62 Facts About Diego Forlan

1.

Diego Forlan Corazo was born on 19 May 1979 and is a Uruguayan professional football manager and former player who played as a forward.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,975
2.

Diego Forlan began his career in his native Uruguay as a youth player with Penarol and Danubio, before joining Argentine club Independiente.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,976
3.

Diego Forlan scored in Atletico's 2010 Europa League final victory against Fulham.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,977
4.

Diego Forlan had a successful international career, scoring 36 times for his country between his debut in 2002 and his retirement in 2015, including six goals at FIFA World Cups.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,978
5.

On 12 July 2011, at the 2011 Copa America in Argentina, which Uruguay won, Diego Forlan earned his 79th international cap in a match against Mexico, breaking the record held since 1986 by goalkeeper Rodolfo Rodriguez.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,979
6.

Diego Forlan was Uruguay's all-time leading top scorer from 2011 until Luis Suarez overtook him two years later.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,980
7.

Diego Forlan decided to follow the occupation of his father in playing football when his sister Alejandra was involved in a horrific car accident, which killed her boyfriend and left her in intensive care for five months and handicapped thereafter.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,981
8.

In 1995, when he was 16, Diego Forlan was brought to France by manager Laszlo Boloni, and spent several months on trial at AS Nancy.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,982
9.

Diego Forlan has played for several South American clubs, including Argentine side Independiente, where he scored 37 goals in 80 league games.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,983
10.

Diego Forlan's goalscoring attracted the attention of European sides, and in January 2002, Independiente agreed a £6.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,984
11.

Diego Forlan travelled to England expecting to negotiate with Middlesbrough, but at the last minute Manchester United gazumped the Teesside club, offering Independiente the same fee in a single payment, as well as a more lucrative salary for Diego Forlan.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,985
12.

Diego Forlan was signed for Manchester United by Sir Alex Ferguson for £6.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,986
13.

On 18 September 2002, Diego Forlan came on as a 56th-minute substitute for Ryan Giggs in a Champions League match versus Maccabi Haifa.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,987
14.

On 17 December 2002, Diego Forlan scored the winning goal as United defeated Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the Football League Cup.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,988
15.

On 18 January 2003, Diego Forlan scored a 90th-minute winning goal to again defeat Chelsea, this time in a Premier League match.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,989
16.

Diego Forlan was strongly linked with a move to Spanish clubs Levante and Athletic Bilbao, but on 21 August 2004 he signed with Villarreal.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,990
17.

Diego Forlan shared the 2005 European Golden Boot with Arsenal striker Thierry Henry.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,991
18.

Diego Forlan was linked with a transfer jointly with Juan Roman Riquelme to Atletico Madrid in exchange for Luis Perea plus cash in June 2007.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,992
19.

In May 2008, Diego Forlan helped Atletico qualify for the Champions League for the first time in over a decade, scoring the winning goal against Deportivo de La Coruna.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,993
20.

Diego Forlan ended his first season in Madrid with 23 goals and formed a potent partnership with Argentinian striker Sergio Aguero.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,994
21.

On 9 May 2009, Diego Forlan scored twice against Espanyol to help Atletico clinch Champions League qualification for a second successive year.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,995
22.

Diego Forlan scored crucial goals in wins over Barcelona, Villarreal and Valencia.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,996
23.

On 23 May 2009, Diego Forlan scored a hat-trick against Athletic Bilbao, which helped him win the La Liga Pichichi Trophy, as well as the European Golden Boot for a second time.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,997
24.

Atletico started to improve after the arrival new manager Quique Sanchez Flores, and , Diego Forlan flourished in the second half of the season, as Atletico reached the finals of both the Europa League and Copa del Rey.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,998
25.

On 22 April 2010, Diego Forlan scored the only goal of the game in Atletico's Europa League semi-final first leg at home to Liverpool.

FactSnippet No. 1,752,999
26.

Diego Forlan ended the season with a total of 28 goals, including six in Atletico's successful Europa League campaign.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,000
27.

On 29 August 2011, it was confirmed that Diego Forlan had joined Inter Milan as a replacement for the departing Samuel Eto'o.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,001
28.

Diego Forlan has stated that his poor performance with the Nerazzuri was due to being played out of position.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,002
29.

On 6 July 2012, after terminating his contract with Inter, Diego Forlan signed a three-year deal with Brazilian club Internacional.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,003
30.

