The pacy Urretaviscaya is one of Pachuca’s main attacking threats
The Uruguayan is looking forward to the FIFA Club World Cup
Los Tuzos' first match is on 9 December vs Wydad Casablanca in Abu Dhabi
When matches are tight and inspiration needed, Pachuca invariably turn to Jonathan Urretaviscaya.
A gifted dribbler and fleet of foot, the Uruguayan winger has earned himself the nickname of Rayo (“Lightning”), a reflection of his ability to create something out of nothing and unsettle defences with a sudden flash of brilliance.
Los Tuzos will shortly be appearing at the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2017, where Urretaviscaya is sure to be one of their trump cards. FIFA.com spoke exclusively to him.
Factfile:
Full name: Jonathan Matias Urretaviscaya da Luz
Place and date of birth: Montevideo, Uruguay, 19 March 1990
International career: FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009 (two goals), Men’s Olympic Football Tournament London 2012
Height: 1.72m
Weight: 66.3kg
Goals scored for Pachuca (2015 to present): 13
Assists in the league last season: 9
Urretaviscaya on the Club World Cup: “I feel really good. I feel happy and I can’t wait for it to happen. I’m very excited about the Club World Cup and, now that we don’t have any more competitions to play in, I’m really focused on it.”
On Pachuca’s preparations: “It’s a bit strange not to be playing for a couple of weeks, just waiting for the Club World Cup. The good thing is it gives us a chance to recover and work on a couple of things. It’ll give us the time to improve the areas where we didn’t do quite so well in the Liga MX.”
On Pachuca’s rivals: “They’re international matches and the teams don’t know each other. We don’t play against each other much, which makes it hard to find out how they play, even if we can get an idea by watching the videos we have. There’s a good side to that as well, though, because they don’t know anything about us either, which can help us to play our natural game.”
Football in South America: “Any team that wins the Libertadores are going to be very strong and they’re going to be favourites. The Copa Libertadores is a very tough competition, as are the UEFA and CONCACAF Champions Leagues. All the teams who are going to the UAE are difficult to beat. They’re at the Club World Cup for a reason.”
An occasion to enjoy: “Every match is important, let alone a World Cup game. When you think about what’s coming up next year (the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™), it really motivates you as a player. I’m looking at it as a really beautiful experience. I want to enjoy it and be as professional about it as I can.”
Urretaviscaya off the pitch:
Favourite way of relaxing: “I love spending time at home with my family. I watch a lot of TV and when I’ve got the time I go to the cinema too.”
Favourite films: comedies.
What would you have done if you hadn’t been a footballer? “Become a chef. My signature dish is meat barbecued in the Uruguayan style, but I don’t really cook that much. My wife is a lot better at it than me.”
Spending time with friends? “Yes, I really enjoy being with my friends. When I go to Uruguay I try to meet up with them for a barbecue and to catch up.”