Diego Godin honoured by Uruguayan parliament, receives standing ovation

Diego Godin has received the Premio Jose Nasazzi-Obdulio Varela, which is the highest level of acclaim an athlete can receive in Uruguay.

The Atletico Madrid defender was given a standing ovation by parliament after a short speech in which he recognised the significance of the award.

The 30-year-old injured his ankle during his side’s victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League but he seemed adamant to return to his home country and participate in their upcoming games against Venezuela and Colombia, which is understandable.

"This does nothing more than strengthen my commitment and responsibility for my teammates, for football, for society and the children, who are the future of our country. Over and above sporting success, the important thing for me is to transmit values,” Godin said via ESPNFC’s Dermot Corrigan.

Godin released his own video from his Twitter account where he doubled down on his promised to commit everything he has to the national side in the coming years and to the kind of social change that the country needs.

"Nasazzi and Varela were two great captains not just for sport, but for our country," he said. "This makes me redouble my commitment, my responsibility to keep up this legacy on and off the pitch to transmit the values which our society needs."