With a show full of goals, music and fireworks, the Uruguayan Diego Forlán concluded his career as a professional footballer on Saturday surrounded by former teammates and friends.
Two times of 35 minutes each, allowed the public to enjoy the quality of several soccer players and former soccer players such as the Argentines Javier ‘Pupi’ Zanetti, Juan Román Riquelme, Juan Sebastián Verón and the Uruguayans Luis Suárez and Sebastián ‘Loco’ Abreu.
Before the match, the noise and color of the pyrotechnics accompanied the entry to the field of the protagonists, who defended the teams of Uruguay and Friends of Diego.
With the guests in the field, a smoke show marked the entry of Forlán, who wore the number 10 shirt of the light blue.
The start of the game was favorable to the Uruguayan team, directed by Oscar Washington Tabárez, who quickly approached the goal defended by Fabián Carini.
Just three minutes after the start, Suarez entered the area and gave the ball to the honoree who, incredibly, failed the goal with the empty goal to the astonishment of the rostrum.
However, the fans soon shouted the first goal of Forlán, who after converting was maintained by his teammates.
This one, one of Abreu and two of Nicolás Lodeiro made the difference for the sky that went to the break winning 4-1 to the Friends of Forlan, who reached the goal thanks to the Argentine Maximiliano Rodríguez, companion of ‘Cachavacha’ during his stage at Atlético de Madrid.
In the halftime of the game, the players did not leave the field of play and there they could listen to the music of the Uruguayan group No Te Gustar, which made the centenary stands vibrate with their song “Sky of a single color”.
In the second part, Forlán left the sky and went on to play with his friends, a team joined by Juan Román Riquelme, who had seen the first part from the substitute bank.
The former Boca Juniors player, who could not wear his dorsal classic, 10, and chose 7 was one of the most acclaimed by the rostrum.
With Diego and Román together recalling their best times in the Spanish Villarreal, the team that wore white traced and reached equality thanks to the goals of Forlán, Diego Milito and Esteban ‘Cuchu’ Cambiasso.
Although the goals could have been more, these players had a huge complication, which was to meet Luis Suarez who put on the goalkeeper gloves and showed that in that position he has a quality similar to that shown in the opposite area.
Flying from stick to stick, picking up centers and taking powerful shots, the Barcelona striker gave a separate show and won all the applause of the people.
With a 6-6 draw in the scoreboard, the referee marked the end of the match and started the last part of the show.
There, a great pyrotechnic show that illuminated the sky of Montevideo and a video with goals scored by Forlán in the selection, reproduced by the giant screen of the stadium, fired 10, who before leaving thanked the speakers for the presence of the people and of the players who accompanied him in his tribute.
Now, the former player of Atlético de Madrid will begin a new stage as coach of Peñarol, a club he confesses to.
With that he will leave behind a huge race in which he enjoyed teams such as the Independiente of Argentina, the English Manchester United and the Inter Milan of Italy, and in which he obtained the Golden Ball in South Africa 2010, the Pichichi trophy, the Boot de Oro and the Efe Trophy for the best Latin American player in La Liga.
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