Top 60 Diego Forlan Quotes

It’s not easy for a coach to deal with a player who is in slow decline.

I try to see the positive side of things.

There are no logical answers in football. That’s just the way it goes.

I am not saying that I am at the same level as Messi or Ronaldo. They are the best two players in the world, but I am very proud that I managed to finish above them in the goalscoring charts, especially as I was playing for Atletico Madrid, not Barcelona or Real Madrid.

As a player, if a club is desperate to sign you, then you can benefit from that. Desperate clubs are prepared to pay more money; they are prepared to act decisively and play you.

There are games when you do well, and others that go differently.

Uruguay is a small country but with a lot of football history. We’ve won so many things, and so the people are always expecting us to do good things.

Luis Suarez is one of the best players in the national team – and in the world, in fact.

You never know for sure whether a player will adapt to a new country until he gets there.

To score is always special; to score in the Bernabeu for Atletico is incredible.

I will never play in England again, but I still actually look back with fond memories at some moments.

I’m happy to play as a centre forward or a second striker, like in the national team with Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.

Ronaldo can score every type of goal. He can use both feet, his head, take free kicks, finish from close range or outside the box. He has everything.

My best years were 2010 and 2011, and the 2010 World Cup was the most incredible experience. Our tiny nation reached the semi-finals, I finished joint-top scorer in South Africa, and my goal against Germany was voted the best of the tournament. I was also named the best player of that World Cup.

I’m friendly – I’ve never changed – but some people can be intimidated to approach you, especially younger footballers.

Argentina produces great footballers, but Uruguay does the same.

Systems, coaches, and directors or club presidents do not win games – players do, they are the only people who can make a significant difference once that game starts.

We’re a small country, and if you look at it that way, then we’re at a disadvantage, though I know that most of the players who know or have come up against Uruguayans prefer to avoid us.

I’d be happy to play in Sao Paulo. It would be a dream; that would be very exciting.

At Inter Milan, I agreed to play on the wing and didn’t like it.

People seem to love or hate Mourinho, but players tend to love him.

Players should get the best deals for themselves whenever they can. Football is a relatively short career.

I feel I have nothing to prove at all, my scoring rate in La Liga speaks for itself.

I found it difficult when I first started to travel around the world as a footballer. Hotels go from places you are excited to stay in to places you get tired of pretty quickly.

Football doesn’t do sentiment well; it’s a cruel profession.

The best strikers make you sit up and take notice because every time they get the ball, you think that something amazing could happen. Of course they’ll score goals, but they’ll have something in their game which makes you think, ‘Wow, he can win this game by doing something magical.’

Cristiano Ronaldo joined United a year after me. He was ultra-confident, with the talent to back it up. He was dedicated, too, and practised as hard as anyone after training. You could tell that he wanted to be a great player, the greatest.

It was a privilege to enjoy the national team and be part of a group that gave so much to our country, wear the shirt with great people.

Big clubs with one rich owner have been one of the main changes in football since I started playing.

Even as a kid, I’d kick a tennis ball against a wall with both feet for hours. That was one way to become two-footed.

I love the Copa America. It showcases all the classic rivalries of South America, all those neighbours, up against each other.

My compatriot Diego Godin is one of the best defenders in the world, good enough to play for any team in any league.

I went to Japan to experience a new culture, and I would recommend that any footballer does that. But the main reason I went was to play football.

All of the usual formations have advantages and disadvantages, but none would work without the magic of the players.

There are many great players to have won the adidas Golden Ball Award, and it is a great privilege to receive this award and be part of this select group of players.

If nerves undo you, then you’re unlikely to make it as a top footballer.

I wake up at 7 A.M. each morning and work out with a personal trainer.

Although I will not always play well, I always give everything on the pitch.

As soon as Jose Mourinho was given the job, I knew that he was the right man for Manchester United.

I like every game to matter, to feel like we must win.

It is only natural that the years pass, and after consecutive matches, you feel more and more tired, but it is normal.

The Italian Fabio Cannavaro, who was with Real Madrid when I played against him several times, was the best player in the world in 2006. He wasn’t tall, but very quick and strong. He always knew his opponents well, as if he’d researched them.

2010 was a magical year and was unforgettable.

Atletico players have always been characterised by this kind of player in attack like Fernando Torres, Sergio Aguero, Diego Costa, and Radamel Falcao.

People have high expectations of me, and I want to fulfil them.

Some players don’t like to speak to the media or prefer to talk on live television so people can hear for themselves what is said, in real time.

Two English defenders were among the finest I played against: John Terry and Rio Ferdinand.

I try to do my best both on and off the pitch, giving a good image in my behaviour.

I am very happy here at Atletico, and I want to bring the same kind of joy to all the fans.

When Atletico wanted to sell me, I was told that I earned too much money and they wanted me off the wage bill. I liked that honesty.

Winning the Europa League with Atletico Madrid and then reaching a semi-final of the World Cup is great.

I played 112 times for Uruguay and experienced some of the greatest moments in my life representing my country.

There were no Manchester United fans protesting when I left their club in 2005. I wasn’t one of their most important players, so I moved on, worked really hard, got my breaks, and my career took off.

We are just lucky to be able to watch Ronaldo and Messi at their best.

In the World Cup finals, you’re unlikely to meet a continental rival. In Copa America, you know they are just around the corner and that you will have to beat them to win the competition.

Every player loves to score goals, but hat-tricks should be savoured, as they don’t happen very often.

I have huge respect for Porto, a great club that’s always in the hunt for titles, but they aren’t Real Madrid, one of the biggest clubs in the world.

During my career, I’ve have a lot of satisfaction, but I miss the Champions League. I’d like to win it with Inter.

I have never been at a club where the players talked so much about a previous manager as they did about Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan.

Strikers love to play with other strikers, as I did with Sergio Aguero, Luis Suarez, and Edinson Cavani. You can make the most of your individual talents for the good of the team. If you can strike up a good partnership with another player, it’s like striking gold.