Diego Forlan played for both Manchester United and Atletico Madrid.
At United, who he joined in January 2002, he was an emerging striker who’d made a name for himself at Independiente in Argentina but struggled to score during his two and a half years in English football. By the time he moved to Atletico in the summer of 2007 (from fellow Spanish side Villarreal) he’d won the European Golden Boot (he’d earn it again at Atletico), ditto the Pichichi as La Liga top scorer — another individual feat he’d repeat at Atletico.
The Uruguayan spoke to The Athletic before Tuesday night’s Champions League last-16 second leg between United and Atletico at Old Trafford, after the sides drew 1-1 in Spain last month.
How does a striker deal with not scoring goals?
When I didn’t score, I practised more. It’s not good to be obsessed, that’s not positive. But for me, practice gave me more confidence.
What type of practice?
Finishing. Also, your first touch when you receive the ball — that’s as important as finishing for strikers, because if you have a good first touch you are giving yourself more time. That time can be used to see how you will shoot and where to aim the ball. The result will then be much better.
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Are team-mates aware of it when you’re practising more in private?
They know — especially if you stay behind after training, like I used to. It’s not something you do to show you are trying, but because of the reasons I explained. But when you become a professional footballer, your priority is to be fit, rested and ready when the time comes. They are the basics, your priorities, but to get to that level you have to practise, practise, practise and the more you do that, the better player you are going to be.
I used to practise by kicking a tennis ball against a wall with both feet for hours, until I was equally comfortable with both feet. I did this even when I was 25, 30; I liked doing it. If I was one-on-one with a goalkeeper, I could go left or right. I made sure that I enjoyed it, too, and I made sure that I studied, because so many footballers don’t become professionals.
Is it natural to start snatching at the ball when things are not going well for you?
Yes, it is for the majority. But it’s better to say “not be calm” rather than “snatch”. It also depends on the personality and age or experience of the player. But not being calm can quickly become “desperate” and not being in control, which is not good for you.
What’s the feeling like after you break that duck?
Relief. And when it happens, the gates open. Everything that was negative becomes positive. Where you’d hit the post, you find the net. Your energy changes, your rhythm.
Was there a difference in expectation between playing for United and Atletico?
United were winning the league frequently when I was there. That was the norm, the expectation. We had world-class players in every position, and we had Sir Alex Ferguson.
Atletico was very different when I arrived. They talked about this “Pupas” (“losers”) tag, that Atletico were always destined to fail — and they usually did. But I played with Sergio Aguero, David de Gea, Simao and Jose Reyes. They were great players who didn’t care about the pupas thing. They didn’t care what the journalists said.
David was very young but he was still steady and gave the players confidence. Our team were winners and we won trophies. Our generation broke the mystique. When we won the Europa League, by beating Fulham in 2010, it was Atletico’s first trophy since the ’96 double. It started a run of trophies. That final against Fulham was probably the best I played in a club match. I scored twice and was man of the match. A year later, Diego Simeone arrived and took Atletico towards the club they have become.
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Now, in 2022, the teams are in similar situations. Both huge. It’s not easy for either team to win the league. Their expectations for this season are now in the Champions League because neither team is going to win their league. So they can either win the Champions League to get in it next season, or else the rest of the season will be spent trying to get into the Champions League for next season.
If you could be a striker in either team as they are at the moment, which would it be?
I see similarities between the way the teams have played in the last few seasons. They wait and then they counter-attack. I played like that for Uruguay and sometimes for Atletico, but never for United. We’d always keep possession, we were dominant during the games.
What are the pros and cons of a high-pressing game for a striker?
The pressing team can steal the ball, and the ball will then be closer to the goal. So if I’m a striker and either me or one of my team-mates takes the ball, it will be where we want it to be. It’s also far away from your goal. If you have runners who can go deep and play the offside well, the defending team can have a bad time. A disadvantage is that it takes a lot of energy to play this way and if you’re up against players who can pass through your lines then you are more exposed.
How do United unlock Cristiano Ronaldo?
