When he was 12, his sister was paralyzed…
Diego Forlan learned early on the struggles people face in life. In 1991, his sister Alejandra, five years his senior, was left paralyzed following a car accident, one that killed her boyfriend. After what happened to Alejandra, Forlan decided which way his life was going to go. As reported on Yahoo, Forlan’s sister was quoted as saying, “The first thing he told me when I was lying in the hospital was that he would be a famous football player and make money to get me the best doctors in the world.”
… so a legendary soccer player stepped in…
The family was faced with medical bills in the hundreds of thousands, but fortunately, father Pablo had an incredibly generous friend. That friend was none other than soccer legend Diego Maradona, who helped with fundraising efforts, not only donating money but also giving much-needed publicity. Later, as Forlan began to make waves in South America as a soccer player, Maradona stepped in again, this time using his contacts in the soccer world to let people know about Forlan’s potential. And as the Yahoo article reported, mere months later, well-known squad Manchester United came calling, “ending the family’s financial difficulties once and for all.” With their financial situation much improved, Alejandra and the family have turned to helping others, courtesy of a foundation that started in 2009. Its mission is two-fold — reducing the number of traffic accidents in Uruguay and helping people with disabilities.
… and he’s now the face of Uruguay soccer.
Forlan has taken full advantage of the kindness shown him by Maradona, as he’s now known as one of the better forwards in the world, playing during the year for Atletico Madrid. He’s become even better known over the past few weeks with his star-making performance for Uruguay’s national team, scoring four goals in the World Cup and leading the team to an appearance in the semifinals, as the most unlikely of the four squads there. And even though the team fell painfully short against the Netherlands, that disappointment is at least tempered by how Forlan’s sister feels about him. Per her quote in the Yahoo article, “It gives me such joy to see him perform,” later adding, “When he runs, he is doing it for me too.”
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Photo by Gustavo Bravo via Flickr.