Man Utd cult hero Diego Forlan set to make professional debut in completely new sport

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

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

He would make his professional debut at Argentine side Independiente in October 1998 before going on to play for Manchester United, Villarreal, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan in his prime years.

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

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

But now, he is set to debut in a professional tournament. Forlan will join up with Argentina's Federico Coria, who has ranked as high as world number 49, to participate in the Uruguay Open.

The 45-year-old will compete alongside doubles partner Coria after being granted 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 UNMISSABLE duo in doubles: Argentine tennis player Federico Coria (currently number 78 in the ATP ranking) and former Uruguayan football player Diego Forlan.

"Yes, our number 10 is smashing it in tennis too! This year, Forlan has competed in more than three +40 tournaments in Montevideo, also standing out in the MT1000 in Lima of the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour."

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

As mentioned earlier, Forlan grew up playing tennis. In fact, the Uruguayan was a promising junior at Carrasco Lawn Tennis Club before swapping his racket for football.

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