The star-player of Uruguay

09-03-2002:

The task of lifting Uruguay from a second-rate football nation into a contender at the 2002 FIFA World Cup™ finals has fallen on the shoulders of Alvaro Recoba. For Recoba is the anointed successor to the great Enzo Francescoli - and a player with magic in his left foot.
Born in Montevideo on 17 March 1976, Recoba grew up in the professional ranks of his local team Danubio FC - a second-rate side in the Uruguayan first division. His progress was so swift that one of the country's big two clubs, Nacional, signed him at 17. And it was with the 'tricolores' that he scored 57 goals in 51 games, establishing himself as a star-in-the-making.

Italian giants Internazionale FC were sufficiently impressed to take 'El Chino' to Milan in 1997 - landing Recoba in one of the world's toughest leagues.

"When I got here, nobody knew me," he said a month into his Serie A career. "Only a couple of journalists bothered to attend my presentation. But things went well, and when I get to training, I spend about 20 minutes signing autographs. People even stop me in the street."

While Recoba was winning points and plaudits at Inter, his exquisite skills made him a first choice at international level too. Still, he continued to play down comparisons with Francescoli, Uruguay's greatest footballing export and one of the world's best players of the 1980s.

"I don't know - he's up there and I'm here," he said. "Maybe some day I could reach that standard and be a world-class player like him."

Recoba recovered from the setback of a loan spell at AC Venezia by returning to the Inter line-up and doing well in a struggling team. However, he faced an altogether more serious blow when the Italian League suspended him for a year for his involvement in the false passport scandal. Recoba was found to have illegal Italian papers, although the ban was later cut to four months on appeal.

Yet Inter's loss was Uruguay's gain: the terms of his suspension meant he could still play for his country during the 2002 FIFA World Cup™ qualifying campaign.

And Recoba was an inspiration, both for Argentinian-born coach Daniel Passarella and his succcessor Victor Pua. He more than anyone was responsible for leading the 'charruas' to fifth place in the South American section and a qualifying play-off against Australia.

Now back in the first-team fold at Inter, Recoba is eyeing a new goal: that of prolonging Uruguay's stay in Korea/Japan beyond the first stage. It is something the 'celestes' have not achieved since the 1970 tournament in Mexico, when they finished third.

In Alvaro Recoba, they have their best hope of doing so.

[yahoo.com]