Jose Nasazzi was the fearless and tenacious captain for the Uruguayan national soccer team during their era of dominance in the 1920’s and 1930’s. With Nasazzi, a center back on the pitch and a marble cutter off it, Uruguay won four South American championships (now the prestigious Copa America) and took gold medals at the 1924 and 1928 Summer Olympics. There was no other man fit to lead la Celeste in the 1930 World Cup on home soil, and under Nasazzi’s steady hand Uruguay outscored opponents by a 15-3 margin for a +12 goal differential. Uruguay dispatched Yugoslavia 6-1 in the World Cup Semifinals before smothering Argentina, the 1928 Olympic silver medalists, by a 4-2 scoreline in the final match at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo. FIFA retroactively named Nasazzi the best player of the 1930 tournament some half century after the fact.

Nasazzi ended his international career for Uruguay with 41 caps and an armful of winner’s medals before managing la Celeste for several years in the 1940’s. As a domestic footballer, Nasazzi played for the Uruguayan clubs Lito, Bella Vista, and the powerful Club Nacional. Nasazzi was a member of the Nacional squads that toured the United States and Europe in 1925 and 1927, demonstrating the skill and power of Uruguayan football across the globe.

Offered in this lot is a stunning 18-karat gold pocket watch presented to Nasazzi in honor of winning the 1930 FIFA World Cup. The front of the watch features a high relief etching of two soccer players, with a pink diamond embedded in the watch representing a soccer ball. Etched on the back of the watch is a five-line inscription reading “A.U. de F. / -A- / Jose Nasazzi / Campeon Mundial / 1930”. The back casing of the watch opens to reveal an etching of “Grand Diplome D’Honneur / Milan 1906 / Repetition / Medaille D’Or / Exposition Universelle / Liege 1905 / Systeme Perfectionne”. When a button on the outside of the watch is pressed a chiming or ringing sound is produced. The face of the watch is white, with Roman numerals representing the numbers. The watch is not currently running but appears to be in working order. This is an incredible piece of soccer history from Uruguay’s “Great Marshal” Jose Nasazzi. This item comes with a LOA confirming it is part of the Rony Almeida Soccer Collection.

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