Diego Forlan: a constant ray of light for country and club
Forlan is in the form of his life. The former Manchester United man is enjoying the form of his life, scoring 29 times for his nation, the Celeste. He scored twice in the Europa league final, to record a historic win for his club. He is also a two time winner of the Pichichi Trophy and has once captured the European Golden Shoe.
Forlan is known for his marvellous technical impressive finishing abilities. He is known to be two footed, meaning he can score with both feet with ease. The quality of being ambi-dextrous is rare itself but being able to do that with feet is a skill on a whole new level. Owing to his height and agility, he is a lethal threat in aerial battles, and not many defenders can cover him up when he jumps for the ball.
Football was in Forlan’s blood, as his father was a regular in Uruguay’s World Cup campaign of 1966 and 1974. His maternal uncle was the coach of Chile in 1962. He was a tennis player up till the age of 14 but all that changed soon and his fame plummeted upwards when he caught attention of the eyes of Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson after he scored 40 goals in 90 appearances, therefore in 2002, he joined the Red Devils.
However he could not quite, adjust in United, and scored only 17 goals in 98 appearances. He was a fan favourite when he sunk Liverpool due to his 2 strikes at Anfield, because of which United won the memorable decider for the title as of a 2-1 victory. His striking partner, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, greatly shadowed his capabilities as he had scored 150 goals in 210 appearances. He however won the league three times in his time at United. Eventually it was speculated that he will be sold out and indeed he was sold, with Wayne Rooney signing for United in the same month.
He headed to Villarreal in August 2004, where he was back with what he was known for; scoring goals. He scored 25 times for the Spanish side, where he topped La Liga’s goal scorers as well as winning the European shoe. He spent two successful seasons with Villarreal, and then moved to Atletico Madrid; Spanish style of football perhaps suited him and he again was in top form.
He bagged 23 goals in 07/08 season and further 35 goals in the next one and was regarded as one of the top strikers in Spain as well as in Europe. He played a major role in Atletico Madrid’s hunt for the Europa League. His single goal was enough to stop Liverpool at home in the semi finals. In the away fixture, Liverpool looked like winning the bout at a score of 2-1, when Forlan scored again, and Ateltico Madrid reached the final. There they met Fulham, and Forlan scored both goals for his side to lift the coveted trophy. It was Atletico Madrid’s first European Trophy.
Forlan’s international career has also been successful. He has scored 27 times for his country, and has scored in both the 2002 FIFA World Cup as well as the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He scored his first goal in a friendly against Saudi Arabia, which his team lost.
He scored the equalising goal against Senegal from a volley for Uruguay, but were eliminated in the group stages. He was then promoted to a first choice striker and scored six times in the Germany 2006 qualifiers. He then scored another 7 goals in 13 appearances for his side in the 2010 qualifiers.
In 2010 World Cup, he formed a formidable partnership with Luis Suarez, and scored in almost all matches. He scored twice against the host nation, one from the penalty spot and the other from a long range shoot. He scored the equalising goal for Uruguay in the match against Ghana in the quarter finals. The match ultimately came to penalty shootouts where Uruguay won, sending Ghana out of the World Cup. He also got the best footballer award at the end of the tournament.
The 30 year old front man is on the top of his game, and uses his superior abilities and lethal finishing tormenting any defence he is placed against. He is athletic, strong and fearless, and can score goal from free kicks and headers as well. With these skills a long and lustrous career can be expected of him.
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