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MONTEVIDEO: Uruguay World Cup star Diego Forlan has denied media reports in his homeland and Spain that he has a fractious relationship with teammates at Atletico Madrid.
The 31-year-old former Manchester United player said in an exchange on his Twitter account that “I get on well” with all members of the Atletico squad and that reports to the contrary were the media taking comments out of context.
“I like to think it’s not true,” he insisted after a local reporter asked him if rumours of a “plot” to freeze him out had any foundation.
Rumours in Uruguay and Spain have suggested there is a part of the dressing room that does not get on with Forlan, who netted five goals at last summer’s World Cup finals to help his side to the semi-finals.
Some media claims suggest that several Atletico players have an agreement “not to pass a single ball to the blond guy,” in reference to Forlan, who has had a disappointing season marred by an injury to ligaments in his right ankle in December.
After starting out with Argentine side Independiente, Forlan had two-and-a-half seasons with Manchester United but he failed to hold down a regular place and found goals hard to come by, netting just ten times in 63 games – though he did net some important efforts including a brace away to Liverpool.
But he then blossomed in Spain with Villarreal and in 2007 Atletico snapped him up.
Last season he led them to Europa League glory, his goals knocking out Liverpool along the way and then seeing off Fulham in the final and he was voted the best player of the World Cup.
He is under contract with Atletico to 2013 and indicated Saturday that “I have two years left on my contract. If someone wants me they should make a good offer which suits us and everyone can mull it over.”
In November, Atletico denied a report they had offered to sell Forlan to crosstown rivals Real amid media speculation he did not get on with coach Quique Sanchez Flores.
Other media reports have linked him with Tottenham and Juventus while last month a Spanish sports daily said Terek Grozny, the small but ambitious side from Russia’s war-torn Chechnya and coached by Dutch legend Ruud Gullit, were hoping to put together a multimillion-dollar deal for his services.
