Marcelo Bielsa has never coached like anyone else, and his World Cup with Uruguay is proving no exception. The 70-year-old Argentine, known as “El Loco”, is admired across South America — coaches such as Sebastián Beccacece, Gustavo Alfaro, Mauricio Pochettino, Lionel Scaloni and Néstor Lorenzo all cite his influence — but his uncompromising approach is once again dividing opinion.
Talk of Rosario
In Rosario’s historic Café El Cairo, where the late writer Roberto Fontanarrosa used to hold court, the conversation during these World Cup weeks is as much about Bielsa’s methods with Uruguay as about Argentina’s own squad.
A protest against football as business
Bielsa has long criticised the commercialisation of the game. “Football was popular because the poor were happy to play with a ball,” he once said. “When football became a dishonest business, the wealthy classes saw an opportunity in it, and since then it no longer belongs to the poor.”
True to that view, he refused to base Uruguay in the United States, which he described as part of a “circus” created by FIFA’s president and the US president. Instead, the squad stayed in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, crossing into the US only to play matches — at the cost of longer journeys. He has also complained about mandatory drinks breaks and pitch conditions, and when FIFA photographers asked him to smile, he replied: “I’m not a model.”
Results under pressure
Uruguay’s first two games ended in draws: 1–1 against Saudi Arabia and 2–2 against Cape Verde. The second result in particular provoked fierce criticism in the Uruguayan and Argentine press.
After the Cape Verde game, Bielsa admitted his team had looked disorganised and accepted responsibility. He compared himself to Sisyphus, the mythical figure condemned to push a boulder uphill for ever: “I only see the mistake, I am never satisfied with anything. That behaviour is based on fear — I fear losing much more than I enjoy winning.”
Brilliance and burnout
That intensity has produced memorable spells — Uruguay beat both Brazil and Argentina in 2023 under his leadership — but over time it has also worn down relationships with players.
Facing Spain in the final group game, Bielsa insisted his side could still rise to the occasion. Even the Poor Clare nuns of Getxo, who have prayed for him since his time at Athletic Club, were said to be keeping him in their thoughts.
