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Mon 23 August 2021 | 10:30

Diego Forlan Biography

As a goal scorer, he was also a popular legend and worked tirelessly to aid the clubs for which he played. Today, we will discuss and write about Diego Forlan, one of the great legends of Uruguay.

Diego Forlan was born on May 22, 1979, in Montevideo, Uruguay. If we want to talk about one of the best forwards in Uruguay football history, Diego Forlan would be one of the best options available Independiente, Manchester United, Villarreal, Atletico Madrid, and Inter Milan. These are some of Europe’s most decorated clubs in history, all of whom have had

Diego Forlan

on their roster at one time or another. Forlan was also a member of the national football team. Amazed everyone with his outstanding performance, this man produced a wonderful first impression.

Since his debut in 2002, the player has scored 36 goals for his country. He was a great footballer who could play with either foot, which made him unique. Diego's history was always linked to football. He was born on May 19, 1979, in Montevideo, Uruguay. He is the son of former football player Pablo Forlan, legendary Uruguayan defender, and grandson of former Uruguayan team coach Juan Carlos Carozzo. However, the forward's beginnings in the sport were in tennis, which he was very passionate about, but he would soon leave to follow the path of his ancestors.

Diego enlisted in the lower ranks of the Danubio Futbol Club, where he performed at an excellent level, which attracted the interest of many international clubs, especially the South American ones. The president of Independiente de Avellaneda, a club of the First Division of Argentine soccer, was the one who bet everything on the young Uruguayan and paid what was necessary to take over his services.

Diego Forlan nationality is Uruguayan

, and he is known as one of the most fan's favorite players in Uruguayan football history. Diego Forlan was a deadly forward and, no one can deny that he is one of the legends of Atletico Madrid. Sure it is not all about Forlan's life story as there is so much to say. Stay tuned as we take a look at Diego Forlan biography.

All You Need to Know About Diego Forlan Biography

Diego Forlan was born on May 22, 1979, in Montevideo, Uruguay, and is now 42. Diego Forlan was born on May 19, 1979, in Montevideo, Uruguay. In addition to his father, his grandfather was a professional player who competed on the international stage.

His father's success inspired him to become a professional player, which he did. Football became a lifelong passion for Forlan after years of playing tennis as a child. As a footballer, he had great talent, and a bright future awaited him.

Many South American clubs, including Independiente in Argentina, used Diego’s services. Diego Forlan scored 37 goals in 80 league appearances, according to his stats. With his goal-scoring ability, European teams were eager to strike a deal with him. When Independiente received an €8m offer from Middlesbrough to acquire the player in 18 payments, Independiente decided to accept. In the end, Manchester United gave Forlan the same price plus a more lucrative salary in one lump sum.

When asked about his decision to leave Middlesbrough, he said, "Manchester United is a huge club; therefore, I've chosen to go there. In the future, he moved to Manchester United to play football. Forlan signed a deal with Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary Manchester United manager, on January 22, 2002.

A year later, Manchester United won a Premier League match against Chelsea thanks to Forlan's winning goal on 18 January 2003. United won the Premier League in 2003-04 with Diego Forlan scoring six goals. He was the club's third most prolific goal-scorer title after Ruud van Nistelrooy and

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

In his second season with Manchester United, he made three appearances but failed to score a goal.

Diego Forlan Information

In this part of Diego Forlan biography, you could find some general information about Diego Forlan listed down here.

Diego Forlan Bio

  • Full Name: Diego Forlan

  • Nickname: “Cachavacha”

  • Profession: Former Professional Football Player | Manager of Atenas de San Carlos

Diego Forlan Physical Stats

  • Weight: 75 Kilograms

  • Height: 1.80 Meters

  • Eye Color: Blue

  • Hair Color: Blonde

Diego Forlan Football Information

  • Position: Forward

  • Jersey Number: 10

  • Professional Debut: 1997

Diego Forlan Date of Birth and Personal Info

  • Date of Birth: 19 May 1979

  • Birth Place: Montevideo, Uruguay

  • Zodiac Sign: Taurus

  • Nationality: Uruguayan

Diego Forlan Early Life

Diego Forlan childhood

was all about football. Diego Forlan, nicknamed " Cachavacha"was born on May 19, 1979, in Montevideo. Diego Forlan grew up in a family with a football tradition: his father, Pablo Forlan, was already a player for the Uruguay national team, and his maternal grandfather, Juan Carlos Corazo, served as technical director for the 1962 World Cup national team. Although his first sport was tennis, the young Diego soon changed his inclination and opted for football, following the family tradition.

