On and Off Field, Uruguay Converts Skeptics

Any Questions?: Much like his country, striker Diego Forlan is quickly silencing Uruguay's skeptics.

One of the greatest story lines in this year’s World Cup has been Uruguay. When the tournament started June 11, many futbol experts believed they would lose in the First Round to the likes of mighty France and Mexico. All eyes and wagers were on perennial powerhouse neighbors Brazil and Argentina.

When Uruguay advanced to the Round of 16, we contrasted the Maradona-stoked cockiness of Argentina with the humble, workmanlike approach of Uruguay. Now both neighbors are home and Uruguay is two wins away from hoisting its third World Cup.

Marie Elena Martinez, a travel writer for the Miami Herald proves Uruguay’s skeptics are alive and well off the field as well. “A lover of big cities, I arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay with low expectations,” she writes, “I wasn’t sure Uruguay could offer anything different than South American spots more popular with tourists — Chile, Argentina and Brazil.”

Arriving at Montevideo’s ultra-modern Carrasco International Airport is often a foreign visitor’s first taste that expectations will soon be exceeded. Over the course of her visit, Martinez discovers the beaches of Pocitos, the Mercado del Puerto, the Plaza Fabini and the 14-mile winding waterfront, La Rambla. By journey’s end, her confession is a familiar refrain among one-time doubters in the Switzerland of South America: “I was exhausted, but no longer skeptical. Yes, absolutely: Uruguay.”

For more information about investment opportunities in Uruguay, visit our archives or download the new issue of InvestBA Privada.