Diego Forlan Biography
Diego Forlan
Diego Forlan Corazo (Spanish pronunciation ; born 19 May 1979) is a Uruguayan footballer who plays as a striker for Atletico Madrid and the Uruguayan national team. He is a two-time winner of both the Pichichi Trophy and the European Golden Shoe, and also received the Golden Ball as the best player at the 2010 World Cup.
Forlan was born into a family of footballers, his father Pablo having played for São Paulo FC (1970–1975) and Uruguay in the 1966 and 1974 World Cups and his grandfather, Juan Carlos Corazo, for Independiente in Argentina. Forlan joined Independiente after rising through their youth team, and after a successful four-year spell, he signed for Manchester United. Forlan's disappointing two-year stint in the Premier League saw him fail to achieve the form he held at Independiente, and he moved on to La Liga side Villarreal.
In his first season in Spanish football, Forlán scored 25 league goals and won the Pichichi Trophy. After two more successful seasons with Villarreal, Forlan joined Atlético Madrid, where he once again became the league's top scorer, and became the first player to win the Pichichi Trophy twice since Ronaldo achieved this feat in 2003-04.
Forlan also has a successful international career, having scored 29 times for his country. He scored once at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, and five times at the 2010 World Cup, in which he scored twice against the host nation South Africa, once against Ghana in the quarter-finals, once against the Netherlands in the semi-finals and once against Germany in the third place play-off. Despite scoring five goals, Forlan was beaten to the Golden Boot by Thomas Müller of Germany, as he also had 3 assists. David Villa of Spain won the Silver Boot. Wesley Sneijder of Holland won the Bronze Boot. Forlan was however recognized with the Golden Ball award, given to the best player at the tournament.
Early career
Born in Montevideo, Forlán, son of former player and Uruguayan international Pablo Forlán, was a promising tennis player in his youth. But he decided to follow the family tradition and concentrate on football when his sister Alejandra was involved in a car accident, which killed her boyfriend and left her in intensive care for five months and handicapped thereafter. He was tested at Nancy Lorraine (France) during 5 months but the staff doesn't believe in Diego. So he returned in Uruguay and went to Argentina. He played for several South American clubs, including Argentine side Independiente, where he made his name in football as a goalscorer, before attracting European attention and transferring in January 2002 to play for Manchester United in the English Premier League for a fee of £6.9 million.
Club career
Manchester United
While Forlán's spell at Old Trafford was disappointing, he did enjoy the occasional purple patch of scoring. He had a knack for scoring important goals, such as the late equaliser at home to Aston Villa and the remarkable volleyed winner in the last minutes of the home game against Chelsea during United's Premier League-winning season of 2002–03. He became a fan favourite when he scored two goals against Liverpool in a 2–1 victory at Anfield. During this period, Forlán became known for removing his shirt and baring his torso in celebration of his goals. The first such example of this resulted in quite an amusing incident: Forlán whipped his shirt off in excitement after scoring an 85th minute winner against Southampton in November 2002 but struggled to get it back on in time before play restarted, resulting in the spectacle of Forlán briefly running around the Old Trafford pitch bare-chested with his shirt still in his hand, before recovering the ball for his team. The referee soon stopped play and ordered Forlán off the pitch to get dressed.
Forlán's 17 goals in 95 appearances (goal every 5.5 games) for United did not compare favourably to his former teammate Ruud van Nistelrooy's 150 goals in 210 games (goal every 1.4 games), and it was widely thought Forlán would not start the 2004–05 season in the United team colours. That was proved true when he signed for Villarreal CF in August 2004, the same month Wayne Rooney joined United.
International career
Forlán made his debut for Uruguay on 27 March 2002, scoring his first goal in a 2–3 friendly defeat against Saudi Arabia. During the 2002 World Cup, he scored a volley on 11 June 2002 in the group stage 3–3 draw against Senegal.[18] Despite coming from three goals down to draw the game, Uruguay were eliminated from the tournament along with France in Group A. He also scored against Brazil in the 35th minute of the 2007 Copa América semi-final. However, he missed his shot during the subsequent penalty shoot-out, which Brazil ultimately won 5–4.[20] Since the 2007 Copa America, Forlán has become a regular for Uruguay, often in the starting XI. On 17 June 2008, he scored a hat-trick in a World Cup qualifying game against Peru.
Diego Forlán and Youri Djorkaeff were, respectively, members of the Uruguay and France squads that met in the 2002 World Cup. Their fathers, Pablo and Jean, featured in the match between Uruguay and France at the 1966 World Cup.
Forlán is currently only 4 games short of Uruguay's all-time most capped player, the goalkeeper Rodolfo Rodríguez, who played 79 times for his country, and only 2 goals behind the leading scorer in Uruguay's history, Hector Scarone, who has been the country's top scorer with 31 international goals for more than 80 years.
