Modesty, discretion, respect, humility, balance, are some of the countless words with which, over these 15 years, they have defined Oscar Washington Tabárez.
Over time the concepts were mutated. In the early years they referred to football terms. Today he earned respect from elsewhere. A sentence of Jorge Valdano is the most eloquent example. It refers to aspects of education: “Tabárez is as concerned with educating the man as he is with educating the player. He never overreacts, never seeks to create a scene”.
The Crazy Marcelo Bielsa he defined it by saying, “He has the gift of discretion, without having to impose himself by manners but by his arguments“. And the former president José Mujica he praised him, saying: “Knowing how to win knows anyone, the problem is to maintain good manners and dignity when you lose, and that has a lot of value”.
This is how they see the master: the opinion of a first president, the players who went through his process and the look from the outside.
Marcelo Bielsa
“Master Tabárez is a faithful representative of the Uruguayan being or, at least, of those values that we Argentines attribute to our neighbors: balance, common sense, sincerity, modesty. He has the gift of discretion, without the need to impose – he is convinced by the ways but by his arguments. He convinces to be intimately convinced of what he proposes and he maintains. He has managed to be a referential figure privileging the sincerity discarding the demagoguery, obtaining proximity without shortening distance “.
(Prologue to the book Mestre, the legacy of Tabárez)
José Mujica, former president of Uruguay
“The lesson that Tabárez has taught us about consistent work, collective work, simplicity and humility. I never saw him magnified, always turning to collective formation and the effort that must continue to be made. Not to underestimate our opponents or to be hyper-critical, in Uruguay we are hyper-critical of everything, and I never saw it in Tabárez in a destructive attitude towards anyone, I never saw it, sometimes pointing out some mistake we made, that, the other, but never destroying anyone, never, for me this is an example, Tabárez’s attitude would like it to be a true collective heritage, and the first things we should learn are politicians, of course. learn huge lessons from Tabárez’s attitude and we would do very well in this country, very well.He never complains, nor will there be explanations for defeats on this side.and there is something interesting because he paints it all.there was a tradition in the Uruguayan Association, the harp charrúa and quite dirty game, and that does not run and with Tabárez. Do we take out the spear? No! Do we stick our tongues out of fatigue? Yes! And knowing how to lose, which is one of the hardest things in life. Because knowing how to win knows anyone, the problem is to maintain good manners and dignity when you lose, and that has a lot of value. And he has also taken it upon himself to sow this idea: it is a sport, not a war, giving it the real value that things have. For all this I summarize: for me he is a Master with capital letters “.
(Book The Way is the Reward)
Diego Forlán
“Every footballer tries to fulfill dreams, achieve sporting success and, most importantly, leave a mark. Throughout my career and thanks to the effort, perseverance and dedication I have been able to achieve many successes and distinctions both personal and group. But beyond the awards, the legacy and what one leaves to the people is the most important thing, for this reason, having been one of the main standard-bearers of the selection process led by Maestro Tabárez since 2006, Everything I have experienced since the Qualifiers, the 2007 Copa America, the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where I experienced what was undoubtedly my best football moment, being champion of America in Argentina on 2011, the Confederations Cup in 2013, the World Cup in Brazil in 2014 … accumulates a lot of experiences and too many memories. In front of all this there is a feeling of satisfaction for what we achieved in sports, but especially for what it generated in the Uruguayan people. love p er the selection and fanaticism it aroused in all generations, is definitely priceless. The great person in charge of this path that we took was Tabárez. Because it changed everything, gave us new tools, decompressed a pressure that had haunted Uruguay for years, created a group, instilled values and, last but not least, got us to play on an equal footing against any rival. . The nine years I had the Master as a leader certainly marked a great learning experience. “
(Prologue to the book Mestre, the legacy of Tabárez)
Diego Lugano
“He is an honest guy who does not bend his convictions in front of anything and no one. Tabárez points to a goal and is not moved by the views that are handled in this country. If you have honesty, conviction, organization, intelligence, projection to the future and you want the values to be the most important thing, you can move it to other areas.He has the idea to move this message to the people and he has achieved it.In the Celeste Complex I have seen him fight and demand that they build a semi-roof on the grill and so that the players don’t get wet, so that they put decent mattresses to sleep on, so that the track is in good condition, so that there is no mud at the entrance to the performances, so that the bricks are not painted, so that the internet works. and a thousand other things. it’s very serious, frontal and straight, few words, but fair. Hard to say anything more or it’s thirteen a concept. but it’s open to listening. “
