Santamaría was first called up to play for Uruguay for the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, being selected to fill an inside forward slot in the squad but seeing the request denied by his club on the grounds that he was a defender.
After working with the youth sides and spending two years with the under-21s, Santamaría was appointed manager of the full team for the 1982 World Cup, due to be played on home soil [REF].