2010 World Cup
Forlán (right) with Luis Suárez at the 2010 World Cup.
On 16 June 2010, during Uruguay's second group game in the 2010 World Cup against South Africa, Forlán opened the scoring with a long range effort. Later in the game, Forlán scored from the penalty spot for his second and also had a hand in Uruguay's third, in a 3-0 win over the host nation. On 2 July 2010, Forlán scored a free kick against Ghana to equalise in the quarter-final. The game ended 1-1 and Uruguay advanced to the semi-finals after defeating Ghana 4-2 in the penalty shootout.[23] On 6 July 2010, Forlán scored another long range goal, this time with his left foot to equalise against the Netherlands in the semi-final. Despite a half-time score of 1-1, Uruguay eventually lost 3-2 as the Dutch advanced to the final. Forlán became the first player since Lothar Matthäus in 1990 to score three goals from outside the penalty area in one tournament.[25] On 10 July 2010, Forlán scored for the final time in the tournament as he netted a well-executed volley from the edge of the area to give Uruguay the lead. This goal, from a pass by Arévalo Ríos, was selected by FIFA as the Goal of the Tournament. Forlán then hit the crossbar with the final kick of the game from a free-kick as they lost to Germany 3-2 in the third place play-off. Forlán was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. He was also picked for the team of the tournament, and was one of the top scorers at the World Cup with 5 goals.
Personal life
Forlán announced on March 9, 2011 on his official Twitter page that he and Argentinian model/actress Zaira Nara were engaged to be married. On June 2011, Forlan and Nara announced they were breaking their engagement. Lots of speculation are going around the reasons for the breakup. It was even published that Forlan was cheating on her with another man.
A founding member of Fundación Alejandra Forlán, headed by his sister, Forlán is outspoken on the perils of dangerous driving. Back in 1991, Alejandra suffered a car accident where she lost her boyfriend and became paralyzed as a result. Diego Maradona met Forlan's father during that time, since he was a footballer in the 1970s, and helped him raise funds for his daughter’s treatment. She became an integral part of his inspiration to play football, and the whole family has gathered round to make sure the foundation is given as high a profile as his in Uruguay.
In 2009, Forlán appeared in a music video for Coti starring alongside Maxi Rodríguez. On July 2010, Forlán had his match-winning antics at the FIFA World Cup 2010 immortalised in the style of the famous Japanese series Captain Tsubasa. The celebratory song was made by the faceless band The Golden Vuvuzelas with music from the Super Robot anime series Mazinger Z.
Diego Forlan Corazo (Spanish pronunciation ; born 19 May 1979) is a Uruguayan footballer who plays as a striker for Atletico Madrid and the Uruguayan national team. He is a two-time winner of both the Pichichi Trophy and the European Golden Shoe, and also received the Golden Ball as the best player at the 2010 World Cup.
Forlan was born into a family of footballers, his father Pablo having played for São Paulo FC (1970–1975) and Uruguay in the 1966 and 1974 World Cups and his grandfather, Juan Carlos Corazo, for Independiente in Argentina. Forlan joined Independiente after rising through their youth team, and after a successful four-year spell, he signed for Manchester United. Forlan's disappointing two-year stint in the Premier League saw him fail to achieve the form he held at Independiente, and he moved on to La Liga side Villarreal.
In his first season in Spanish football, Forlán scored 25 league goals and won the Pichichi Trophy. After two more successful seasons with Villarreal, Forlan joined Atlético Madrid, where he once again became the league's top scorer, and became the first player to win the Pichichi Trophy twice since Ronaldo achieved this feat in 2003-04.
Forlan also has a successful international career, having scored 29 times for his country. He scored once at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, and five times at the 2010 World Cup, in which he scored twice against the host nation South Africa, once against Ghana in the quarter-finals, once against the Netherlands in the semi-finals and once against Germany in the third place play-off. Despite scoring five goals, Forlan was beaten to the Golden Boot by Thomas Müller of Germany, as he also had 3 assists. David Villa of Spain won the Silver Boot. Wesley Sneijder of Holland won the Bronze Boot. Forlan was however recognized with the Golden Ball award, given to the best player at the tournament.
Born in Montevideo, Forlán, son of former player and Uruguayan international Pablo Forlán, was a promising tennis player in his youth. But he decided to follow the family tradition and concentrate on football when his sister Alejandra was involved in a car accident, which killed her boyfriend and left her in intensive care for five months and handicapped thereafter. He was tested at Nancy Lorraine (France) during 5 months but the staff doesn't believe in Diego. So he returned in Uruguay and went to Argentina. He played for several South American clubs, including Argentine side Independiente, where he made his name in football as a goalscorer, before attracting European attention and transferring in January 2002 to play for Manchester United in the English Premier League for a fee of £6.9 million.
