Official: Diego Forlan appointed Uruguay head coach

Weeks after Uruguay's disappointing exit from the 2026 World Cup, former international striker Diego Forlan has been named head coach of La Celeste. The national football federation made the announcement in a brief statement released on Thursday.

Much like France did with Zinedine Zidane, Uruguay has turned to a national "legend" to take charge of its national team. For weeks, Diego Forlan's name had been circulating, and on Thursday, the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) made it official: Diego Forlan, 47, will be at the helm of La Celeste. The former center-forward succeeds Argentine Marcelo Bielsa, who was dismissed after a three-year stint that ended with Uruguay's elimination in the group stage of this summer's World Cup.

Read also: Zinedine Zidane: The French team changes its logo

Forlan will not only lead the senior squad but also take charge of Uruguay's U20 side ahead of the continental tournament scheduled for January 2027.

Diego Forlan, a legendary career

The third-highest scorer in the history of the South American side (36 goals in 112 matches), Diego Forlan enjoys immense popularity in Uruguay—a reputation that soared after the 2010 World Cup, where he was named the tournament's best player and finished as joint top scorer with five goals, alongside Thomas Müller (GER), David Villa (ESP), and Wesley Sneijder (NED). He also lifted the Copa America in 2011, Uruguay's last major title.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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