Former World Cup star and Cerezo Osaka forward Diego Forlan announced his retirement from professional football in an interview according to El Observador (and later he confirmed on Twitter).
Forlan has not had a club to play for since he left Hong Kong Premier League side Kitchee in May last year, where he won the league in the 2018 season.
“I knew this moment was going to come someday. I decided to stop playing football professionally,” the Uruguayan star said. Although he recently had some offers, “with the births of Luz and Cesar (their children), I prioritized staying although I had offers to play outside.”
About his after-retirement plan, he said he would “love to try” being a coach. “I did the course and I would love to lead. Obviously you have to see what kind of offer comes,” he said according to El Observador.
Forlan joined Cerezo Osaka in 2014 after playing at such clubs as Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, and Internacional. In his one and a half years at Cerezo Osaka, he played 50 games and scored 19 goals.
Luego de 21 años tomé la decisión de poner fin a mi carrera como futbolista profesional. Se cierra una linda etapa llena de grandes recuerdos y emociones pero comenzará otra de nuevos desafíos.
— Diego Forlán (@DiegoForlan7) August 7, 2019
¡Gracias a todos los que de una u otra manera me acompañaron en este camino! 👋🏼 🔟 pic.twitter.com/gVwX0RQJow