Guillermo Varela Olivera was born on 24 March 1993 in Montevideo. A Peñarol academy product, he moved early to Manchester United, a sign of how highly his right-back tools were rated at youth level.
His career then moved through Real Madrid Castilla, Eintracht Frankfurt, Copenhagen and Dynamo Moscow. That varied route gave him experience in different defensive cultures rather than a single straight rise.
By May 2026 he was with Flamengo, competing for minutes in one of Brazil's most demanding squads. He brings aggression, defensive reliability and experience in Libertadores-level pressure.
For Uruguay he was called into the senior setup in the mid-2010s and has remained around the right-back pool across World Cup cycles. His value is clearest when Uruguay need a full-back who defends duels first.
At about 1.73 m, Varela is a compact right-footed right-back with acceleration and bite. He is closer to the competitive side of Maxi Pereira than to a playmaking Dani Alves-style full-back.