Manchester United
While Forlán's spell at Old Trafford was disappointing, he did enjoy the occasional purple patch of scoring. He had a knack for scoring important goals, such as the late equaliser at home to Aston Villa and the remarkable volleyed winner in the last minutes of the home game against Chelsea during United's Premier League-winning season of 2002–03. He became a fan favourite when he scored two goals against Liverpool in a 2–1 victory at Anfield. During this period, Forlán became known for removing his shirt and baring his torso in celebration of his goals. The first such example of this resulted in quite an amusing incident: Forlán whipped his shirt off in excitement after scoring an 85th minute winner against Southampton in November 2002 but struggled to get it back on in time before play restarted, resulting in the spectacle of Forlán briefly running around the Old Trafford pitch bare-chested with his shirt still in his hand, before recovering the ball for his team. The referee soon stopped play and ordered Forlán off the pitch to get dressed.
Forlán's 17 goals in 95 appearances (goal every 5.5 games) for United did not compare favourably to his former teammate Ruud van Nistelrooy's 150 goals in 210 games (goal every 1.4 games), and it was widely thought Forlán would not start the 2004–05 season in the United team colours. That was proved true when he signed for Villarreal CF in August 2004, the same month Wayne Rooney joined United.
Forlán made his debut for Uruguay on 27 March 2002, scoring his first goal in a 2–3 friendly defeat against Saudi Arabia. During the 2002 World Cup, he scored a volley on 11 June 2002 in the group stage 3–3 draw against Senegal.[18] Despite coming from three goals down to draw the game, Uruguay were eliminated from the tournament along with France in Group A. He also scored against Brazil in the 35th minute of the 2007 Copa América semi-final. However, he missed his shot during the subsequent penalty shoot-out, which Brazil ultimately won 5–4.[20] Since the 2007 Copa America, Forlán has become a regular for Uruguay, often in the starting XI. On 17 June 2008, he scored a hat-trick in a World Cup qualifying game against Peru.
Diego Forlán and Youri Djorkaeff were, respectively, members of the Uruguay and France squads that met in the 2002 World Cup. Their fathers, Pablo and Jean, featured in the match between Uruguay and France at the 1966 World Cup.
Forlán is currently only 4 games short of Uruguay's all-time most capped player, the goalkeeper Rodolfo Rodríguez, who played 79 times for his country, and only 2 goals behind the leading scorer in Uruguay's history, Hector Scarone, who has been the country's top scorer with 31 international goals for more than 80 years.
Forlán (right) with Luis Suárez at the 2010 World Cup.
On 16 June 2010, during Uruguay's second group game in the 2010 World Cup against South Africa, Forlán opened the scoring with a long range effort. Later in the game, Forlán scored from the penalty spot for his second and also had a hand in Uruguay's third, in a 3-0 win over the host nation. On 2 July 2010, Forlán scored a free kick against Ghana to equalise in the quarter-final. The game ended 1-1 and Uruguay advanced to the semi-finals after defeating Ghana 4-2 in the penalty shootout.[23] On 6 July 2010, Forlán scored another long range goal, this time with his left foot to equalise against the Netherlands in the semi-final. Despite a half-time score of 1-1, Uruguay eventually lost 3-2 as the Dutch advanced to the final. Forlán became the first player since Lothar Matthäus in 1990 to score three goals from outside the penalty area in one tournament.[25] On 10 July 2010, Forlán scored for the final time in the tournament as he netted a well-executed volley from the edge of the area to give Uruguay the lead. This goal, from a pass by Arévalo Ríos, was selected by FIFA as the Goal of the Tournament. Forlán then hit the crossbar with the final kick of the game from a free-kick as they lost to Germany 3-2 in the third place play-off. Forlán was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. He was also picked for the team of the tournament, and was one of the top scorers at the World Cup with 5 goals.
Forlán announced on March 9, 2011 on his official Twitter page that he and Argentinian model/actress Zaira Nara were engaged to be married. On June 2011, Forlan and Nara announced they were breaking their engagement. Lots of speculation are going around the reasons for the breakup. It was even published that Forlan was cheating on her with another man.
A founding member of Fundación Alejandra Forlán, headed by his sister, Forlán is outspoken on the perils of dangerous driving. Back in 1991, Alejandra suffered a car accident where she lost her boyfriend and became paralyzed as a result. Diego Maradona met Forlan's father during that time, since he was a footballer in the 1970s, and helped him raise funds for his daughter’s treatment. She became an integral part of his inspiration to play football, and the whole family has gathered round to make sure the foundation is given as high a profile as his in Uruguay.
In 2009, Forlán appeared in a music video for Coti starring alongside Maxi Rodríguez. On July 2010, Forlán had his match-winning antics at the FIFA World Cup 2010 immortalised in the style of the famous Japanese series Captain Tsubasa. The celebratory song was made by the faceless band The Golden Vuvuzelas with music from the Super Robot anime series Mazinger Z.
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