I have been very close to who really helped me in my career. We have been through so much together and they deserved to know before reading it publicly. I also messaged my teammates on a What’s App group we have. Maybe they will expel me from that group now!
But what memories I have, starting with singing the Uruguay national anthem before my debut – a friendly against Saudi Arabia 13 years ago. I was the proudest man alive that day; my dream had come true. I was playing for the mighty Uruguay, the team I had only watched on television. I scored, too.
A few months later I played in my first World Cup finals and scored one of my favourite ever goals, a volley against Senegal a few minutes after coming on for my competitive debut.
My best years were 2010 and 2011, and the 2010 World Cup was the most incredible experience. Our tiny nation reached the semi-finals, I finished joint-top scorer in South Africa and my goal against Germany was voted the best of thetournament. I was also named the best player of that World Cup. The long flight back to Montevideo was a happy one and hundreds of thousands of people met us in our capital for a big party. I didn’t have my awards to show them, they came six months later.
The following year we became champions of South America when we won Copa America, an incredible achievement for a country of just over three million people (Brazil has 200 million.) Becoming the only person from three generations of the same family to win Copa America was a major highlight of my career.
We defeated our big rivals Argentina in the quarter-finals despite being one man down. We beat them 5-4 on penalties after Carlos Tevez missed for Argentina. I scored twice in the final as we beat Paraguay – who had knocked Brazil out – 3-0. Wonderful.
My biggest disappointment was missing out of the 2006 World Cup finals. We were eliminated in the play-off to Australia. I came back from injury for the first leg but was fouled after 12 minutes and had to go off injured. I couldn’t go to Australia for the second leg, but watched us from home. We lost on penalties; it was horrible. But we came back four years later for that unforgettable tournament in South Africa. We knew we had a good side then, we knew we could give the best teams in the world a match.
The national team has been a big part of my life for a long time and I will miss it, especially when Copa America starts and I’m not there. I feel like I’m in mourning at the moment, but I’ve had time to prepare for this decision. It wasn’t something I decided overnight and I could see that things were changing after the World Cup in Brazil, with fresh blood brought in. Football waits for nobody.
I shall love watching Uruguay on television and I’m still playing club football. I love this game, I’m still in good shape and I have just started a new season with Cerezo Osaka in Japan.
And finally, I would like to thank everyone who helped me have such a great international career – the fans, my family, the trainers and all the players I was fortunate to play alongside.
Dreams really can come true.
Diego says ...
I’m surprised that Real Madrid fans are saying that Carlo Ancelotti should be sacked. It is less than a year since he led them to “la decima” – the club’s 10th European Cup – and less than three months since they became world champions.
Ancelotti is one of the best coaches and has proved this by winning trophies. Changing him because Madrid are having a tough time is not the right thing to do. Every team has bad moments in a season, I’ve never heard of one which doesn’t.
Stick with Ancelotti and he will get Madrid back to the best, starting with Sunday’s must-win game against Levante.
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