Diego Martín Forlán Corazo (born 19 May 1979) is a Uruguayan professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of the Uruguay national team and the Uruguay under-20 national team. Nicknamed "Cachavacha", Forlán is regarded as one of the best forwards of his generation, renowned for his tactical intelligence, playmaking abilities, and clinical finishing.
Born into a prominent football family, Forlán started his career in his native Uruguay as a youth player for the Peñarol and Danubio academies, before joining Argentine club Independiente in 1997. After four successful years, he moved to Manchester United in 2001, where he won the Premier League and the FA Cup with the club. In 2004, he joined Villarreal, winning the Pichichi Trophy and European Golden Shoe with 25 goals in his first season. After two more successful seasons with Villarreal, during which he won the UEFA Intertoto Cup and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League in the club's first-ever season in the tournament, Forlán later moved to Atlético Madrid in 2007, winning both awards again in 2009 with 32 goals, becoming the first player to win the Pichichi Trophy twice since Ronaldo in 1997 and 2004. With Atlético, he also won the UEFA Europa League, of which he scored the decisive goal in the final, and the UEFA Super Cup with Atlético Madrid, both in 2010. In 2011, he joined Italian club Inter Milan, before moving to Internacional in Brazil the following year. After several spells in Japan with Cerezo Osaka, back in Uruguay with his boyhood club Peñarol, in India with Mumbai City and in Hong Kong with Kitchee, Forlán officially announced his retirement from professional football in 2019.
Forlán also had a distinguished international career with Uruguay, scoring 36 goals in 112 appearances across three FIFA World Cup (2002, 2010, 2014) and three Copa América (2004, 2007, 2011) tournaments. His most notable achievement came at the 2010 World Cup, where he scored five goals, helped Uruguay reach the semi-finals since 1970, and won several awards of the tournament, including the Golden Ball as the best player. In 2011, he helped Uruguay win the Copa América, its first international title since 1995, scoring twice in the final, and surpassing the national appearance record. At the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, he became the first Uruguayan to earn 100 caps. He remained Uruguay’s all-time top scorer until Luis Suárez surpassed him two years later in 2013.
After retiring as a player, Forlán began his coaching career in Uruguay, managing Peñarol and Atenas in 2020 and 2021. He has also collaborated with FIFA in several ventures, having served as a tournament ambassador for the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, and since 2022, has served as an international ambassador for the FIFA Museum. Since July 2023, Forlán has continued his tennis career, competing in the ITF Masters tour, ranking in the 35+, 40+, and 45+ age categories, and played his first ATP event at the 2024 Uruguay Open in doubles with Federico Coria. In 2026, Forlán was appointed as the head coach of Uruguay for both their senior and under-20 teams after the dismissal of Marcelo Bielsa.
Family Forlán is of Basque, Irish, and Italian descent. Because of his Basque ancestry through his grandmother, who was originally from Gipuzkoa and immigrated to Uruguay when she was a teenager, he was linked to Athletic Bilbao after his departure from Manchester United, even though the club only permits Basque players.
Born to a family of professional footballers, Forlán is the son of Pablo Forlán (who played during several prolific years for Peñarol and São Paulo and represented the Uruguay national team at the 1966 and 1974 FIFA World Cups) and, through his mother, Pilar Corazzo, is the grandson of Juan Carlos Corazzo, known for his tenure with Independiente in Argentina. Forlán is also the nephew of Richard Forlán and is distantly related (on his mother's side) to Cristopher Fiermarin.
Early life Forlán was born on 19 May 1979 and raised in the neighborhood of Carrasco in the capital city of Montevideo. His family, which included three brothers, a sister, four cousins, his maternal grandmother and her sister, resided in an apartment building on Potosi street, a short distance from the Hotel Carrasco and the Rambla.
Forlán attended multiple schools in the private and state sector during his youth. He started at the Liceo Francés Jules Supervielle in Buceo, but later transferred to the Erwy School because it was closer to his home. This was followed by the Scuola Italiana di Montevideo and then Liceo 15 in Carrasco. He learned English at school from a young age. As a child, Forlán played tennis at the Carrasco Lawn Tennis Club, in addition to football, which often took place on the streets.
On 14 September 1991, Forlán's sister Alejandra was seriously injured and eventually left handicapped by a car accident that also killed her boyfriend. The cost of the medical bills plunged his family into financial crisis, though this was later averted due to the fundraising efforts of Diego Maradona. Until this point Forlán was also dedicated to tennis, but ultimately focused more on football, like his father and grandfather, in the hope that he might contribute to paying for his sister's treatment.
Club career Early career
Peñarol/Danubio Forlán was a boyhood fan of Peñarol and played for the youth academies for Peñarol and Danubio. In 1995, at 16 years old, Forlán moved to France where he spent four months on trial at Nancy Lorraine, but was ultimately not offered a contract by then-manager László Bölöni.