He played in the lower categories of Club Atletico Penarol and Danubio Futbol Club. He made his debut in the first division on October 25, 1997, in the ranks of the Argentine Independiente, a team in which he would serve until 2002 and in which he already demonstrated his skills as a scorer.

As an Independiente player, he drew the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson, who did not hesitate to sign him for his umpteenth project with Manchester United, which had already started the 2002-2003 season. During his time in the English League, he won his first titles: The Premier League (2002-2003) and the English Cup (2003-2004). However, his performance was not as expected, and in the summer of 2004, he was transferred to Villarreal.

Diego Forlan life story

is filled with memories of joyful moments, which probably makes him one of the best personalities in Uruguayan football history.

Diego Forlan Profile

In this section of 

Diego Forlan biography

, we will take a look at his professional career from his early days until now. Diego Forlan was born on May 19, 1979, in Montevideo, Uruguay. We could say that Forlan's relationship with football comes from the cradle, his father was a footballer, and his maternal grandfather led the Uruguay national team in the 1962 World Cup.

However, his first sport was not football but tennis, although, soon, blood would flow, and he would end up dedicating himself to it professionally, just like his father and grandfather. He started at the Uruguayan club Penarol and also played at Danubio Futbol Club.

At 18, he traveled to Argentina to play for the Independiente club, and it is precisely in this group that he would be able to stand out due to his goals. His overwhelming success at the Avellaneda club led him to be bought in 2002 by Manchester United. Two years later, he was transferred to Spanish football, more precisely to Villarreal in Spain.

Diego Forlan signed a contract with Villarreal on August 21, 2004. Away against Valencia on 30 August 2004, he made his debut for the club. It was the 77th minute when Forlan scored his first goal in a 2-1 loss. It was a spectacular performance by the footballer, who dazzled everyone with his goal-scoring prowess.

He scored his second goal against

Real Zaragoza

on 3 October. He also scored the equalizer in a 1-1 draw against Mallorca and the winning goal in a 4-0 triumph at home against Numancia on the same day in October. His seven goals in five Primera Division games from 12 December 2004 to 16 January 2005 included a brace in a 3-0 home win over Barcelona on 9 January.

As a result of the goals he scored in La Liga, the football icon earned the 2004–05 Pichichi Trophy. Marca, the sports daily, awards the trophy to the top scorers in La Liga every season. Lionel Messi has won the award seven times in his career. In 2005, he and Arsenal striker Thierry Henry shared the European Golden Boot. Villarreal made it to the Champions League semi-finals before losing to Arsenal. Forlan played his final season in 2006-2007, scoring 19 goals in 36 league games. Stay tuned to read more about Diego Forlan biography and get to know him better.

Style of Play

Regarding Diego Forlan’s style of play, he used to play as a Forward. When it comes to his ability to play anywhere in the front line, Forlan is a speedy and crafty forward with an excellent positional sense, who works tirelessly and has a keen eye for goal. We have seen him in the main striker's role, as a supporting forward, an attacking midfielder, and even on the flanks, where he drifts onto the flank to initiate attacks. If Forlan is given space outside the box, he can score with either foot, both inside and outside the box. In fact, Forlan was known for his strong and accurate long-range shots, making him a problem for opponents. Set-pieces and penalty kicks are also his strong suits.

The Spaniard is a skilled player who is gifted with good technical abilities and ball control, as well as good vision, passing abilities, intelligence, and awareness on the ball; these attributes also enable him to be deployed in a more creative role, in which he can play-off of other players and drop into deeper positions to link up the midfield. Additionally, Forlan has been hailed for his leadership, longevity, and determination throughout his career, in addition to being a talented footballer.

Reception

Diego Forlan is 42 and has retired from football. Despite being a thorn in Liverpool's sides in two high-profile games, Forlan fondly remembers his reception from the Anfield crowd.

"I also went back to Anfield with

Atletico Madrid

and scored the goal, which knocked them out of the 2010 Europa League and put us into the final. After the game, the Liverpool fans in the main stand applauded me. That was a big gesture as I’d not only played for United, but I’d just ended their European dream in the semi-final."

Goal Celebration

The footballer's next Premier League encounter was against

Southampton

on November 2. After replacing Phil Neville in the 79th minute, he scored the winning goal with a kick over Antti Niemi in the 85th minute. The Uruguayan footballer's bizarre celebration drew attention. Forlan pulled off his jersey, but he had trouble putting it back on later in the game, so he continued playing shirtless.

