Forlan & Muller: The Gods Of Africa

By Dominic Vieira, writing from Portugal

Spain may have grabbed most of the headlines at South Africa this summer as they rightfully won the World Cup, but two stars who constantly shone and played at an exceptionally high level were Diego Forlan and Thomas Muller. The Uruguyuan striker was elected as the best player of the tournament by a panel of journalists. The latter won both the Golden Boot and Best Young Player awards.

Ten players were nominated to win the Golden Ball; Villa, Xavi, Iniesta, Robben, Sneijder, Oezil, Schweinsteiger, Gyan, Messi and Forlan. The competition was fierce, however, Forlan fully deserved it. He was the key driving force for Uruguay, leading the team many times as the captain Lugano was injured. He scored crucial (and beautiful) goals as well as took part in creating goals. This was Diego Forlan’s World Cup, and despite not reaching the final, he was the pioneer of the team’s best WC performance in the past 40 years.

The striker dedicated the award to Uruguayan football, a small nation, but one with a die-hard passion for football. The 31-year-old may not play at another World Cup, but he certainly left his mark in South Africa. I wonder if Sir Alex is regretting selling him at the moment?