Professional career
Independiente Forlán received an offer to join Argentine side Independiente through the help of one of his father's contacts, José Omar Pastoriza. He soon accepted, rejecting a simultaneous offer from Boca Juniors. Arriving in Argentina on 28 January 1998, Forlán made his way up the Independiente reserve teams and thanks to strong performances, started training with the first team. Injuries to several forward players who were ahead of him in the pecking order created an opportunity for the young Uruguayan, who made his professional debut on 26 October 1998 in a match against Argentinos Juniors.
Forlán scored 37 goals in 80 league games. His goalscoring attracted the attention of European sides, and in January 2002, Independiente agreed a £6.9 million deal with Middlesbrough of the Premier League; the transfer fee would be paid over 18 installments. Forlán 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 Forlán. On arriving in England, he negotiated with United officials for four hours, then informed the press of his decision. "Manchester United is a big club, so I've decided to go there," he explained. "The thing is, they offered more money than Middlesbrough." He signed for United soon after.
Manchester United Forlán was signed for Manchester United by Sir Alex Ferguson for £6.9 million on 22 January 2002. He made his debut on 29 January as a 76th-minute substitute for Ole Gunnar Solskjær in a 4–0 away win at Bolton Wanderers. He made his first start in 4–0 home victory over Tottenham Hotspur on 6 March. Forlán made 13 Premier League and five UEFA Champions League appearances in the 2001–02 season but did not score.
On 18 September 2002, Forlán came on as a 56th-minute substitute for Ryan Giggs in a Champions League match versus Maccabi Haifa. He scored his first United goal as an 89th-minute penalty kick in the 5–2 win. His first Premier League goal was a 77th-minute equaliser in a home 1–1 draw against Aston Villa on 26 October. In Forlán's next Premier League game, at home to Southampton on 2 November, he came on as a 79th-minute substitute for United's goalscorer Phil Neville with the score at 1–1, and scored the winner with a dipping shot over Southampton goalkeeper Antti Niemi in the 85th minute. The goal also became notable due to his goal celebration where he ripped off his jersey, but then struggled to put it back on as the game recommenced, with Forlán making a blocked tackle while shirtless.
On 1 December, Forlán scored his first brace for Manchester United with goals in the 64th and 67th minute of an away 2–1 Premier League win at rivals Liverpool. On 17 December 2002, Forlán scored the winning goal as United defeated Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the Football League Cup. On 18 January 2003, Forlán scored a 90th-minute winning goal to again defeat Chelsea, this time in a Premier League match. Manchester United went on to win the Premier League title in 2002–03, and Forlán scored six goals to make him the club's third best-scoring striker that season after Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjær.
At the start of the 2003–04 season, Forlán played seven Premier League games without scoring. This run was broken on 25 October, when he equalised the score to 1–1 in the 45th minute of a home match versus Fulham, a game which United lost 3–1. Forlán then scored a goal in his three subsequent matches in three different competitions, starting with an extra-time goal in an away League Cup game at Leeds United which Manchester United won 3–2. This was followed by the opener in a 3–0 home Premier League victory over Portsmouth and a sixth-minute goal in a win by the same score over Rangers in the Champions League. In his next Champions League game, he scored the 85th-minute winner for United over Panathinaikos in a 1–0 away victory. On 6 December 2003, Forlán scored two injury-time goals as Manchester United beat Aston Villa 4–0 at home in the Premier League. These were Forlán's last Premier League goals despite him playing 10 more league games over the season. His only other Manchester United goal was in a 3–0 victory over Northampton Town of Division Three on 24 January 2004 in the FA Cup. Forlán did not feature in United's 3–0 victory over Millwall in the 2004 FA Cup Final on 22 May 2004.
He started the 2004–05 season with Manchester United and played in a Champions League qualifier against Dinamo București and a 3–1 defeat to Arsenal on 8 August in the 2004 FA Community Shield. His last match for United was their first Premier League game that season, a 1–0 defeat away to Chelsea on 15 August.
United supporters would continue to sing Forlán's name in tribute to the two goals he scored against Liverpool for several years after Forlán's departure from the club, with the chant "He came from Uruguay, he made the scousers cry". Forlán spoke of this fondly in 2010.
Villarreal Forlán was strongly linked with a move to Spanish clubs Levante and Athletic Bilbao, but on 21 August 2004, he signed with Villarreal. Forlán's debut for Villarreal was on 30 August 2004, starting away to rivals Valencia and scoring his club's goal in the 77th minute of a 2–1 defeat. His next goal came in a home 2–0 win over Real Zaragoza on 3 October, and was followed with an equaliser in a 1–1 draw at Mallorca and the final goal of a 4–0 win at home to Numancia. Between 12 December 2004 and 16 January 2005, Forlán scored seven goals in five Primera División matches, including a brace in a 3–0 home victory over Barcelona on 9 January. On 22 May 2005, he scored his first hat-trick for a European club with all of Villarreal's goals in a 3–3 away draw against eventual league champions Barcelona. A week later, he scored two in a 4–1 victory over local rivals Levante as Villarreal ended the season in third, qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in the club's history. Forlán won the 2004–05 Pichichi Trophy for most goals in La Liga, with 25. He also shared the 2005 European Golden Boot with Arsenal striker Thierry Henry.