Diego Forlán

Who is this?

Diego Forlán Corazo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈdje.ɣo foɾˈlan]; born 19 May 1979) is a Uruguayan football manager and a former player, who played as a forward, and last served as head coach for Uruguayan Segunda División club Club Atlético Atenas. Widely regarded as one of the best forwards of his generation, Forlán was praised for his versatility, intelligence, technique, and shooting abilities. As of 2026, Forlán is a professional tennis player, having made his ATP debut at the 2024 Uruguay Open. Forlán started his career in his native Uruguay as a youth player with Peñarol and Danubio, before joining Argentine club Independiente in 1997. After rising through their youth team and a successful four-year spell, he sealed a move to England with Manchester United in 2002. His form for Manchester United was not as successful as at Independiente, although he won the Premier League in 2002–03 and the FA Cup in 2003–04. In the summer of 2004, Forlán moved to Spanish side Villarreal. In his first season with the club, he won the Pichichi Trophy and European Golden Shoe with 25 goals. After two more successful seasons with Villarreal, during which he won the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2004 and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League in 2005–06, Forlán joined Atlético Madrid in 2007 where, in the 2008–09 season, he once again became the league's top scorer, winning both the Pichichi Trophy and European Golden Shoe for the second time with 32 goals, becoming the first player to win the Pichichi Trophy twice since Ronaldo in 1996–97 and 2003–04. Forlán also won the UEFA Europa League, of which he scored the decisive goal in the final, and the UEFA Super Cup with Atlético Madrid, both in 2010. In 2011, he joined Italian club Inter Milan, before moving to Internacional in Brazil during the 2012 season. After spells in Japan with Cerezo Osaka, back in Uruguay with his boyhood club Peñarol, in India with Mumbai City and in Hong Kong with Kitchee, Forlán officially announced his retirement from professional football in August 2019. Forlán also had a successful international career, scoring 36 times for his country between his debut in 2002 and his international retirement in 2015. Forlán represented Uruguay in three FIFA World Cups (2002, 2010, 2014) and three Copa Américas (2004, 2007, 2011). His most notable achievement came at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, in which he led Uruguay to the final four for the first time since the 1970 FIFA World Cup, scoring five goals and one assist in the process, and was ultimately awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player, selected for team of the tournament, and was the joint–top scorer. In the following year, Forlán earned his 79th international cap in a match against Mexico, breaking the record held since 1986 by goalkeeper Rodolfo Rodríguez, at the 2011 Copa América, in which Uruguay won for the first time since 1995, with Forlán scoring two goals in the final. On 20 June 2013, in a match against Nigeria a

Career

1. 1979
   Born
2. 1997
   Joined Club Atlético Independiente
3. 1999
   Joined Uruguay national under-20 football team
4. 2002
   Joined Manchester United F.C.
5. 2002
   Joined Uruguay men's national football team
6. 2004
   Joined Villarreal CF
7. 2005
   Won European Golden Shoe
8. 2005
   Won Pichichi Trophy
9. 2007
   Joined Atlético Madrid
10. 2010
    Won World Cup Golden Ball
11. 2011
    Joined Inter Milan
12. 2012
    Joined S.C. Internacional
13. 2012
    Won Order of Isabella the Catholic‎
14. 2014
    Joined Cerezo Osaka
15. 2015
    Joined Club Atlético Peñarol

Trivia

• •Place of birth: Montevideo
• •Citizenship: Uruguay, Spain
• •Known as: association football player, tennis player, association football coach
• •Sport: association football