Looking back at when Diego Forlan visited India for the first time

The Uruguayan striker won the Golden Ball in FIFA World Cup 2010

Diego Forlan is widely revered as one of the best players in Uruguayan football history. He really rose to prominence in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, guiding his national team all the way to the semi-finals.

Diego Forlan also won the Golden Boot award by finishing as the joint-top scorer with five goals, including the Goal of the Tournament. He also won the Golden Ball award for excelling in the competition. Diego Forlan also achieved success with Atletico Madrid in his career and played for the likes of Manchester United and Inter Milan.

Right after his success at the World Cup, Forlan also decided to make a trip to India. He arrived in Kolkata on July 30, 2010, and attracted thousands of fans, mostly gained from his heroics at the World Cup in South Africa earlier that summer.

Diego Forlan was brought by the organizers of a Kolkata-based reality show for a three-day visit. He spent the second day travelling around the city and even held an interaction with the local media, professing his love for the country and the football-loving Kolkata crowd.

The Uruguayan was the chief guest for a match held between Mohun Bagan and Challenge XI at the Salt Lake Stadium on August 2. He was there on behalf of the Challenger XI side, which was trained by Brazilian World Cup winner Branco.

Diego Forlan kicked off the match in front of a 40,000-strong crowd, with Mohun Bagan winning the game 2-0. He thrilled the crowd by displaying his heroics on the ball and left the city with a lot of memories.

He clearly loved what he saw from the football-loving people in India because that wouldn’t be his final association with Indian Football. Forlan was brought back to the country towards the end of his playing career by Indian Super League (ISL) heavyweights Mumbai City FC in 2016.

Forlan spent the 2016–17 ISL season with the Islanders as their ‘marquee’ player. He impressed for them, scoring five goals in 12 appearances, including a hat trick in a 5-0 win over the Kerala Blasters. His ISL career would end with an unfortunate red card in the second leg of the ISL semi-finals against ATK.

The 44-year-old retired in 2019, but his football career ended with some visceral memories from his time in India.