The announcement of Uruguayan legend Diego Forlan as Mumbai City FC’s marquee player for Hero Indian Super League 2016 has captured the imagination of Mumbaikars as well as fans across the nation. The supremely gifted former Manchester United, Atlético Madrid and Inter Milan marksman will be looking to add the coveted Hero ISL trophy to his already well-embellished trophy cabinet.The well-travelled striker has already had a taste of football in Asia during his time with Japanese J2 League side Cerezo Osaka and will be looking to transform Mumbai City FC into a force this year after underwhelming campaigns over the past two seasons. Forlan spoke to indiansuperleague.com recently and expressed his excitement at the prospect of being a part of India’s grandest football extravaganza.“I’m really excited to come to India and play in the Indian Super league. I had watched some games from the seasons before and I saw that the atmosphere was excellent, so I’m looking forward to go,” Forlan said.The new season of the Hero ISL will be Forlan’s second visit to India and he wants to explore the country more than he did the last time around. “I’ve been in India once in 2010, I stayed in Kolkata. I didn’t see too much so I will look to see more now that I’m going to stay for longer,” he said.Forlan was last seen in action for his boyhood club Peñarol in Uruguay earlier this year as he helped them to the Uruguayan Primera División title by scoring eight times in 31 appearances. However, the veteran striker has kept in shape during his time away from the game and hopes that he can help Mumbai to a maiden semis berth this year.“I’m in good shape that’s why I feel I can continue playing. I’ve been training for almost two months with my personal trainer. I hope to qualify for the semis, I know that they didn’t qualify in the first two seasons so that would be great for us, but it’s not going to be easy,” he said.A two-time Pichichi and European Golden Shoe winner as well as the Golden Ball winner at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Forlan stressed the importance of keeping things simple when pressed for his thoughts on the art of goal-scoring. “The only thing I can tell you is that I love playing this sport and scoring, I love it more. The art of doing it? I just keep training and training,” he said.With the unique format of the Hero ISL being unlike anything he has experienced before, Forlan acknowledged the challenge that lies ahead of him over the next two months and stressed the necessity to adapt physically.“It’s going to be something new to me but I’m looking forward to it, I saw the fixture and you play two games per week for over two months, in a country which is big. Maybe there are going to be many games in a short period of time but as a footballer it’s great to play as many games as you can, every player likes to play and here you can do it. I will see how I can adapt,” he said.When asked about his ambitions for the season both personally and as a team, he said: “I hope we can qualify for the first time to the semis. And for myself, I’d love to help the team to achieve this goal with assists and goals.”Lastly, Forlan, who is a cult hero for Premier League giants Manchester United with whom he won the Premier League, FA Cup and Community Shield, also commented on his former club’s world record signing Paul Pogba when asked for his thoughts.“It’s a really good acquisition, I hope he can do well and put United on the spot that the club deserve,” he said.
