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No Debut Goal Better Encapsulated A Player Than Diego Forlan’s First In Japan

Uruguayan forward Diego Forlan rose to prominence when he joined Manchester United as a 21-year-old in 2002. He never made the mark at Old Trafford, but he found immediate success after transferring to Villarreal and then Atletico Madrid for $25 million.

It was while on the books at Atletico that Forlan cemented his reputation as one of the world’s finest attacking talents at the 2010 World Cup. His performances for Uruguay saw him awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player, and he was joint top scorer with five goals, including three from outside the penalty area.

After a few years of diminishing returns at club level, Forlan took his talents to Japan by joining Cerezo Osaka in the J1 League. His deadly accuracy from outside the box was on full display with this goal, his first-ever for the club, against Okayama.

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