If there is something that defines the Uruguay coach, Marcelo Bielsa, it is his unique personality. Whether it's his nickname “El Loco”, his obsessive attention to detail or his habit of sitting on a cooler during matches, the former Leeds United manager stands out as an unconventional man.

The 70-year-old coach has lived up to that fame in his official FIFA portrait for the World Cup.

Unlike most players and coaches, who pose for the camera and enjoy their moment in the spotlight, Bielsa kept a serious gaze directed downward rather than directly at the lens; he seemed to prefer being on the training pitch or analyzing another game.

“So many things need to be explained?”

After his team's 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia in Miami on Monday, he was not pleased when journalists asked him about his position, amid speculation that it could be some type of protest.

"I don't have to give any explanation. They took the photo of me the way they took it," he declared.

And he stated: “I am not a model.”

FIFA has photographed all the teams and their coaching staff in this World Cup, in sessions that have become a regular element of the coverage of its major tournaments over the last decade.

Bielsa – one of the oldest coaches in the world, who is leading his third team in a World Cup after having coached Argentina, his native country, and Chile – was later asked another question, but he returned to the same topic.

"If you wear glasses, why do you wear glasses? If you look into the eyes, because you look into the eyes. If you look up or down... So many things need to be explained?" he stated.

And he added: "Explanations are sought for situations that do not need to be explained. There is nothing wrong. You can use glasses, you can look straight, you can look down."

"We do not have an obligation to act as models to respect claims that have no basis. I did nothing wrong," said Bielsa.

Uruguay's second match will be on Sunday in Miami (6:00 p.m. local time) against Cape Verde, for now the big surprise of the tournament.