Diego Forlan writes a weekly column for The National, appearing each Friday. The former Manchester United, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid striker has been the top scorer in Europe twice and won the Golden Boot at the 2010 World Cup. Forlan’s column will be written with the assistance of European football correspondent Andy Mitten.
The Manchester United players walked off the field in Lisbon and into the dressing room. It was a hot August night and we had just had a far tougher test than we expected.
We had played there to open Sporting Lisbon’s new stadium in 2003, and an 18-year-old opposing player was the best on the pitch by a distance.
That was not what we expected on a brief stop in Portugal on the way back from a long American preseason tour.
Roy Keane and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were the most vocal in the dressing room. They told Alex Ferguson that he had to sign the young Portuguese kid. Even John O’Shea, who had just endured a night he wanted to forget going up against him, agreed.
Within a week Cristiano Ronaldo was training with us, taking us by surprise as he shot at goal with both feet throughout training games.
He was brilliant and dedicated. Quite often, it would just be him and I alone after training, doing extra sessions on those open training fields at Carrington.
Even though he was not an established player, his arrival lifted the dressing room because he was so talented – he was another weapon to make United better.
If he saw a player doing a trick that he did not know, then he would learn it himself and show the player a few days later.
His arrival was at the right time, too, because David Beckham had just left in his position.
Fans get excited about new signings because they want to see what they can do in their shirt.
The limitations imposed by the transfer windows makes it an interesting and uncertain time in a dressing room.
You hear the rumours about signings and departures and you do not know where you are going to be living in a month or two, or where your family are going to be living.
Switching clubs can be a massive change, especially for players with kids.
I have been there myself, not knowing where I would be in a month and knowing that a club wanted to sell me. When Atletico Madrid signed Radamel Falcao in 2011, it was because they knew I was leaving.
I had a few days with Falcao, my replacement. There was no issue, it happens all the time in football. Nice guy, great player. And I was relaxed because I had a contract, but I knew Falcao and I were not going to play up front together.
At the time same, Inter Milan came in for me. They approached my agent, but I wanted to find out as much as I could about a club I was considering joining.
The Inter players Esteban Cambiasso and Diego Milito called me. I knew them and trusted them. They told me what it was like at the club and inside the dressing room. That all helped me make my decision. Inter directors told me, too.
I was fortunate to be in a position where a big club from a great city wanted me. Not every player is so fortunate, and many players from South America move to European clubs where there are major cultural differences and life is tough, especially if they are alone.
So it is always good to have as much information as possible about your new team and city.
When I arrived at Atletico, I was replacing a hero, Fernando Torres. He was a home-grown local player who supported Atletico. The fans rightly loved him, they called him “El Nino” with affection.
But was I daunted by replacing him? No. I had confidence in my own ability and so did the club. That is why they paid a lot of money for me.
I did not try to be like Torres. I just tried to integrate well with my new teammates and score lots of goals, which is exactly what I did – 23 in my first season, 35 in my second and 28 in my third.
By the time of the fourth season, it was clear my future was not there and they were looking at replacements.
Dressing rooms usually incorporate new signings well, though players will naturally feel threatened if a player is signed in their position. I think that is a good thing because more competition, like you get at the biggest clubs, keeps you at your best.
There is no room for complacency. I saw the reaction at United when Rio Ferdinand signed. He was the best young English defender and I had played against him several times.
He was fast, strong, great with the ball and had excellent anticipation. He was very hard to play against. When he walked in the United dressing room in the summer of 2002, we saw him as someone who could help us win the league back from Arsenal – which we did.
No defenders left; they worked harder to get in the team. That is exactly what the manager wanted, though I accept that some players need to move like I did from Old Trafford when it became clear that I was not going to get as many games as I wanted.
That is football; it always renews. Ronaldo replaces David Beckham, I replaced Torres and so on.
When a new player walks into a dressing room, there is never really a problem. They would not get to the top level if they were too big-headed or arrogant – teammates just would not stand for it.
You have to be respectful and friendly and that is what players are. Managers will have done their research, too. They do not want a bad egg, but new teammates will always weigh you up to see what type of person you are.
And in every dressing room in football now, that is exactly what is happening.
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