Player Profile – Diego Forlan; Part 2
The 31 year old Uruguayan gave a fabulous performance during the Europa League as he was able to over throw Rafa Benitez’s “not-in-form” Liverpool as the English club lost both the legs of the semi-final and Atletico Madrid won it to qualify for the final match of the Europa League. Liverpool were not the only club that was “heartbroken” because of this amazing striker. In the final match it was Fulham who suffered with Diego Forlan. Forlan demonstrated pure football form and totally thrashed the English side telling them that he was not bad after all and it was definitely a mistake to let him go. It was the Spanish side who were raising their hands with victory as they won the final match to prove to the world that they were not out of this, yet.
Many might have forgotten about Diego Forlan’s Manchester United career but it was indeed him who scored vital goals against Chelsea and Liverpool and they are definitely the “big-name” goals that he scored for the English club. If the club level was not enough to show to the world what he was made of then it was South Africa where he told everyone and showed them clearly that he was a one-man army. He carried the Uruguayan team like a leader and took them to the last stages of the tournament.
The Uruguayan side were the underdogs in the FIFA World Cup 2010 but it was Diego Forlan who carried out the role of a leader as he carried them like Diego Maradona carried Argentina back in 1986. The comparison, however, is unlikely because of their style of play and position but it is true that it was Forlan who single handedly kept on scoring goals for his team and helped them advance to the next round of the FIFA World Cup 2010 as he was busy scoring goals with his immense and stunning finishing powers.
The Dutch, the Ghanaians and the South Africans themselves are not going to deny a single fact that has been mentioned above. It was definitely Diego Forlan who, with his ambidextrous abilities and with his amazingly accurate shots, took his team to the semi final of the FIFA World Cup 2010. He was one of those players who were actually able to master the “unpredictable” Jabulani ball; which was actually criticized because of its uneven bounce and swing. He was not only able to master it in fact he was also able to control it with both his feet while his team mates were the ones struggling with it. It was like he was able to tame the ball which is an art itself.
The five goals that he scored in South Africa and the amazing performance throughout the tournament was just enough to crown him with the Golden Ball award; given out to the best player of the tournament. Even though it was the South American side who could not really progress after the semi final match and they could not even win the 3rd and 4th place match against Germany, it was Diego Forlan who easily won the Golden Ball because of his performance. With his team mate Luis Suarez becoming famous because of his “handball” against the Ghanaian team in the quarter finals, Diego Forlan was definitely the player who stood out for his team.
FIFA has always been a breeding ground for such amazing football players. Roberto Baggio for the Italians, Hristo Stoichkov for Bulgaria and Cruyff for the Dutch side and of course Diego Maradona for Argentina are a few players whose names are still remembered when people are talking about football. Diego Forlan is definitely the player who has written his name with such players as he gave an extraordinary performance in the FIFA World Cup 2010. He had his moments throughout the tournament and he is definitely one of the best players in the world at the moment.
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