Uruguay ended Argentina's unbeaten run since the 2022 FIFA World Cup after pulling off a 2-0 victory in their 2026 World Cup qualifiers encounter.
The victory is a follow-up to the team's domination of Brazil last month.
The Charrúas are sending a message to the world, and the man behind it is Argentine manager Marcelo Bielsa.
Bielsa may not be a powerhouse name, but the new breed of club and national-level managers know how influential the guy is.
He's been all over the world, and although he does not have the wares to present his credentials and has never managed a rich club, his influence is strong.
His love for the game is also a story that needs telling. There is a reason why he is called El Loco or "The Mad Man."
Pep Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane consulted him.
Pep Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane are regarded as the most successful managers of the 21st century.
The former, who has coached Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and now Manchester City, has 37 club trophies and is on the track of getting more.
On the other hand, Zidane - who is relatively new to managing clubs - has 12, including three straight Champions League with Real Madrid. He had two short stints as Los Blancos manager from 2016 to 2021.
Guardiola is very vocal about Bielsa's influence on him.
"I will never forget how gentle, how kind he was with me when I was absolutely nobody in the world of football in terms of management, and how he shared his knowledge," recalls Guardiola in the Sky Sports documentary "El Loco and Leeds."
"We talked about football, but not just football."
He even believes that Bielsa, who he once called the best manager in the world, could have won more in Barcelona compared to him.
Zidane himself consulted the Uruguay coach, too. As one of the best players in the sport's history, Bielsa felt humbled that the French looked up to his style.
Both Guardiola and Zidane allow fullbacks to attack in their respective tactics, something that Bielsa did first.
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Bielsa is a wanted man in the Premier League
England's Premier League is arguably the best football competition in the world, and for many coaches, to step foot there is an honor.
Bielsa already had a stint in the Premier League through Leeds United, whom he helped get promoted to the first division. The two parties, however, parted ways in 2022 after a dismal record.
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino said in 2021 that Bielsa has a place in the Premier League, and to have him would be the league's pleasure.
3. No non-sense approach that makes him the Mad Man
A man with new ideas is a madman until his ideas triumph. - Bielsa
Leeds United were not expected to make it big in the Premier League when they were promoted in 2020, but they did anyway. Before that, Leeds were frozen in the Championship for 16 years.
It is all thanks to Bielsa, who introduced radical approaches to the game. His attitude and approach to the game became a culture that a street in the city was called the "Marcelo Bielsa Way."
He introduced high pressing and pushed players to the limit by having them continuously push for the ball as if it were a basketball game.
They eventually struggled after injury to key players, but Bielsa stuck to his principle - another reason he is being called a Mad Man.
His time with Leeds may have ended bitterly, but he engraved his style on the team and other Premier League coaches.
Now, it is time for Uruguay to surprise the world.
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