 Varela playing forDynamo Moscow in 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Guillermo Varela Olivera[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1993-03-24)24 March 1993 (age 32)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Montevideo, Uruguay | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Right-back | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Flamengo | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| –2011 | Peñarol | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Peñarol | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013–2017 | Manchester United | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | →Real Madrid Castilla (loan) | 33 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | →Eintracht Frankfurt (loan) | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2019 | Peñarol | 23 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Copenhagen | 35 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | →Dynamo Moscow (loan) | 17 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Dynamo Moscow | 25 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | →Flamengo (loan) | 13 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Flamengo | 59 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Uruguay U20 | 29 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017– | Uruguay | 26 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10:16, 23 December 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 04:30, 16 November 2025 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Guillermo Varela Olivera ([ɡiˈʝeɾmoβaˈɾelaoliˈβeɾa]; born 24 March 1993) is a Uruguayan professionalfootballer who plays as aright-back forCampeonato Brasileiro Série A clubFlamengo and theUruguay national team.
Varela began his career withPeñarol, in his home town ofMontevideo, before joiningManchester United in 2013. He made 11 first-team appearances for United and spent time on loan atReal Madrid's reserve team,Real Madrid Castilla, and atEintracht Frankfurt, before rejoining Peñarol in 2017. Varela won twoUruguayan Primera División titles with Peñarol, before returning to Europe in January 2019 when he signed for Danish clubCopenhagen. He made 53 appearances for Copenhagen and helped them win the2018–19 Danish Superliga. In October 2020, he joined Russian clubDynamo Moscow on a loan deal, which was made permanent in July 2021. He returned to South American football in July 2022, when he joined Flamengo on loan. In July 2023, Varela joined Flamengo on a permanent deal.
Varela was a member of Uruguay'sunder-20 team that was runners-up in the2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He made his senior international debut in November 2017 and has played at twoFIFA World Cups, in2018 and2022.
Born inMontevideo, Varela started his career with his hometown clubPeñarol and made his senior debut on 5 June 2011, in a 1–0 home defeat againstRacing Club de Montevideo, on the last matchday ofUruguayan Primera División.[3]
In May 2013, Varela went on a two-week trial withManchester United after an impressive performance at the2013 South American Youth Championship.[4] On 7 June, Varela announced he was having a medical,[5] and on 11 June, United completed his signing on a five-year contract, becoming the first signing of new managerDavid Moyes.[6]
In September 2014, Varela joined Real Madrid reserve sideReal Madrid Castilla for a season-long loan.[7] He was, however, included in the2014–15 UEFA Champions League squad for the first-team and he was given the squad number 28.[8] He made 33 appearances and scored once, when he was set up byMartin Ødegaard in a 4–0 win overBarakaldo on 21 February 2015, at theEstadio Alfredo Di Stéfano inthat season'sSegunda División B.[9]
After returning to United, Varela was included in their squad for the group stage of the2015–16 UEFA Champions League.[10] He made his debut on 5 December 2015, as a half-time substitute forPaddy McNair in a goallessPremier League draw againstWest Ham United atOld Trafford.[11] Three days later, Varela made his first start and Champions League debut in the2015–16 UEFA Champions League, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–2 defeat toWolfsburg. On 25 February 2016, in aEuropa League Round of 32 return leg againstFC Midtjylland, he assisted on the second of the two goalsMarcus Rashford scored on his senior debut. On 19 April, Varela scored an injury-time winner to winManchester United Under-21s the2015–16 U21 Premier League title.[12]
Upon the arrival ofJosé Mourinho as United manager in 2016, Varela came on as a substitute in Mourinho's first match in charge of the team, a 2–0 friendly win away toWigan Athletic.[13] However, he was not included in Mourinho's squad for the club's summer tour of China,[14] and on 23 July, Varela joined German clubEintracht Frankfurt on a season-long loan deal.[15]
Frankfurt coachNiko Kovač revealed at the end of the season that Varela was expected to play in the2017 DFB-Pokal Final and be given an extension, but these plans were abandoned after Varela defied the instructions of the club's training staff and got a tattoo, which later became inflamed. Because of this, and other disciplinary issues, Varela was suspended by the club, who said that they would not be attempting to extend his loan deal.[16]
