Álvaro Rodríguez awaits final call-up to Uruguay squad after first preliminary nod

A phone call, a name on a provisional list, and a growing sense of excitement: that's what Álvaro Rodríguez has been experiencing these days. The forward, who currently plays for Bournemouth in the Premier League, was named to a preliminary list for Uruguay's senior national team for the first time and is now waiting to find out whether he'll make the final squad for the Celeste's upcoming matches.

It's no small thing for someone who had already earned his place in Uruguayan youth soccer. Rodríguez was part of the generation that won the 2023 U20 World Cup in Argentina, though he couldn't play in that tournament because Real Madrid, his club at the time, didn't release him. Now, with a different soccer passport in hand, the senior team is starting to take a closer look at him.

Speaking with Radio Sport 890 AM, the forward didn't hide his excitement. "I'm really excited about the call-up, it's my first for the senior national team. I couldn't believe it, I was so thrilled, I'm genuinely very happy, now I'm hoping to make the final squad," he said.

What excites him most, beyond wearing the sky blue jersey, is who might be waiting for him there. Diego Forlán took over as head coach of the national team, and that carries special meaning for Rodríguez. "My dream was always to play for the national team. Having Forlán as coach is really exciting, and so is the chance to play alongside Fede Valverde, Ronald Araújo, and Seba Boselli," he said.

As for the past, and not being called up during Marcelo Bielsa's tenure, he prefers not to hold any grudges. "I don't think it was unfair, every coach has his own preferences. If Bielsa chose other players it was because he saw them as the better option. What I do is work as hard as I can so the opportunities come my way, and fortunately, this one did," he explained.

The Premier League as a school of intensity

His move to English soccer is also part of this story. Rodríguez believes the pace of competition in England can help him sharpen exactly what he needs to work on: pressing and physical output. "The change of league is going to give me more intensity on the field, matches here go on forever, you never stop running, you don't get a break even for 30 seconds. I think that extra intensity is going to be really important for me," he said.

At Bournemouth, in fact, that's the main demand placed on him every day. "What they ask of me is to press like crazy and never stop running. Beyond that, the coach already knows I have the technical qualities. Forwards are given a certain freedom to go look for the ball and move around the box," he explained.

His relationship with Forlán, meanwhile, actually began before the call-up. "They called me a few weeks ago to tell me they'd be in touch more often, that they were happy about how things were going for me, and asked me to pass along the contact info for the club's fitness coaches and medical staff," he revealed.

As for the challenge of scoring goals in England, he's not setting himself up for easy illusions, but he doesn't doubt his own process either. "I feel like playing in the Premier League is really good for me. Generally everyone thinks scoring goals in England is harder because of the level of players there, and how the center backs put pressure on forwards. It's going to be tougher, but I think I'm improving day by day and the goals are going to come," he said.

The schedule awaiting him with Bournemouth doesn't scare him either, quite the opposite. "It's crazy, there's the League Cup, the FA Cup, the Premier League, there's a ton of games and chances to play. I love it, I always dreamed of living off this, of playing three games a week, I'm really enjoying it," he said.

He prefers not to dwell too much on the road that got him here. "A lot has happened in a very short time, I don't stop to think about what's already happened because I try to focus on what's coming each day. It's been four or five really intense years and I'm enjoying the journey, with obstacles along the way that I've been able to overcome, trying to make the most of every opportunity," he reflected.

And through all of this, there's a friendship that has stayed intact since their days together at Real Madrid. With Federico Valverde, he says, he never lost touch.

"Fede Valverde and I never stopped talking. When the call-up happened I sent it to him and he was really happy for me"Álvaro Rodríguez

Now only one step remains: for his name to appear on the final list so he can finally make his debut wearing the jersey of Uruguay's senior national team.