Man Utd cult hero Diego Forlan is set to make his professional debut in a whole new sport – Man Utd

Three decades after giving up tennis to focus on his football career, former Manchester United and Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan is preparing for an exciting new chapter.

Forlan followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, father and brother when he decided to become a footballer.

He made his professional debut for Independiente in Argentina in October 1998 before playing for Manchester United, Villarreal, Atlético de Madrid and Inter Milan in his early years.

Forlan ended up scoring 272 goals in 693 appearances during his 21-year career; a very respectable ratio considering how many games he played in La Liga, Serie A, Premier League and international level.

Since stepping away from the sport, Forlan has returned to his roots, competing in numerous tennis tournaments at the ITF Masters Championship, a non-professional tour for players aged 30 and over.

Now, however, he is ready to make his professional tournament debut. Forlan will join Argentina’s Federico Coria, who has reached world number 49, to participate in the Uruguay Open.

The 45-year-old will compete alongside doubles pair Coria after securing a wildcard spot for the ATP Challenger event, which is played on an outdoor clay surface.

An announcement read: “Attention tennis and sports fans! This year at the Uruguay Open we have an UNMISSED duo in doubles: Argentine tennis player Federico Coria (currently number 78 in the ATP ranking) and former Uruguayan soccer player Diego Forlan.

“Yes, our #10 is tearing it up in tennis too! This year, Forlan has competed in more than three +40 tournaments in Montevideo, also excelling at the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour MT1000 in Lima.”

Image credit: Getty

They added: “Fun fact: Forlán is left-handed in tennis, the opposite of how he used to play football, and his right-hand shot is the most powerful. What do you think of this news? Do you have faith in this duo?”

As mentioned above, Forlan grew up playing tennis. In fact, the Uruguayan was a promising youngster at the Carrasco Lawn Tennis Club before he traded his racket for football.

“I like to challenge myself in life,” he said Tennis ITF in June “This is a different sport for me, and I really enjoy the challenge of competing against very good players from different countries.”