I proved the critics wrong by beating Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to the top prize after “flopping” alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
Manchester United may be the pinnacle of a player's career, but Diego Forlán showed that the Red Devils were just a stepping stone to greatness.
He 45 years He spent two and a half years at Old Trafford, from January 2002 to August 2004, winning the Premier League and the FA Cup.
Remembered for his quick double in Liverpool and his many celebrations in which he took off his shirtForlán is loved by United faithful.
Although the Uruguayan, who recently made his debut in professional tennisHe was not without criticism during his career at Old Trafford.
Introduced to offer competition to Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, it took Forlán nine months to score his first Premier League goal.
While fans often praised his attitude and fighting spirit, Forlán was often singled out for his lack of goals, with the player scoring 17 times in his 98 appearances in all competitions.
Speaking on talkSPORT Drive about his enemies, he said: “When I came to United, they were at the time like Real Madrid with all the great players.
“It was difficult to get into the first team and I remember that at the beginning I was on the bench for ten, five minutes per game, which makes it difficult for you to adapt.
“I came from a different league, the Argentine league that is inferior to the Premier League, and when you don't have the rhythm of consecutive games, being on the bench and getting those ten minutes in each game is more difficult.” .
“I remember everyone was joking and the English press is very strong, and for six months I didn't score a goal.
“But if you look at all the minutes I played and all the goals I scored, my average was what I had throughout my entire career, which was one goal every three games.”
Forlán, who played alongside christian ronaldo in the 2003/04 season, then revealed Van Nistelrooy's request for Sir Alex Ferguson He saw him fall to the bench, which sparked his desire to seal an exit.
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He commented: “I remember I had good pace, I scored against Chelsea and Liverpool.
“I think in 11 games I scored around seven or eight goals. I was playing alongside Ruud at the time and the coach came up to me and said, 'Okay, Ruud wants to play alone,' and it was Ruud, he was great. player, a great scorer, so I went to the bench.
“I had to wait for my moment and then I saw that there was a moment when I wanted to play more.
“I knew it was a great club with great players, I still received a contract (offer) of two and a half more years, but I wanted to prove my worth.”
While Forlán never managed to score more than six top-flight goals in a season in England, he became one of the most lethal finishers in the world after his move to Villarreal two decades ago.
In his first season in Spain, he finished as LaLiga's top scorer with 25 goals, surpassing Barcelona star Samuel Eto'o and Real Madrid hero Ronaldo in the Pichichi Trophy.
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His scoring exploits allowed him to share the European Golden Boot with Arsenal legend Thierry Henry.
Four years later, Forlán would win the individual honor outright, having scored 32 league goals in the colors of Atlético de Madrid.
Henrythen at Barça, he could only score 19 goals in LaLiga during the 2008/09 campaign, while Forlán also left Eto'o (30), David Villa (28) and Lionel Messi (23) in its dust.
Forlán was just as lethal on the international stage, with his heroics at the 2010 World Cup leading Uruguay to the quarterfinals, where he won the tournament's Ballon d'Or and top scorer award with five goals.
And just a year later, he sealed his place in Uruguay's history by helping his team win its first Copa América in 16 years, while also playing a role in the elimination of Messi's Argentina in the quarterfinals.
Forlán was proof that not only is there life after United for footballers, but they can also become great successes.
