Starting with the present, he has just been with the Uruguayan national team in Austria. What sensations did they transmit to you?
I have a lot of faith in Uruguay facing Qatar. I see her well, I see her strong, without any roof. We understand that you go to the World Cup to win, we cannot feel it any other way.
What makes the Uruguayan player different? Why do so many go out despite being a relatively small country?
The street and the passion. We played every day off, in the street. I remember that we finished school and we were playing until night with the ball. I think that technique and character are perfected there as well. For example, the exercises now of four against four or five against five we already did at the time. And in bad fields… Then there is the DNA. Each country has its way of being. There are many players in Uruguay despite the fact that we are very few. The Uruguayan competes and adapts to all circumstances. There are Uruguayans all over the world.
Valverde is one. Did you expect this evolution?
The truth is that if. I was asked before about Valverde and I answered that he was an improved version of Kroos. He has a lot of dynamics, you saw that Ancelotti puts him on the wing, he closes inside, he also goes down to defend the side… he hits him with both legs and he’s young, he can continue to improve much more. It is a cannon, the truth is that it goes very well.