FC Barcelona made “a big mistake” by letting Luis Suárez go to Atlético de Madrid, who has left behind his fame as a team without luck with years of good results, Diego Forlán said in an interview with AFP.
On the eve of the derby between Atlético and Real Madrid on Sunday, which he experienced as many times as rojiblanco, Forlán believes that “it was a mistake” for Barcelona to let Suárez go.
“You could see that he was still important for that team. He scored goals, which is the most important thing you can do in football,” said Forlán, a friend of the now-mattress striker.
“He scores, he assists and he is also a great personality off the pitch. Without a doubt it was a big mistake for Barcelona, who misses him,” he added.
Forlán compared Suárez’s departure from Barça to that of Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid in 2018 in terms of consequences.
“It is not just Cristiano, one of the best players in the history of football, leaving. There are also 50 goals that go. If you sell players like Ronaldo or Suárez, you have to replace them with two footballers who need time to adapt,” Forlán explained .
– ‘Challenges’ –
“After Cristiano’s departure it has not been easy for Real Madrid and for Barcelona without Luis it is the same,” added Forlán, who does not doubt his compatriot.
“He is playing well for a club that is fighting for the title (league) and with Uruguay for what could be his last World Cup. He still has many challenges ahead and still has a lot to give,” said the former Atlético striker, who only remembers “happiness” of his four years as rojiblanco.
Arrived in 2007 at an Atlético that still had a reputation as a team without luck, Forlán believes that all that has changed a lot, especially with the arrival of Diego Simeone in 2012 and the achievement of the first Europa League that year, which marked “a great step forward. for us and for the club. It was the beginning of something. “
“It always seemed that things could go well, but everyone expected them to end badly. When I arrived we wanted to change that mentality more than anything and, with Simeone, I think they have completely erased it,” he said.
“They are fighting for their second league with Simeone. Nobody wants him as a rival in the Champions League or in LaLiga. They have earned that respect with everything they have done, so that negative label should be forgotten,” Forlán added.
“Atlético is a strong team,” insisted Forlán, who believes that Atlético knows how to wait more.
“Last year was a transition year for them, they didn’t win anything, but they were among the top four and with that it was a good good season. If Real Madrid or Barcelona have a transition year and don’t win anything, it is considered a failure. “, he claimed.
– ‘Nobody is indispensable’ –
At “Atlético there is more patience, it is not the same pressure that Barcelona and Real Madrid have to win every year,” said Forlán, who takes away the iron from an eventual departure of Messi from Barcelona.
“In life, nobody is indispensable, not even Messi. I know he is one of the best players in the history of football, but another player will arrive (if he leaves),” Forlán said.
“LaLiga will adapt. (Kylian) Mbappé may come. (Erling) Haaland may come,” said the former Uruguayan striker, recalling that “Barcelona has been with Messi for a long time, they have won so many titles and broken so many records … But Barcelona existed before Messi “.
“They had Cruyff, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho … And they will continue to live after (Messi), said Forlán.
While speculation continues about the possibility that Mbappé or Haaland end up landing in Spain, Forlán is convinced that it will be so.
“I think they will play in Spain one day. Mbappé is so fast and scores so many goals and Haaland is strong and has great technique,” he explains.
“They are the future. There is always someone who comes,” insisted Forlán.
of gr / gh
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