• Diego Forlan struggled initially at Manchester United.

• He revitalized his career with Villarreal and Atlético Madrid.

• Forlan won prestigious awards including the Pichichi Trophy, European Golden Shoe, and World Cup Golden Ball.

Diego Forlan is a player that is widely considered to be one of the greatest ever Uruguayan footballers in history. Forlan was a footballer that was technically gifted, creative, fast, and someone who could play anywhere in the attacking third. He was also capable of scoring with either foot. There is a saying that " Failure is the stepping stone to success ", and Diego Forlan's career can be used as a perfect example to prove that. Let us look back at the time when Forlan joined Manchester United, and how he bounced back after an underwhelming stint with the Red Devils.

The move to Old Trafford

Diego Forlan's impressive goal scoring abilities at Argentinian side Independiente caught the attention of several European sides, and it was Manchester United who eventually signed the player for a £6.9 million fee on 22 January 2002. The player didn't make much progress with the club in his first season, as he finished that season goalless despite making 13 Premier League and five UEFA Champions League appearances.

His goal scoring abilities soon came to display, with his first goal for the club coming against Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League which United ended up winning 5-2. He also scored his first Premier League goal with a 77th-minute equalizer in a home 1–1 draw against Aston Villa on 26 October. This was followed by a golden period for the player, as Forlan went on to score several important match-winning goals for the Red Devils. 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.

Final few seasons

The 2003–04 season began on a rough note for Forlan, who went without scoring in the first 7 games. He was, however, able to score in the next 3 matches in 3 different competitions. This was followed by another great goalscoring period for the player, as Forlan went on to score several important goals for United in both the Champions League and Premier League. These were however Forlán's last Premier League goals despite him playing 10 more league games over the season.

The player's form had massively dipped and he only scored again in a 3–0 victory over Northampton Town of Division Three on 24 January 2004 in the FA Cup. Forlan also did not feature at all in United's 3–0 victory over Millwall in the 2004 FA Cup Final on 22 May 2004.

Diego Forlan did not feature much in United 2004–05 season as well, and his last match for United was their first Premier League game that season, a 1–0 defeat away to Chelsea on 15 August.

The aftermath

Diego Forlan's failure at Manchester United was not the end of his career, but rather the beginning of his rise to greatness. The next 7 years of his career saw him show his magnificent goal scoring abilities to the whole world. Forlan joined Villarreal after his failed tenure at United, and later went on to join Atletico Madrid. He ended up winning the Pichichi Trophy and the European Golden Shoe  with both the clubs. Silverware success followed him in both sides as well, as he won the UEFA Intertoto Cup with Villarreal and both the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup. Hig magnificent qualities as a player were displayed in the international stage as well, as he enjoyed brilliant individual success at the 2010 World Cup. Forlan finished as joint top scorer with five goals, scored the goal of the tournament, and even won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. His football career became the perfect example of how failure is the stepping stone to success.