When they took the field against Yugoslavia, they carried the French tricolour as well as their own flag, but were disappointed to see empty terraces. Pedro Cea and Hector Scarone both scored twice as they won 7-0 in a blistering start.

In their next match, they beat the United States with a first half hat-trick from Pedro Petrone.

It was not until the quarter-final that they conceded a goal. Against host nation France they replied with five of their own in front of packed stands in the Stade de Colombes. Scarone and Petrone both scored twice this time.

In the semi-final, the Uruguayans trailed to The Netherlands but came back to win. The match had turned on a disputed penalty converted by Petrone. After the match the Dutch put in an appeal which proved unsuccessful.

When the Uruguayans learned that Dutch referee Johannes Mutters had been assigned the final against Switzerland they put in a protest of their own. The following day the jury headed by FIFA President Jules Rimet appointed Marcel Slawick, a Frenchman, instead and the Uruguayans were satisfied.

Uruguay's Olympic squad looked in a relaxed mood at their Paris accommodation ©Uruguayan Football Association




For the final some 60,000 crammed into the stadium at Colombes, thousands more were locked outside.

An early Petrone goal put Uruguay in front. They scored twice more after half time and the gold medal was theirs.

Back in Montevideo, crowds had started gathering outside the newspaper offices each match day from early morning to wait for news. When the results came through they were "greeted with an uproar of cheers, rockets, foghorns and whistles." Victory brought the city to a standstill.

The official Uruguayan federation report identified the reason for their success. "The morale of the team was excellent with perfect discipline."

Before they returned home, the players visited the tourist spots in Paris and also went to the tomb of the Unknown Soldier where they laid a wreath.

In defence of their title, the Uruguayans were just as thorough. They met to discuss how best to prepare their players and in particular to offset the adverse effects of a long sea voyage. The 1928 Olympics were to be held in Amsterdam.

Uruguay were drawn against the Netherlands to renew a rivalry that had started in the 1924 tournament. This time of course the Dutch were the host nation. The locals queued round the block for tickets and in front of a crowd of over 27,000, Uruguay won with a goal in each half. The referee was John Langenus, later destined to referee the first World Cup final.

Uruguay took control of their quarter-final against the Germans before half time. Petrone completed his hat-trick in the second half but their victory was marred by the dismissal of skipper Jose Nasazzi. The Germans had two players sent off.

In the last four, Uruguay came from behind to beat Italy 3-2.

The referee appointed for the final was Mutters, the very official the Uruguayans had objected to so vehemently four years previously. This time however, there was no protest.

The Uruguayans defend during the 1928 Olympic final in Amsterdam against Argentina ©Uruguayan Football Association




Their opponents Argentina had scored no fewer than 23 goals in three matches en route to the final. Uruguay led through a first half goal from Petrone, Manuel Ferreira levelled after half time to take the game into extra time. There was no further scoring. There were no penalty shootouts in those days, the teams simply came back three days later for a replay.

At half time it was still one apiece in the replay but Scarone scored what proved to be the decisive goal midway through the second half. Back in Montevideo, the fans took to the streets once again to celebrate. They were not even put off by torrential rain.

Everyone was acutely aware that the best players in the world were now turning professional and soon the thoughts turned towards the possibility of a world tournament that would be open to all.

After winning their second straight Olympic gold, the Uruguay squad had plenty of reason to cheer ©Uruguayan Football Association



FIFA had already set up a commission to examine the problem. When the group presented their conclusions, Jules Rimet solemnly announced "FIFA is now facing a new era."

The IOC Executive Board met before the Amsterdam Olympics in 1928, and noted that "FIFA is contemplating holding a World Championship open to Amateurs and Professionals, but this would have no reference to the Olympic Games."

Double Olympic success had nonetheless given Uruguay real standing in world football and Dr Buero was by now an influential FIFA vice-president. He was concerned that Montevideo did not yet have a suitable stadium. He was also worried that that the crowds would not turn up in sufficient numbers to watch, especially for matches in midweek.

His countrymen were not to be put off - 1930 was to be Uruguay's national centenary. This they reasoned would be a perfect way to celebrate. They enlisted the support of other members of the South American football confederation (CONMEBOL) and promised "to pay the travel costs and board and lodging for 20 players (sic) during the tournament and an additional eight days."

The decision was made at the 1929 FIFA congress in Barcelona. Some European nations said they were interested in hosting but they also made it clear that they would not attend a tournament staged in South America. In the meantime Uruguay marshalled their support well and impressed FIFA with their enthusiasm before decision day. After the vote, a telegram sent back to Montevideo had good tidings.

"THE FOOTBALL CONGRESS HAS DECIDED THAT THE VENUE FOR THE 1930 WORLD CUP WILL BE MONTEVIDE . THE MOTION WAS BRILLIANTLY SUPPORTED BY ARGENTINA'S DELEGATE."

The tournament would have four preliminary groups, although at this stage, it was by no means certain just how many teams would take part.

Time was short. The main stadium was a massive undertaking and with less than a year to prepare, it needed 500 workers working three shifts a day. The largest grandstand was to be named "Olympic" and the terraces at either end of the ground were named Colombes (Paris 1924) and Amsterdam (1928).

Estadio Centenario was a huge undertaking and not quite ready for the start of the 1930 tournament, but it played host to Uruguay winning the first football World Cup 
©Uruguayan Football Association



Only 13 teams entered and to the disappointment of the host nation and FIFA President Jules Rimet, France Belgium and Yugoslavia were joined by Romania who had an unusual benefactor. King Carol was a keen sports fan who not only chose the players but persuaded their employers to grant leave of absence.

Rimet took the World Cup trophy, (later to bear his name) when he boarded the SS Conte Verde to Montevideo.

Bad weather had delayed construction of the stadium. It was not ready for the start of the tournament so early matches were played at other grounds in Montevideo. The Estadio Centenario was finally opened in time for Uruguay's first match. They beat Peru and Romania to qualify for the last four without so much as conceding a goal or dropping a point. The core of their team had been part of the Olympic experience and in Jose Andrade, they had one of the finest players of any generation.

In the semi-final, Uruguay beat Yugoslavia 6-1. Argentina won the other semi final against the USA by the same margin to set up a local derby to end all local derbies. At stake, nothing less than the championship of the world.

Thousands made the crossing from Argentina. The gates were opened at eight in the morning, by noon the ground was packed.

The intense atmosphere filtered through to the players. The sides could not agree which ball to use so each country provided their own for 45 minutes.

Argentina led 2-1 at half time but the host nation came back in the second half. Cea equalised, then a spectacular 30 yarder from Victoriano Iriarte put them in front and the victory was sealed in the final moments by Hector Castro

As they celebrated, the Uruguayan flag was unfurled at the top of the great tower which dominated the stadium.

Two Olympic Gold medals and a World Cup was a fabulous return from a golden decade but they felt snubbed by the absence of so many European teams. Uruguay did not defend their crown in Italy in 1934, nor did they appear in France for the 1938 World Cup.

Their grand return in 1950 ended in glory but they have never lifted the trophy since, although they did reach the semi-finals in South Africa four years ago.