On 12 August 2017, Varela returned to Peñarol on a permanent deal.[17] He made his second debut for the club on 20 August 2017, in 4–0 win againstEl Tanque Sisley.[18]
On 20 December 2018,Danish Superliga teamFC Copenhagen announced that Varela would join them in January 2019, on a deal until June 2023.[19]
On 17 October 2020, he joinedRussian Premier League clubFC Dynamo Moscow on loan for the 2020–21 season.[20]
On 17 July 2021, he moved to Dynamo Moscow on a permanent basis and signed a two-year contract with the club.[21] He was voted player of the month by Dynamo fans for October 2021.[22]
On 30 July 2022,Flamengo signed Varela on loan from Dynamo Moscow until 31 May 2023.[23]
On 12 January 2023, Flamengo announced that Varela had signed a pre-contract for a permanent deal starting at the end of his contract with Dynamo Moscow on 1 July 2023.[24][25]
Varela made 29 appearances for theUruguay under-20 team.[26] He played for Uruguay at the2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup,[27] where the team finished as runners-up to champions France.[28]
On 5 March 2016, following his emergence into the Manchester United first-team, Varela received his first call-up to theUruguay senior squad, for theWorld Cup qualifiers againstBrazil andPeru later that same month.[29]
In June 2018, Varela was named in Uruguay's final 23-mansquad for the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[30]
Varela was named in Uruguay'ssquad for the2022 FIFA World Cup.[31] He came on as a substitute in the 88th minute in Uruguay's first game of the tournament – againstSouth Korea, replacingFacundo Pellistri.[32]
| Club | Season | League | State league | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Peñarol | 2010–11[33] | Uruguayan Primera División | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2011–12[33] | Uruguayan Primera División | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 2012–13[33] | Uruguayan Primera División | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Manchester United | 2013–14[33] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014–15[33] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2015–16[33] | Premier League | 4 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17[33] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 4 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |||
| Real Madrid Castilla (loan) | 2014–15[33] | Segunda División B | 33 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 33 | 1 | |||||
| Eintracht Frankfurt (loan) | 2016–17[33] | Bundesliga | 7 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 0 | ||||
| Peñarol | 2017[33] | Uruguayan Primera División | 11 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 0 | |||||
| 2018[33] | Uruguayan Primera División | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | 6[b] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 19 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 23 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |||||
| Copenhagen | 2018–19[33] | Danish Superliga | 7 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| 2019–20[33] | Danish Superliga | 27 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 15[d] | 0 | — | 43 | 0 | ||||
| 2020–21[33] | Danish Superliga | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 2[e] | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 35 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | — | 53 | 0 | |||||
| Dynamo Moscow (loan) | 2020–21[33] | Russian Premier League | 17 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 19 | 0 | ||||
| Dynamo Moscow | 2021–22[33] | Russian Premier League | 24 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 29 | 0 | ||||
| 2022–23[33] | Russian Premier League | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 25 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 30 | 0 | ||||||
| Flamengo (loan) | 2022[34] | Série A | 5 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1[b] | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| 2023[34] | Série A | 1 | 0 | 7[f] | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[b] | 0 | 4[g] | 0 | 15 | 0 | ||
| Total | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 0 | |||
| Flamengo | 2023[34] | Série A | 4 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| 2024[34] | Série A | 18 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | 46 | 2 | ||
| 2025 | Série A | 19 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | — | 44 | 2 | ||
| Total | 41 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 12 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 96 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 174 | 2 | 28 | 1 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 304 | 5 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uruguay | 2017 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 6[a] | 0 | |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 26 | 0 | |
Peñarol
Manchester United
Copenhagen
Flamengo
Uruguay
Uruguay squads | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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