Diego Forlan returns to the Uruguay national team, but this time from the training bench, after taking over the leadership of the under-20 national team and the senior national team, so that he has the opportunity to complete the legacy left by the legendary coach Oscar Tabárez, who created one of the most successful periods in the history of the modern “Celeste”, and established during his years of work values that went beyond the limits of results and championships.
Tabárez led Uruguay to fourth place in the 2010 World Cup, then to the 2011 Copa America title, but his most prominent legacy was in building a cohesive system around the team, which turned the players into one family and established in them a sense of belonging to the national jersey.
Years after the end of the Tabarez era, the stars of that generation began to move to new stages in their careers, and Diego Forlan stands out as the first of them to get the opportunity to lead the first team, and to achieve a dream that has been haunting him since his retirement.
Forlan, 47 years old, was one of the most prominent stars of a generation that included names such as Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, Diego Godin and Diego Lugano, and he combined exceptional individual talent with a strong connection to the Uruguayan national team.
Forlan coached the U-20 team, which seeks to qualify for the Youth World Cup in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan in 2027, in addition to leading the senior team until at least next March, the date of the Uruguayan Football Association elections.
Back to the starting point
Forlan's return to the national team carries special memories, after he was one of Uruguay's most prominent stars in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, when he scored five goals and was crowned the best player in the tournament.
Therefore, he did not hide his emotion when he returned to the national team’s training complex in Montevideo, the same place he entered for the first time in 1999 to join the national team.
The official website of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) quoted Forlan as saying: “When you have the opportunity to represent your country, you feel goosebumps. “My return to the training complex, where I arrived in 1999 to join the national team for the first time, was a very touching moment.”
Uruguayan Federation officials hope that Forlan will transfer to training the football intelligence that distinguished his career as a player and helped him transform into one of the most prominent strikers of his generation.
Aside from his numbers, which made him the third-highest scorer in the history of the Uruguay national team, Forlan possessed technical abilities and a distinctive scoring sense, in addition to a deep reading of the game.
Walter Gargano, his former teammate in the national team, described Forlan as “very intelligent,” noting that he was always one step ahead of the course of the game, and had the ability to see spaces and details that others did not see and reach ideal positions on the field.
The first heirs of Jill Tabárez
Forlan is the first member of the Tabárez generation to get the opportunity to lead the first team, after Uruguay's exit from the group stage in the 2022 World Cup under the leadership of Diego Alonso, before the scenario was repeated with coach Marcelo Bielsa's team in the last World Cup.
Forlan said about his relationship with members of the former coaching staff: “Everyone who worked with him is still in contact with me and they are happy.” As for the maestro, I am sure we will meet.
Tabarez's influence was not limited to the technical aspects, as during his leadership of the national team he built a system based on clear principles based on explanation, training and evaluation, in addition to behavioral rules applied to everyone, from age group players to the most prominent stars of the first team.
The players had to greet media workers, thank restaurant workers and appreciate their work. The use of mobile phones while eating was prohibited, and players were asked to carry their plates to the kitchen after finishing their meals.
These details formed part of a broader project aimed at building an institutional culture and identity for the team that goes beyond what happens on the field.
A mentality that only knows competition
Forlan, in turn, has a competitive mentality that accompanied him even after his retirement from football. About five years after ending his career, at the age of 45, he turned to tennis, and participated in the Uruguay Open in 2024 alongside Argentine Federico Correa in doubles competitions.
He also participated in five tournaments on the International Tennis Federation tour for the over-45 category, and reached the final of one of the tournaments in Paraguay.
Forlan summarizes this mentality by saying: “I like to win, whatever sport I play, even if it is a friendly match.”
Now, the former striker, who was known by the nickname “Kashavasha”, is going through one of his most difficult experiences, after taking over a team seeking to regain its position after a series of disappointing results.
Between Tabarez's legacy, the memories of the 2010 generation, and Diego Forlan's mentality that only knows competition, "The Celeste" begins a new chapter with the hope that one of the most prominent stars of his golden era will succeed in returning Uruguay to the top.