Manchester United defeated rivals, Liverpool, by 2–1 on 1 December, with the gifted footballer scoring in the 64th and 67th minutes. As Manchester United overcame Chelsea in the Football League Cup finals on January 18, 2003, Forlan scored the game-winning goal for Manchester. Despite his outstanding performance, the gifted footballer continued to score goals for his squad. In the end, Forlan made it to the top.

Diego Forlan Outside Football

Diego Forlan outside football is a very respected person and has a story like everyone else. His charisma and leadership were well respected throughout his life in England and Spain. When it came to Diego Forlan outside football, his name will long be associated with an uncompromising player who won't be forgotten.

In this century, Forlan has been one of Uruguay's finest athletes, a real man who led his country in many difficult paths. Stay tuned to read more about 

Diego Forlan biography

 and get to know him better.

Diego Forlan Personal Life

Diego Forlan started a good relationship by announcing his engagement to Argentinian model and actress Zaira Nara on Twitter. However, Forlan and his girlfriend split up in June 2011. It was later revealed that Zaira was grateful that she didn't get married.

Forlan is a married man at the moment. Eventually, he wed Paz Cardoso, a beautiful Uruguayan. The pair met in a club when a mutual friend introduced them. It didn't take long for them to fall in love and start dating. There was an instant connection between the two. The lovely bride wore a conventional white wedding gown on July 2, 2013. In front of their family and friends, they were proclaimed as husband and wife.

The marriage ceremony was held in a large tent placed in the garden of the Cardoso family house, with about 60 guests and without access to the press. Previously, the couple attended a nearby chapel where a Paraguayan priest, a couple's friend, blessed the alliances, sources close to the family reported. We should also note that

Diego Forlan religion

is Christianity.

Family, Children and Relationships

Diego Forlan has four kids as a family. Martin was born in February 2016, and Luz was born in May 2017. Cesar, their second son, was born in February 2019. There's nothing better than having four lovely children in your life. They spent a lot of time with the children, and they constantly post pictures of them on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

On February 19, Paz posted a snapshot of their daughter’s birthday and captioned: “we keep celebrating, happy 5th birthday to the biggest hottie in the house.” Forlan is blessed with a wonderful wife and three beautiful kids.

Philanthropy

Diego Forlan joined the celebrations held to mark the 30th anniversary of Gurises Unidos this week, paying a visit on Thursday 12 September to the main offices of the Uruguayan NGO, which works with some of the country’s most vulnerable young people. The FIFA Legend was welcomed by a large group of youngsters, who were thrilled at the prospect of spending a few hours with their footballing idol.

“It was a wonderful experience, and I had a really great day,” said Forlan. “I had a lot of fun playing with them and chatting to them too. What stood out for me was how happy the kids were and how well they behaved.” Since its creation in March 2018, the FIFA Foundation has given support, through its Community Programme, to organizations that use football as a tool to tackle the social problems afflicting society’s youngest members.

“The FIFA Foundation does a great job," added Forlan. "They’ve been visiting countries and running projects with some big names for some time now. That’s great because it means the message gets out louder and quicker to young people.” Keep reading to know more about Diego Forlan biography and see if he has had any legal issues so far or not.

Legal Issues

Hopefully, Diego Forlan doesn't have any legal issues as he has a quiet life. After giving specific information about Diego Forlan's legal issues, we go to the next part, the Diego Forlan career statistics part.

Diego Forlan Career Statistics

Diego Forlan statistics are just fantastic. Diego Forlan started his amateur career at the local club Independiente before earning a professional contract with the first team in 1997.

It all started in the fronton of a neighborhood in Montevideo. There, Papa Forlan insisted on a four-year-old blonde beardless man to hit the ball with both legs. And again. His goal, to make his son a great striker. Since then, Diego sacrificed a lifetime for that dream. His passion for football, inherited from his grandfather, father, and brother, was always combined with marked family education. He was taught the importance of studies, the value of languages ​​and the need for work and sacrifice to achieve a goal.

One night in September, a traffic accident that affected Alejandra, one of Diego's sisters, completely changed her life and everyone's. The Forlan became even more united and found the example to look to gain strength in their daily struggle. Diego arrived in Argentina with only 17 springs and would be a substitute the first year of his debut in 1998, but the following seasons would be key for the player's training. In Independiente, he would score 40 goals and give 9 assists in the four seasons at the club, which earned him the jump to Europe.

Club

Last season in Independiente, he put the poster of a young world promise, and Sir Alex Ferguson, former coach of Manchester United in England, would explicitly ask for his incorporation into the ranks of "The Red Devils" in 2002, a wish that would be fulfilled at The perfection.