Cristiano is Cristiano. He can unlock himself when he wants to — he has that quality to do whatever he wants to do and score all different kinds of goals. His game when I played with him in his first years in Manchester and when he played at first at Real Madrid was that he used to go past players, more like Lionel Messi. Then he became more of a finisher, a killer in front of goal.
At United, he practised harder than anyone when I played with him, but it was my father, a former professional footballer, who told me one day, ‘When that boy starts to find his range and rhythm, he’s going to be the best around’. My dad was there to watch us train for a week and hung around watching when the rest of the players went to change.
Quite often, it would just be Cristiano and me alone after training, doing extra sessions on those open training fields at Carrington. Even though he wasn’t an established player, his arrival lifted the dressing room because he was so talented — he was another weapon to make United better.
I was asked to translate for Cristiano when he arrived in Manchester from Portugal. Cristiano and the Brazilian, Kleberson, were the new arrivals. Another Brazilian, Ronaldinho, was going to come to Old Trafford too and I would have translated for him, but he went to Barcelona instead. Cristiano learned quickly, as with most things in his life. His arrival was at the right time too, because David Beckham had just left, in his position, to join Real Madrid.
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Cristiano was a nice guy and still is. We’ve always talked when we’ve played each other. That early drive he showed at United took him a long way. He’s one of the best players in the history of football. He can be very important for United against Atletico. I’d advise any young player to look at some of his other attributes: his dedication, his professionalism, his eagerness to improve.
Who were the best strikers you played with?
There were many: Cristiano for one; Ruud van Nistelrooy, Riquelme, Aguero, Suarez, Edinson Cavani, Diego Milito. And I’ve probably forgotten to say some others.
Tell us about Cavani, your countryman…
Unfortunately, he’s not playing as regularly as everybody wants. He’s strong, a good finisher, quick, fine with right and left feet. He’s a very good striker. I’m sure he’s as frustrated as the fans that he’s not been playing so much.
Who are the strikers you like most at the moment?
Mbappe — he’s so quick and strong. Haaland, Lewandowski, Benzema, Kane, Neymar. I watched Benzema against PSG. He’s getting older but he still knows how to play. He’s very complete. He builds play well, he assists. And he can – and does – score.
Peak Cavani or peak Luis Suarez?
I played with both of them, so I’m lucky. They have different qualities and were both great to play with. I remember Luis started with us for Uruguay — he was already aguerrido — a warrior, a soldier who has been through war, a fighter for every ball. From when I first started speaking to him, I could see that he was polite, respectful and keen to learn. I wasn’t a teacher to him, but he respected me because I had more experience. He was always asking me questions and for advice.
Who’d make more of a difference to United now — Rio Ferdinand or Diego Godin?
Rio. Knows the club, the country, the city, the history. Little details make a big difference. Rio was one of the best central defenders in the world. Godin was excellent too. He signed for Atletico Madrid from my former club Villarreal, and I’d kept telling Atletico that they should go for him because he was everything the team needed — he was aggressive and quick with superb anticipation of what the forwards are about to do. He even scored goals, especially at set pieces.
When he moved to Madrid, I invited him for a barbecue. We drove to the supermarket and bought food and drinks. It was a nice day — normal in Madrid. Then I spotted a cloud. And another. By the time we got back from the supermarket it was raining heavily. Godin blamed me, I blamed him. He told me that I was cursed. We ate the food inside.
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We called Godin ‘Wacho’, which means urchin or orphan — even though he is neither. I was supposed to be captain one day for Uruguay because Diego Lugano was injured. I told our manager it was a good idea for Godin to be captain. He agreed.
What are your thoughts on yet another Uruguayan Atletico defender, Jose Gimenez?
Very good player and professional. Nice guy. Good in set pieces, for and against. He’s had a lot of injuries but he’s been much better this season.
Will you watch the game on Tuesday?
Of course. It’s difficult, because I want both to win. I had nice experiences at both clubs so I’m not going to go for either. I felt similar when it was Manchester United against Villarreal.
I’ve only been to Manchester once since I left and that was for a dinner to celebrate Alex Ferguson. I plan to go back there in May to play in a charity game… and I’ll also visit Madrid on my way home to Uruguay.
(Top photo: John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
