Player Profile – Diego Forlan; Part 1
During the FIFA World Cup 2010, there was one player who was outclassing all others and it was definitely, the Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan. He is definitely a master at his position and he is currently playing at the top of his game, for sure. Even with so much fame and so many goals, there was one thing that the commentators kept on repeating about him and that was the fact that he was a “Manchester United misfit.” This comment, however, sounds a bit too irritating to many people. It is true that he struggled back in 2002 to settle under Sir Alex Ferguson but the fact cannot be neglected that the left footed striker definitely needed to focus on his weak parts and needed time to settle. Alex Ferguson definitely gave the “boy” a chance to play but he did not really settle for the English club. However, now he is definitely one of a kind and Forlan is currently one of the best strikers in the world. Since his time in the English League, he has only progressed and moved on to become a deadly striker. During the 2009–2010 season, it was all “thumbs up” for the Uruguayan talisman as he was able to win it all for himself. He is definitely an extra ordinary talent even at the age where most players are warming the bench.
Forlan was able to snatch himself the second Pichichi title of his career after his amazing run during the last season. He was able to bag himself 32 goals in only 33 appearances as he performed extraordinarily with his Spanish team, Atletico Madrid. His goals helped the team get back into the Champions League and just because of his fabulous goal scoring form, he was a target for the reigning Champions Barcelona and also the runner ups, Real Madrid. Even with such high offers coming to him, he decided to stay at Atletico Madrid and committed his future to “los Colchoneros.” Forlan showed heart as he stayed at his club but the coach did not really work too well with the team as they did not win any of the 11 starting matches in the Spanish La Liga. Just because of these 11 matches, they were sent down to the Europa League even though they did not win a single match at the Champions League.
The Season for the “second graded” Madrid team was almost over but the injection of the former Valencia boss, Quique Sanchez Flores was like a “white light” for the Spanish Club. He proved to be worth his value and changed a few things to help Atletico Madrid bounce back in the league. He kick started the club and Forlan was back into action along with the out-of-form, Sergio Kun Aguero.
With the new boss entering Atletico Madrid, many things were eased for the Spanish side. There were doubts that the club might get relegated and there were images of the year 2000, the year when they got relegated before. The former Valencia boss helped the club come back from that spot and such nightmarish thoughts were all thrown away as Atletico started to perform better and kept on improving. It was Diego Forlan who came back in form and scored 30 goals in all competitions helping his side through the rounds of the Europa League. Not only did he score goals against Liverpool, he even managed to reach the Copa del Rey final, where they suffered a loss to Sevilla in Barcelona.
Even though they lost at the Nou Camp against Sevilla, they still managed to collect their first ever major honour since 1996; the time when they actually won a double. It was definitely the Uruguayan striker who had his “moments” during this run and it was definitely him who helped his team win this honour.
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