Jose Varela

Jose Varela arrived at Racing Club de Montevideo in July 2020, having played in Uruguay, Ecuador, Honduras and Guatemala. Nicknamed "Rulo", he started out at Atenas de San Carlos in 2010 before a two-year spell at Bella Vista in the Uruguayan top flight, then moved through Danubio, LDU de Loja in Ecuador and CD Motagua in Honduras. A return to Uruguay with Rentistas followed, then several years at Juventud de Las Piedras, interrupted by a loan to Rangers de Talca in Chile, and a short stint at Alianza in Guatemala before the switch to Racing.

His time at Racing has coincided with the club's rise back into Uruguayan football's top division. In the 2022 Second Division season Varela scored twice in two appearances as the team won the Torneo Competencia, a result that opened the door to the promotion play-offs and an eventual return to the Primera División. He has featured regularly since, playing 24 league matches in 2023 and 28 in 2024, adding a goal in the latter campaign, though he played five matches in 2025 and seven so far in 2026.

Racing won the Torneo Apertura 2026, the club's first title, with Varela part of the squad, even if his role in the campaign was a secondary one.

Before joining Racing, Varela scored a notable goal for Juventud de Las Piedras against Peñarol in May 2024, opening the scoring in the 15th minute of a match that finished 1-1. He had earlier found the net for Rentistas against Montevideo City Torque in September 2022, in a game his side won 3-0. He has drawn yellow cards for robust challenges, including bookings in Copa Sudamericana matches against Argentinos Juniors and Montevideo Wanderers.