José Leandro Andrade was a prominent Uruguayan player in the 1920s. He was, mainly, a half-back for the teams in which he played, despite his remarkable versatility. Alongside players such as José Nasazzi and Héctor Scarone, for instance, Andrade was part of the Uruguayan team that had a base that amazed the world with the quality of its football, especially on the technical and physical side. For Celeste, Andrade played 34 matches and scored 1 goal.

Calm, serene, aware, intelligent & sure of actions would be words to describe Andrade's game. His perseverance, confidence & clarivoyance were also the main points of his game, as Andrade would dictate the rythym which surrounds him. When he scored, he almost never celebrated. It seemed that Andrade, for all ninety minutes, was always concentrated on the game and its changes, he was focused. He was also a trickster, Andrade often would show off his knowledge by doing some magic with the ball. He would rather do a Rastelli action than pass the ball, for instance.



During the 1920s, although José Leandro Andrade was a slender figure, he was strong, tall, fit — very fit —, a fast footballer and impressed the attendance with his spetacular stamina and agility. Andrade, with his athletism and capacity, still could be able to run when the match was close to its end. His impulse made him capable of winning almost every aerial battle. He, moreover, back in his outstanding days, could easily rival Nasazzi in aerial disputes. During the peak of his performances, Andrade weighed 80kg & was 180cm tall. The large strides and speed were two key charactheristics of his athletism.

His technique was refined and, morever, alongside his calmness & unique style, he made the attendance praise him for his elegant maestry with the ball, the senor of the sphere. Andrade was a tricky footballer, with a wonderful arsenal which equals the masters of the game. His passing reflected preciseness & momentum; his dribbling was fast & confident of the feint; his ball mastery was outstanding, as Andrade would bring the ball from the air to the ground with ease, thus starting his excepcional ground game. He did not come much for a occasion of shooting the ball, yet showed high accurary & power with his shots. Andrade was right-footed, but also the quality of his left foot was equivalent to his main leg. With his head, he excelled the technique.

DOMINATING THE SIDES

Alongside rythym dictating & dribbling, one of the best characteristic of Andrade was his defensive game. His game readness were of high knowledge; his interceptions radiated the punctual actions; his slide tackles were a combination of preciseness, technique & determination. Just like Pacheco's tijeras — scissors —, Andrade's capacity of tackling was outstanding. He had great tactical maturity and knew very well when to maintain space from the opposition forward and the right time to make a move.

Just like Pacheco did in 1912, Andrade was the dictator of his area, as he would tell the rythim of the actions. When the opponent's forwards were in action, Andrade would drop deep to help José Nasazzi. He, indeed, many times complemented the defensive line as a modern right-back. Many times when the ball was centralized by the opposition, Andrade would come close to Nasazzi to beat the opponent's aerial game.

Ghierra                  Vidal                  Andrade
Arispe                            
                        Nasazzi
Uruguay's 1924 half-back & full-back lines.

Andrade could adapt perfectly to the opponent's style of play. He can be both offensive, depending on the match, and spectacular defensively. On certain occasions, Andrade could even be the most defensive wing half-back, even though his main characteristics were focused on offensive actions.

Adding one more interesting point is Andrade's versatility, more specifically for clubs which he played. Andrade could play in any sector of the field and anywhere. He was centre-forward, inside forward, half-back and full-back. For Club Nacional, he played more as a centre-half, alongside Vanzzino and Elgue, than right half-back specifically. For Celeste Olímpica, where he was, of course, known worldwide, Andrade stood out as a right half-back.

To demonstrate Andrade's versatility, for instance, La Gira Europea 1925 can be a reference. On that tour Andrade played more as a left half-back and even played centre-forward against A.C. Sparta.