Who would ever have thought that it was a tragic car accident that inspired Uruguayan superstar Diego Forlan to pursue soccer instead of tennis? He practiced both sports, but when his sister was severely injured in a car accident which killed her boyfriend, Diego Maradona helped raise money for her treatment and encouraged the young Forlan to play.
Forlan now uses much of his money and celebrity to raise awareness about dangerous driving through his foundation named after his sister, Alejandra.
Both DiegoÃs dad and grandfather were professional soccer players, so he had it in his blood to play. After much success at the Argentine club Independiente, he was signed to Manchester United, but never lived up to his play that he showed in Argentina. He now plays for Villareal.
He played for his country in 2006, but the 2010 World Cup was when Forlan took the opportunity to shine on the world stage. Scoring five amazing goals throughout the tournament, including one in the quarterfinals and one in the third place game, he was given the Golden Ball as the best player of the World Cup.
He has a graceful, yet explosive style of play, is lethal on set pieces and always seems to be in the right place at the right time for headers. He keeps his wits about him in stressful situations, as he showed the world in this last World Cup when he made all of Uruguay proud.
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