José María Giménez is one match away from a historic milestone with Uruguay. The central defender, currently at Deportivo La Coruña, has been called up by new manager Diego Forlán for the September and October Asian tour, where he could earn his 100th cap for his country.

The 31-year-old has 99 appearances for La Celeste. His debut came over a decade ago, and he has been a defensive mainstay through several cycles. The call-up arrives at a time of change, with Forlán taking charge of the national team for the first time in official matches. Uruguay, sitting third in the World Cup standings with 2 points from three games, will look to change their fortunes after a run of five matches without a win.

The centenary tour

Uruguay will play three fixtures in Asia. The first is against Japan on September 24 at the Miyagi Stadium in Rifu. Four days later, on September 28, they face South Korea. The tour concludes on October 6 with a match against India at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium, a game that comes three days after the hosts play Brazil. For Giménez, any of these three matches could be the stage for his 100th cap.

Carlos Miranda confirmed the news. "José María Giménez joins Bil Nsongo in the contingent of internationals from Deportivo during this September break," he said. He added, "The surprise was the call-up of the Cameroonian, not that of the Uruguayan, who has 99 games and has a chance to become a centurion."

La Celeste's context

Giménez's call-up is one of the few certainties in a list that marks the start of the Forlán era. The team needs to build confidence after an irregular start to World Cup qualifying, their last result being a 1-0 defeat to Spain in June. Fans can check the full schedule and the team's progress on our fixtures and standings pages.

Alongside Giménez, Forlán has called up other pillars like Real Madrid's Federico Valverde, who will lead the group. The main new face in the squad is Getafe forward Martín Satriano. Defenders like Santiago Mouriño (Villarreal), Facundo Bernal (Betis), and Sebastián Cáceres (Celta) also return, looking to solidify a back line that has conceded 4 goals in the last three competitive matches. The first test is in Japan on September 24.

First reported at Sport.es