varela also had african ancestry and was nicknamed el negro jefe (the black boss) because of his dark skin and leadership on the court. he was characterized by the fact that he showed a high willingness to run and was outstanding in both defensive and offensive areas. already at the age of 22 he became a national player and played for the celeste for the first time in 1939. at the south american championships in 1939, 1941, 1942, 1945 and 1946 he was a member of the uruguayan squad. in 1942 he won the title with the team. in 1940, 1946 and 1948 he successfully led the national team from uruguay to the baron de rio branco cup. the highlight of his career was the 1950 world cup, when uruguay defeated the brazilian team 2-1 at the maracana stadium in rio de janeiro. varela was the captain of this team and led it to victory. in the crucial last game of the final group of four (everyone against everyone else), brazil needed only a draw against uruguay to become world champions and were up 1-0 early in the second half. but uruguay prevailed, scoring twice in front of a crowd of 200,000.