Diego Forlan was linked to Mexican teams Tigres UANL and Club America.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,004
31.

In January 2013, Diego Forlan was linked with another Mexican team, the recently promoted Club Leon.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,005
32.

At Leon, Diego Forlan had the chance to play the 2013 Copa Libertadores; Internacional retained Diego Forlan's services for the 2013 season.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,006
33.

Diego Forlan helped the club win 2013 Campeonato Gaucho, scoring nine goals, the highest total at the tournament.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,007
34.

On 22 January 2014, Diego Forlan signed an 18-month deal with Japanese J1 League side Cerezo Osaka.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,008
35.

On 10 July 2015, Diego Forlan signed an 18-month contract with his boyhood club Penarol.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,009
36.

Year after leaving Kitchee, Diego Forlan announced his retirement from professional football on 7 August 2019.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,010
37.

Diego Forlan wore the number 21 for Uruguay at the 2004 Copa America in Peru, shortly before his transfer from Manchester United to Villarreal.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,011
38.

Diego Forlan played all six games as they, under the management of Jorge Fossati, came third.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,012
39.

Diego Forlan scored against Brazil in the 35th minute of the 2007 Copa America semi-final.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,013
40.

On 17 June 2008, Diego Forlan scored a hat-trick in a World Cup qualifying game against Peru.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,014
41.

On 16 June 2010, during Uruguay's second group game in the 2010 World Cup against South Africa, Diego Forlan opened the scoring with a right footed long range effort.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,015
42.

On 2 July 2010, Diego Forlan scored a free kick against Ghana to equalise in the quarter-final.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,016
43.

On 6 July 2010, Diego Forlan scored another long range goal, this time with his left foot to equalise against the Netherlands in the semi-final.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,017
44.

Diego Forlan became the first player since Lothar Matthaus in 1990 to score three goals from outside the penalty area in one tournament.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,018
45.

On 10 July 2010, Diego Forlan 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.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,019
46.

Diego Forlan was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,020
47.

Diego Forlan was picked for the team of the tournament, and was the joint top scorer at the World Cup with five goals.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,021
48.

On 16 June 2013, Diego Forlan appeared as a 69th-minute substitute in Uruguay's opening 2013 Confederations Cup match against Spain.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,022
49.

Diego Forlan was a part of the Uruguay squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,023
50.

Diego Forlan represented Uruguay with 112 caps, scoring 36 times.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,024
51.

Talented, technically gifted, hardworking and creative player, with an eye for goal, Diego Forlan was a quick, clever, complete and versatile forward, with a good positional sense, who was capable of playing anywhere along the front line.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,025
52.

Diego Forlan was deployed as a main striker, as a supporting forward, as an attacking midfielder, and even as a winger, often drifting onto the flank to begin attacking plays.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,026
53.

Diego Forlan was capable of scoring with either foot, both from inside and outside the area; in fact, Forlan was most known for his powerful and accurate long range shots, which made him a large threat if given space outside the box.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,027
54.

Alongside this, Diego Forlan was an accurate set-piece and penalty kick taker.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,028
55.

On 20 December 2019, Diego Forlan was appointed as manager of his former club Penarol.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,029
56.

Diego Forlan was sacked on 1 September 2020, after winning just four of his eleven games in charge.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,030
57.

Diego Forlan was born into a family of footballers – his father Pablo having played for Penarol, Sao Paulo and Uruguay in the 1966 and 1974 World Cups, and his maternal grandfather, Juan Carlos Corazzo, for Independiente in Argentina.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,031
58.

Diego Forlan is of Italian, Basque, and Irish descent, and because of his Basque ancestry from his grandmother, he was linked to Athletic Bilbao after his departure from Manchester United, even though the club only permits Basque players.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,032
59.

Diego Forlan's nickname is Cachavacha, a witch who is one of the atagonists from the Argentine cartoon series The Adventures of Hijitus.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,033
60.

Diego Forlan 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.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,034
61.

In 2009, Diego Forlan appeared in a music video for Coti starring alongside Argentine footballer Maxi Rodriguez.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,035
62.

Diego Forlan is married to Paz Cardoso and together the pair have two sons, Martin, in February 2016, and Cesar, in February 2019, and a daughter, Luz, in May 2017.

FactSnippet No. 1,753,036