This is not related to football at all, but...
My first international trip was to Uruguay and then to Argentina. I had to go back to Uruguay to take a flight back to Brazil. People warned me about Argentina, that I should not trust anybody and that people could be aggressive towards me. I was told I should have a great time in Uruguay and should not worry in the slightest.
In the end, I had a great time in Argentina and loved every bit of the trip... Well, except when I almost got stuck in the cemetery where Evita Peron was buried, since I got lost and was alone when it was closing time to visitors, but I digress. It was funny when I got out. LOL. Then, in Uruguay, I took a cab to the airport with all my luggage and then the driver told me to exit the cab so he would help me with the luggage, but he sped and stole everything I had. I literally had to come back to Brazil with only the clothes I was wearing.
Of course this could very well be just a bad experience and should not be representative of Uruguayans, but this is something I remembered when you mentioned Uruguayan players showing their class.