United-reject Forlan enjoying life after Old Trafford

Manchester United-reject Diego Forlan scored both goals in Atletico Madrid’s 2-1 win over Fulham to win the inaugural Europa League final and admitted leaving Old Trafford had boosted his career.

The 30-year-old put Atletico ahead in the first-half of Wednesday’s final and then slipped his marker in the 116th-minute of extra time to score his sixth goal of the competition and send the title to Madrid.

This was the second time the Uruguay international has scored in extra-time having hit the crucial goal at Anfield last month which knocked Liverpool out of the semi-finals and took Atletico to the Hamburg final.

He has scored four goals in his last three European games and the twice winner of the European Golden Shoe says he was glad to leave United in 2007 after requesting a transfer from United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

Since leaving Old Trafford, he has won the European Golden Boot award at Villarreal and then again last season at Atletico with 32 goals in 33 matches.

“When I left United I was surrounded by great players, but those great players made it hard for me to play and get in the team,” admitted Forlan who spent two years in Manchester, but failed to establish himself.

“I told Sir Alex that I wanted to leave, now I am playing regular football and I am happy.”

With 18 goals in La Liga to his name and six in Europe, Forlan has an impressive 24-goal haul this season, but says individual achievements mean less than team success.

“I am very happy that my goals helped to improve the team’s performance and get us some success,” said Forlan, who won the man-of-the-match award in the final.

“It is good to have the golden shoe, but it is better to win titles with the team.

“I just hope we can get home safely after the volcano and that Madrid will dress in red and white when we get back.”

And Forlan, whose Uruguay side have drawn South Afria, Mexico and France in Group A at next month’s World Cup, paid tribute to battling Fulham.

“It was a tough match, we knew it was going to be hard and it was,” he said.

“I would have imagined it would have been over after 90 minutes, but they made us suffer a little longer.

“We had a few chances in the first half and we got our first goal, the problem for us was that they equalised and it became very tough.

“They tracked back very well and had a good defence, but we finally overcame them and got the victory.”