(Supplement What happens to El País)
Jorge Valdano
“The first person to raise the banner of normalcy is Master Tabárez, a friendly leader. When he is in front of a group of players, instead of a display of power, the only means of leadership acceptable to him is one based on knowledge and a strict sense of justice.And justice can only be imparted through meritocracy.Tabárez is the embodiment of the typical Uruguayan and knows the human and professional qualities of his players like no other after 12 years in office, Tabarez is as concerned with educating the man as he is with educating the player. He never overreacts, never seeks to create a scene: the best example of this is his words after the defeat in France: ‘ this dream is over, others will come. “Football in its rightful place in society. This Uruguay is the proud daughter of its football history and its way of understanding the game. They said goodbye leaving everything : this may not be enough to win, but it is enough knowing that there is no remorse or reproach. “
(The Guardian any 2018)
Diego Godin
“If I had to define his nickname, he would have it as it is. For us he has been a Master. What generates, this respect, this tranquility, for us and outside is what we have learned and what conveys to the group.This mixture of wisdom, tranquility, knowing what to say at the right time.In the most fucking moments having that right word to convey confidence and all the way has been like this.Not everything has been pink, we have had ups and downs, but he always had the right words.The Master has been more than a coach to us, he has been a values modeler.And he is what has really identified us, makes us respect him, that of sometimes we keep trying to get after you after so many years together. “
(Master Book, the legacy of Tabárez)
José Giménez
“He’s a life teacher, he explains football to you in the perfect way, the exact details, he tells you the matches and how to hurt you, he leaves you with clear ideas and concepts. Of the best coaches I’ve had. treatment is very open, for example Josema tells me. She always talks to me, always with a smile, when you have to be serious normal, but she is a very open person to everyone “.
(DirecTV)
Sebastián Abreu
“Sense of belonging, organization, development, methodology, commitment, responsibility, adherence, winning with an idea that you will like or not but it is clear, be aware of what you are defending, what is the shirt you are wearing and then, what for me it became the most important thing, it is the process in general, to achieve something that -since I have use of reason- in football had never been generated at the level of selection, which was always criticized and not he was considered a fruitful thing for Uruguayan football and the Master, against all odds, was able to consolidate it, with five presidents of the AUF as his coach, and these processes usually happen the other way around. each president passes four or five coaches.He achieved something amazing in this aspect.Then the sports results, which are what make you history.He won after many years a youth championship, he always went to all the world under 20, es had continuity in the under 17 and at the level of major selection we went to three world-wide ones in a row, we were between the best ones of the world with Germany, Holland and Spain, and an America Glass was gained “.
(Master Book, the legacy of Tabárez)
Sebastián Eguren
“He is a person I admire for everything he conveys. His presence gives a lot. It gives you a feeling that you are standing next to a person who without telling you anything is conveying to you a number of such great things, that you He feels very good, he and the whole coaching staff, he is a coach with whom, after every trip to Montevideo or sharing any call, you went with a new concept, with a little football, concepts of life, of the sport in itself. That of life is to transmit the teachings and to build bridges. And the Master does it “.
(Master Book, the legacy of Tabárez)
Nicolás Lodeiro
“What the Master and the coaching staff have done is that he has fixed the selection issues. Not only for the field of sport but also for the society of Uruguay. People feel identified, it is part of the thought they carried on.They planted a project when they arrived and it is bearing fruit.I am part of this process.At the time they arrived I was in the youth as well as other players coming from more below that 15. They did the whole process and that was not seen for a long time, they always cared about the youngsters, the youngsters are more important than the older ones, they will be the protagonists, they work well from below, they imposed it, today it can be seen in youthful selections, always classifying to the world-wide ones, always protagonist like the greater selection “.
(Copa America 2015)
Tite
“You are an inspiration and I am not talking to you out of commitment. It is very difficult to find a professional with all this longevity, with all the respect he emanates. And he emanates it mainly for one reason: great professionals do not win at any cost. , they win above the scale of moral and educational values ”
(Brazil coach – November 2020)