This Day in History: 2023-04-19

Nr. 440

FORLAN STUD ROW ENDS IN SALE

Diego Forlan revealed how a few millimetres in the length of studs got him booted out of Manchester United. The row with Sir Alex Ferguson over his choice of footwear ended in the Uruguayan being sold to Villarreal in 2004. Ferguson wanted him to play with long studs, which suit wet pitches, but Forlan felt more comfortable in short ones. He defied Ferguson and missed a great chance in a match United lost against Chelsea. Forlan recalls: «I rushed to the dressing room to change boots but Ferguson caught me. He grabbed the boots and threw them. That was my last game for United.»