Uruguayan football star and World Cup Golden Ball winner Diego Forlan took Kolkata by storm during his recent visit to the city.
Uruguayan football star and World Cup Golden Ball winner Diego Forlan took Kolkata by storm during his recent visit to the city. Excerpts from an interview with the striker.
Did you curse God after missing that goal in the 3rd place play-off against Germany?
Absolutely not. Never for a single moment did I blame God. I blamed myself. The moment I had hit the ball I knew it would either sail over the crossbar or hit it. The fault was mine.
Did you realise when you kicked the ball that it might hit the crossbar?
Of course. You can make out. I told myself next time under such extreme pressure you hit a shot like that, you have to be absolutely accurate. You have to hit it slightly low.
In the semifinal, Uruguay seemed to have an upper hand against the Netherlands.
It was quite hard. I watched the final sitting in South Africa. The final possibly made me realise how close we were from the Cup.
You seemed comfortable with the Jabulani ball and scored many goals from outside the box.
(Shrugs) No, if you practice properly, if you really focus on your shooting, that’s not a problem.
Your girlfriend is quite popular in India. Many people were hoping she would make the trip with you.
Yeah, initially she was supposed to come. But in the last minute, she decided not to. I shall definitely bring her next time.
Did you know that India is a football playing nation?
Yes I knew. But I was told more about the cricketing interest of the Indian fans.
It’s quite surprising that a Latin American knows cricket.
I saw a few matches while I was playing for Man United.
Is Diego Maradona close to your family? There were reports that he played in a match to raise funds for your sister.
Yes, I respect Maradona a lot. If I recall correctly, it was in 1997 that he had come down to Uruguay to play a fundraising match. My father, a former national footballer had requested him to come.
Did you at any stage think about winning the golden ball, especially when your team was not rated as a strong contender for the Cup?
I knew around the semifinals that I was in consideration. At least that’s what I had thought. But then both (David) Villa and (Weseley) Sneijder had one extra game at their disposal. That was the final. So, I was not very sure.
You played under the great Alex Ferguson. How would you rate him?
Ferguson is very good. He likes me a lot.
That’s a surprise. As it is commonly believed he was behind your ouster from the team.
Forget who says what. I am telling you there is very good chemistry between us. We were in touch even during the WC.
How?
He used to text me. One was during the championship. Then even after the tournament got over, we again exchanged SMSes.
What does that mean? A fresh outing with Man Utd?
See, I have three more years to go with Atletico Madrid. And then you can never predict. As of now, my future lies in Spain.
The 2014 World Cup is in Brazil. Your thoughts…
The South American half, where we come from, is pretty tough. Let us first qualify. Then we will see.
(By arrangement with Ananda Bazar Patrika)
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