In their history, Uruguay have been known to produce top footballers. Many of the best football players in Uruguay have tremendous accomplishments in both the national team and their respective football clubs.
In 2022, Uruguay will see the end of one of its best generations of players. Some of these players are the best in the country’s footballing history.
Luis Suarez will forever be a benchmark for future stars who would love to be a striker in Uruguay and worldwide. Edinson Cavani and the former Liverpool striker are in the top five best footballers to have come out from Uruguay.
One last lap from these big stars but beyond them, who are the five best Uruguayan footballers in 2022?
1. Sergio Rochet
- Position: Goalkeeper
- Age: 29
The fact that a goalkeeper is on this list, and it’s not Fernando Muslera, is a testament that an era is ending and another beginning.
When Muslera got injured, Sergio Rochet came in and fit in like a glove. It is more or less like his time came as Rochet has been out of Uruguay as a youngster, first with stints in Netherlands and Turkey before returning to Nacional back home.
He played across three competitions with club and country and over a thousand minutes without letting a goal in. All these he achieved with his sharp reflex, strong presence, and one on one agility, as well as a commanding presence in the box to arrange his defense.
2. Federico Valverde
- Position: Midfielder
- Age: 24
24-year-old Federico Valverde is the most in-form Uruguayan player, and that’s not the only thing that stands the midfielder.
The Real Madrid player is versatile and can play anywhere in the midfield and upfront. The 24-year-old can feature as a box-to-box midfielder and shows a sense of leadership in his playing style.
In the 2022/23 season, Fede Valverde has been in brilliant form, scoring for fun. He possesses powerful shooting accuracy, tireless work rate, and superb skill set.
3. Edinson Cavani
- Position: Striker
- Age: 35
Edinson Cavani still has a little left in his tank for one more World Cup and has shown he can still do it on the big stage after securing a deal with Valencia in La Liga.
He wasn’t short on interest, as Boca Juniors were reportedly courting him. At the World Cup, Cavani will still be a striker to recon with, even if for the last time.
The experience he carries is immense, having played in South Africa in 2010, Brazil in 2014, and Russia in 2018. He’s scored 54 goals in 128 matches for Uruguay, played with Diego Forlan, Luis Suarez, and one last time potentially with Darwin Nunez.
4. Rodrigo Bentancur
- Position: Midfielder
- Age: 35
The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder is undoubtedly one of the best footballers in Uruguay.
Ever since Bentancur made his debut for the national team, he has been a key player for the team. He featured in the 2018 World Cup and has made 51 appearances for Uruguay.
Rodrigo Bentancur is technically-gifted, hard-working, aggressive, skillful, elegant, and tactically versatile midfielder, who is also two-footed.
5. Darwin Núñez
- Position: Striker
- Age: 23
Uruguay’s next big striker after producing Diego Forlan, Edinson Cavani, and Luis Suarez. The trio mentioned above is in the final laps of their career, and all eyes will be on Darwin Núñez’s shoulders.
Nunez didn’t immediately bloom in Europe as he was with Almeria in Spain before moving to Benfica in Portugal.
However, his time at Benfica was so fruitful that Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool deemed him worthy of a €75m pricetag.
In terms of style of play, Núñez’s is strong, has speed, and can play as a center forward.
6. José Giménez
- Position: Defender
- Age: 35
José Giménez is one of the best defenders in La Liga. He has been a solid rock at the heart of the Uruguayan defense for many years now.
The Atlético Madrid man has been in the national team set up for nine years, and has played at the 2014 and 2018 World Cups.
7. Luis Suárez
- Position: Striker
- Age: 35
Luis Suárez has had an eventful World Cup career with a 2010 World Cup where he got as far as third place. 2014 was marked by the biting incident in the game against Italy.
The former Liverpool forward returned to Uruguay with Nacional and recently lifted a cup. In the 2020/2021 season when he went to Atletico Madrid and became their top scorer, to the dismay of Barcelona, who misjudged what he had left.
Therefore, it will be an extremely poor judgment to think Suárez wouldn’t play a part in whatever success story Uruguay has in Qatar.
Luis Suárez is one of the greatest Uruguayan footballers of time.
8. Ronald Araújo
- Position: Defender
- Age: 23
Despite being saddled with injury problems, the Barcelona centre-back remains of the best footballers in Uruguay.
He has been spectacular since he started playing regularly at Barcelona, and is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in La Liga.
Araújo has the potential to become a legend for the Uruguay national team.
