Lugano on his Brazilian success, Uruguayan struggles

	Diego Lugano has been a key part of a São Paulo club renowned for its solid defense. Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
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If you're looking for a club with several balls in the air at once, look no further than São Paulo FC. O Tricolor kicks off its 2006 Brazilian championship campaign on Sunday against Flamengo and is hoping to repeat a sensational '05 season in which it won three major titles, including the FIFA Club World Championship in December.

São Paulo is a side that depends hugely on its rock-solid defense, and Uruguayan international Diego Lugano is the standout. The highly rated center-back is one of the most sought-after defenders in world soccer and particularly impressed me after a recent training session at the club's five-star training complex.

While the rest of the squad hit the showers after a hard day's work, a fresh Lugano seemed to have just started, and continued with ball skills, stretching and 30 minutes of muscular work before taking time to do live broadcasts for various Brazilian television networks.

Finally, after he settled down, we had a chance to discuss his sudden rise to fame, his international career and life in São Paulo.

SI.com: You were relatively unknown in Uruguay before arriving at São Paulo. Did you imagine you would achieve so much success when you first arrived at the club?

Lugano: To tell you the truth, when one transfers to an important club such as São Paulo, you always dream about good things, but what happened has definitely surpassed expectation. On the pitch we won the Copa Libertadores, the Club World Championship and the '05 Paulista Championship, but also off the pitch I have earned the respect of the people and have learned a lot as a soccer player and as a person. Like I always say, reality surpassed my dreams at São Paulo.

SI.com: You have been voted the best center-back in Brazil in consecutive years, and were voted the second-best player in South America last year. How does that make you feel?

Lugano: Being awarded as the best center-back in Brazil two years in a row was huge, especially as everyone knows the best soccer in the world is played here. Players are sold here every day to whichever team in the world, and as a foreigner, it is difficult to play here and particularly difficult to succeed, so I definitely take this with much pride. The fact that my achievements at São Paulo and with the Uruguayan national team have helped me be considered in the top two players in the continent was a dream come true. I hope to repeat this again this year, although it will be difficult.

SI.com: What are the differences between Brazilian and Uruguayan soccer?

Lugano: There are huge differences in many aspects. Firstly, you can't compare structure; Brazil is a country with more than 200 million inhabitants and Uruguay barely reaches three million, and that is the biggest reason why the structure in Brazil is much superior when compared with Uruguay's. This means that the internal competition in Brazilian soccer is much greater, but that doesn't take anything away from the value of Uruguayan soccer. Although the country is small and has few investment possibilities in the game, Uruguay has always been a competitive soccer nation that has won important things and will continue to do so. Playing soccer in such a big country like Brazil is terrific, and I feel proud of being Uruguayan.