Although he was not the undisputed starter at his club, he was called up with his country's national team for the first time in 2002. That year he made his international debut and achieved outstanding performances, which kept him in the sights of the big European clubs, who were well aware of the player's potential. After four seasons in Manchester, "The Red Devils" get tired of waiting for the player they wanted Diego to be and decide to sell him to Villarreal CF of the Spanish Professional Football League. They never regretted anything else so much because, with the yellow submarine, Forlan would become the forward he promised.

The first season at

Villarreal

was explosive, scoring 25 goals that helped him win the Pichichi Trophy ahead of strikers like Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, or Samuel Eto'o. That year he also won the Golden Boot, a recognition given to the best striker in the main European leagues, and which he shared with Thierry Henry, a French Arsenal player.

With the submarine, he played another two seasons in which he did not repeat the 25 goals of the first but maintained a regularity that allowed him to achieve a total of 60 goals in 3 seasons, rising as one of the best footballers who have stepped on the pitch of old Madrigal.

In 2007 he was summoned to play the Copa America in Venezuela, where he was proclaimed champion with his team and one of the best players in the tournament. This performance raised him even more, and after the tournament, his transfer to Atletico de Madrid for €23m was announced. With the mattress club, his legend continued to grow. By then, he was a world-class forward and one of the most feared by defenders. In 2008 he would break his scoring record, scoring 35 goals that would give him his second top scorer trophy and Golden Boot.

International

His contribution to the national football team is no less remarkable. Diego Forlan made his debut with the Uruguayan national team on March 27, 2002, in a friendly match against Saudi Arabia held in Riyadh. That same year, he was summoned to defend his country's colors in the World Cup in Korea and Japan.

However, it did not seem to count too much for the then coach, Victor Pua, since he only played half of a controversial match against Senegal that ended up putting an end to the Uruguayan dreams of staying alive in the competition, even though Forlan scored one of the three goals of the team.

Uruguay failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. They did so four years later, with Oscar Tabarez on the bench, to be in South Africa in 2010. Tabarez gave Forlan the title from the beginning of the qualifying phase, and he responded as the best you know: he was the top celestial gunner with seven goals in thirteen games.

Upon his arrival at the World Cup, he was one of the undisputed leaders of the national team, and he did not disappoint: in the first round, he did not score against France (0-0) or Mexico (1-0), but two of the three goals from his team against the host team (3-0). At the top of group A, with seven points, Uruguay met

Ghana

in the quarterfinals. Forlan put the tie at one on the scoreboard with a great goal from a free-kick and converted one of the penalties in the final shootout that gave the Celestes a pass to the semifinals. 

For the third time in the competition (first, it was against France and South Africa) he was named best player of the match. His performance against the Dutch was memorable (he scored a goal), although it didn't do much good, as his team finally fell 3-2. The match for third and fourth place was resolved in favor of Germany. Uruguay came fourth, but Forlan's path through South Africa did not go unnoticed by anyone.

He was among the top scorers of the championship (five goals, such as Thomas Müller, Wesley Sneijder, and

David Villa

), he was part of the tournament's ideal team, and FIFA awarded him the Ballon d'Or for the best player in the World Cup. As of August 11, 2010, Diego Forlan had played 69 international matches and scored 29 goals; he was the second top scorer in his team's history, just two goals to match the legendary Hector Scarone. Stay tuned to read more about

Diego Forlan biography

and find out what awards and titles he has won.

Managerial

On 20 December 2019, Forlan was appointed as manager of his former club Penarol. He was sacked on 1 September 2020, after winning just four of his eleven games in charge. "To me, this is a huge joy; it's such an honor to be the person selected to be the leader of this project, of this club significant for my family and me," Forlan told reporters on Friday. "I'm very honored and proud." Stay tuned to read more about Diego Forlan biography and find out what awards and titles he has won.

Diego Forlan Honors

He played in seven different nations (Argentina, Spain, England, Indian, Hong Kong, Brazil, and Italy); during his stay in England for

Manchester United

, he made club history. Here are some of the most important titles of Diego Forlan's career.

Penarol

  • Uruguayan Champion with Penarol (2015-2016)

Manchester United

  • FA Cup with Manchester United (2002-2003)

  • Premier League with Manchester United (2002-2003)

  • English Super Cup Winner (2003 and 2004)

Villarreal

  • Intertoto Cup with Villarreal (2004)

Atletico Madrid

  • UEFA Super Cup Winner (2010/2011)

Individual Achievements:

  • Golden Boot (2004)

  • Pichichi of the Spanish League (2004)

  • Ambassador of UNICEF (2005)

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