Víctor Rodríguez Andrade

**Víctor Pablo Rodríguez Andrade** (2 May 1927 – 19 May 1985) was an Uruguayan footballer. He was the right halfback and left halfback of the Uruguayan national team that won the 1950 World Cup tournament, after defeating Brazil in the decisive match. He was the nephew of another Uruguayan international player, José Andrade, who was also a World Cup winner, having played for the Uruguay squad that won the first ever edition in 1930. Rodríguez Andrade also played at the 1954 World Cup and won the 1956 South American Championship with Uruguay, and at the club level, he won two Uruguayan First Division titles with C.A. Peñarol. He was known for his pace, versatility, speed, great pressure, tough tackling, dribbling, long range shots, long and short passes and his stamina. He is regarded as one of the finest midfielders ever, and he was widely considered to be one of the world's greatest halfbacks in the 1950s.

## Early life

Born in the _Barrio Sur_ of Montevideo, Víctor Rodríguez came to the world into a family that proudly revered the name of his uncle, José Andrade. His admiration for his uncle and the naming customs made him use both last names; he drew comparisons with "The Black Marvel", not only because he was his relative, but also because they both played on the wing (although Andrade played in the right flank). Thus, the name **Rodríguez Andrade** would universally remain used when referring to the left midfielder, and sometimes he is even referred to simply as **Andrade.

## Club career

Growing up, Víctor Rodríguez Andrade played on the streets of Barrio Sur and Palermo. He began his football career at Central, a club in the latter district. During his period in this club, he honors his first cape in the national team, in 1947, and is one of the emblematic figures of the Palermitanos. Víctor Rodríguez remained at Central until 1952, when he joined Peñarol, with whom he won the Uruguayan championship in 1953 and 1954.

## International career

Andrade made his debut on December 2, 1947 to his last match for the Celeste on June 5, 1957. He earned 42 caps for the Celeste called national team of his home country and he scored once. He took part in the 1950 and 1954 World Cups. He celebrated the greatest success of his career by winning the world championship title in 1950, He was known for his performance at that tournament, his defensive duties included the marking of Zizinho, a task he was successful at until the beginning of the second half, when Ademir assisted Friaça, who scored the 1–0. However, Rodríguez Andrade later recounts that he saw the linesman raise his flag during the game, appearing to indicate an offside position for Brazilian striker. In the moment, the Uruguayan lets slip Friaça towards a face to face with the goalkeeper Roque Máspoli. After the opener, Rodríguez confided to his captain Varela: “There was offside, Jacinto”. Then, in a key moment of the match, the captain, with the ball under his arm, protested for a few moments to the referee. The goal remains validated, but Varela cooled the enthusiasm of the Brazilians and silenced the crowd. Uruguay rallied, with Juan Alberto Schiaffino scoring the equalizer and Alcides Ghiggia the winner, to plunge an entire country into disarray known as the Maracanaço and he was included in the All-Star Team. Four years later, in Switzerland, the World Cup attraction is the Hungarian team. In the first round, the "golden team" scores 17 goals in its first two victories. Meanwhile, Uruguay won against Czechoslovakia and Scotland 2–0 and 7–0 respectively, to triumph in their group. In the second round, Celeste beat England 4–2, while Hungary overcame Brazilon the same score. The reigning world champions and favorites meet in the semi-finals, and in a memorable match, it takes the Magyars 120 minutes to hand Uruguay their first ever World Cup defeat. Just like in 1950, Rodríguez Andrade played every match in Tournament and put on a good performance in his last World Cup appearance, even though he had to play much of the game with a pulled muscle.

After a first appearance in 1947 where he entered twice as a replacement for Schubert Gambetta for his first two international selections, Rodríguez Andrade contested the 1955 edition of the South American Championship and suffered the humiliation of Ángel Labruna's Argentina after a stormy end to the match (1–6). Montevideo hosted the event the following year, and veteran Andrade, the sole survivor of the 1950 Worlds runners-up team, led the Charrúas to a ninth continental title. They defeat Argentina from Ángel Labruna and Omar Sívori in the last match, which, like six years earlier in Brazil, is not a final but serves as a decisive match. Víctor Rodríguez Andrade thus becomes – with William Martínez and Obdulio Varela – one of the three Uruguayan players of his generation to win the World Cup and the South American Championship. He was also a member of the Uruguayan team that emerged victorious from the 1956 South American Championship. Previously, he had already been able to add participation in the 1947 and 1953 Copa América to his success statistics. His last international match was a 1–1 draw with Argentina on June 5, 1957.

## Later life and death

After finishing his football career, he resided in Montevideo for the rest of his life. He worked as a doorman at the Legislative Palace of Uruguay for about twenty years, and at the same time participated in the foundation of the basketball team 25 de Agosto affiliated with the Uruguayan federation. Víctor Rodríguez Andrade died on May 19, 1985, at the age of 58 due heart infection and he was buried days later at Cementerio del Cerro, Montevideo. and a month after his death Senator Luis Hierro Gambardella pays tribute to him in a speech during a session of Congress.

## Honours

**Peñarol**
- Uruguayan first division champion: 1953, 1954
- Torneo de Honor: 1952, 1953
- Competencia: 1953

**Uruguay**
- FIFA World Cup winner: 1950; fourth place: 1954
- South American Championship winner: 1956
- South American Championship third place: 1947, 1953, fourth place: 1955
- Copa Río Branco: 1948

**Individual'''
- FIFA World Cup: All-Star Team: 1950, 1954
- South American All-Star XI
- IFFHS South American Player of the 20th Century (29th place)
- IFFHS Uruguay Player of the 20th Century (6th place)
- IFFHS Legends
- IFFHS World Player of the 20th Century (38th place)
- The Best of The Best – Player of the Century: Top 50
- L'Équipe's top 50 South-American footballers in history: #40
- World Soccer World XI

## Infobox (football biography)

- **name**: Víctor Rodríguez Andrade
- **fullname**: Víctor Pablo Rodríguez Andrade
- **birth place**: Montevideo, Uruguay
- **death place**: Montevideo, Uruguay
- **position**: Formation (association football)#2–3–5 (Pyramid), Halfback
- **youthyears1**: 1937–1945
- **youthclubs1**: Central Español
- **years1**: 1945–1952
- **years2**: 1952–1957
- **clubs1**: Central Español
- **clubs2**: Peñarol
- **caps1**: 328
- **goals1**: 30
- **caps2**: 234
- **goals2**: 14
- **totalcaps**: 562
- **totalgoals**: 44
- **nationalyears1**: 1947–1957
- **nationalteam1**: Uruguay national football team, Uruguay
- **nationalcaps1**: 42
- **nationalgoals1**: 1