DIEGO FORLAN: A reward for Uruguayan football

Diego Forlan has been named Best Player at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Uruguay striker DIEGO FORLAN has won the FIFA Golden Ball award for the top player of the 2010 World Cup after inspiring his country to its best heroic performance in South African soil.

Forlan polled 23.4 percent of votes cast by journalists covering the World Cup, to finish ahead of Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder (21.8 percent) and Spain striker David Villa (16.9%).


FIFA.com: Diego, how does it feel to have won the Golden Ball?
Diego Forlan: It’s as great as it is unexpected. I never even imagined something like this, nor did I have my sights set on it. As I’m a striker, I perhaps could have seen myself chasing the Golden Shoe, and in fact I came close. That would have been more normal. But to go from that to winning the prize for the best player... I’m enjoying it and I’m delighted, but I’m very aware that it’s the result of the spectacular tournament the team has had. It’s another reward for this positive period for Uruguayan football.


How did you find out you’d won?
To be honest, after I was nominated I decided to wait and see what happened, especially as there were rumours that I might win but nobody was revealing anything. Then I got a message from a friend in Buenos Aires which said 'Congratulations, you’ve won the Golden Ball’. Then my agent called me and confirmed it. I started getting more calls and suddenly all my squad-mates had charged into my room, and before I knew it they’d chucked me into the hotel swimming pool!

And yet you’re dedicating it to the people who did that to you...
It was incredible how they all came to my room to congratulate me. The fact that my team-mates and a lot of people back home in Uruguay pinned their hopes on me, and I was able to repay that faith out on the pitch while being just another member of the team, makes me feel very happy. I’d also like to highlight those lads who didn’t play much or didn’t feature at all. Those guys make up the backbone of the squad and this award is for them too.