‘I leave nothing’ – the end of ‘toxic’ Bielsa’s Uruguay reignFigure caption, Muslera mistake gifts Spain win as 10-man Uruguay crash out ‘in disgrace’ByTim VickerySouth American football expert Published26 June 2026Updated 51 minutes agoByAlex BrothertonBBC Sport journalistIn substituting a national team hero at half-time before delivering a brutally honest self-reflection, the end of Marcelo Bielsa’s tenure as Uruguay manager felt rather fitting.A 1-0 defeat by Spain in Guadalajara condemned the two-time World Cup winners to a humiliating second successive group-stage exit, and neatly summed up Bielsa’s struggles as head coach.Like he did after draws with Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde left Uruguay needing a positive result against the European champions, Bielsa blamed himself.”I am responsible for this disappointment,” stated the 70-year old, who before the tournament told reporters “I am toxic”.
“Obviously, I don’t need to define this performance… if you ask me how my time [with the national team] will be remembered, it is a tenure that left nothing behind.
“I leave nothing to Uruguayan football, because any contribution I might make to a country where I have worked for three years fails to take root if results aren’t achieved.”
If nothing else, the lasting image of Bielsa’s three-year spell may well be the half-time substitution of legendary goalkeeper Fernando Muslera after his mistake gave Spain the lead.
The 40-year-old came out of international retirement in March at Bielsa’s request, but became the first goalkeeper in history to make three mistakes leading to goals in a single World Cup.
“Muslera decided to come off at half-time,” stated Bielsa, who also explained he withdrew captain Federico Valverde in the second half because he wanted to add a more physical presence to his attack.
“The decision I took was not to undermine Muslera’s confidence, but rather to maintain it.”
Muslera, a hero of Uruguay’s run to the 2010 semi-finals, made his 137th and possibly final international appearance.
